DIY Cocoa Shea Body Butter

It seems like every time I turn around I hear of another diagnosis of cancer. I recently watched a documentary on organic food and it said that 41% of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer. Such a high number!! What's surprising is that all the diagnosis I hear of have been young people, around my age or a little older. I can kind of understand cancer affecting those over 70, since cancer is a cell mutation and it makes sense that something may go wrong with a cells DNA that has been replicated over and over for years (don't mean to sound callous). But why is it affecting young people more and more? Is it the food, air, personal hygiene products? I don't know. All I know is I have tried to reduce the amount of "junk" I use on my body. Which includes lotion. I used to want all the Bath and Body Works/Body Shop lotions and pretty smelling products. Now, I'm over it (I still use makeup with junk in it- can't help myself!). But here's how I make my own Body Butter.

It's not like the emulsified stuff you find in the stores. It takes a little longer to absorb, and it's not the yummiest smelling stuff on earth. But it get's the job done! You can make it smell better by using refined oils and butter's but I prefer the benefits of using the virgin or unrefined stuff. More healing properties and less messed with. Who wants Shea Butter that has been bleached? Not I!

Anyway, the best thing about making your own is you can add anything you like. And you can adjust it depending on your preferences. This particular batch is a little more solid, but still melts easy. I like it more solid because I feel like a little goes a long way. When it's softer I tend to use a lot more than necessary and end up greasy! 

I start by placing the Cocoa and Shea Butter in my container and then placing that in a bowl of hot water. You can use the microwave, but I like the hot water method better. It's a more gentle way of heating the oils. I used a stick of Cocoa Butter (1 ounce) and two heaping teaspoons of Shea Butter.

You can always melt it in a bigger container and whip it, but I've never been able to whip it and have it stay whipped. It ends up as the same hardened texture anyway. You may have a better outcome though...

Then I add a heaping teaspoon of Coconut Oil and about 7 teaspoons of a liquid oil. This time I used Jojoba, Walnut, and Sweet Almond oil. You can use basically anything you have. You can add Olive or grapeseed, it's really whatever your prefer and whatever you have on hand. You can add one oil or several varieties if you want. Just don't forget to stir it up a little.

 Fragrance oils.

Essentail Oils

I popped it in the fridge to cool. I should have then added essential oil or fragrance oil but I completely forgot. So this time I have unscented, which smells like Shea Butter and Coconut Oil. I prefer essential oil to fragrance oil, only because fragrance oils probably don't have the best ingredients. But who really knows since they don't really have to label it. I have a small collection of fragrance oils so I do use them, but in the future I would probably stick with essential oil because I think they are better for you. Lavender is a great one to start with, or peppermint oil. I would use about 10 drops of essential oil and adjust based on your preferences in the future. 

And there you have it, Cocoa Shea Body Butter. Good stuff! 

I still like to buy natural lotions but I always have a little I made myself on hand!

Note: If you scent with essential oil, be careful not to use a citrus. Citrus oils are photosensitive and can damage your skin if you put it on and then go in sunlight. Sometimes I do use citrus oils but I make sure any skin I've applied it on is not exposed to sunlight or only use at night!