WARNING: This recipe is SUPER moist. You'll need to give it some time to soak in. I have been fortunate enough to never have a problem with dry skin except for my feet, so I use this and lotion bars to solve my summer feet woes. You will need:
1/2 c. (unrefined) Shea Butter
2 Vitamin E capsules worth of Vitamin E
3 Tbsp Vegetable Glycerin or Almond Oil
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
A shot glass of sugar (brown or white)
(or about 1/3+ cups ;)
(More information on why these ingredients were chosen at the bottom of this post!)
I got so into making this that it didn't occur to me to take pictures along the way...so this description will have to do!
In a double boiler, melt your coconut oil with your almond oil or vegetable glycerin (I suppose you could do half and half if you wanted); with a pair of scissors or what have you, break open two Vitamin E tablets and squeeze the contents into your coconut oil mixture. Once everything has melted down, remove the coconut oil mixture from heat and let cool such that it is still liquid (don't let the coconut oil return to a solid).
Next, warm your shea butter. I prefer using unrefined shea butter even though it might be an ugly bright yellow (not all unrefined shea butter is bright yellow, however) and have a slight nutty smell to it. That's because refined shea butter loses a lot of its healing, medicinal, and moisturizing properties during the refining process. Anyway, warm your shea butter but don't met it all the way. If you do let it melt all the way, no big deal. Stick it in the fridge (or, if you're impatient like me, the freezer), and let it get to somewhere halfway between melted and solid--creamy.
With a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the shea butter on high until it looks thick and whipped--about three to five minutes. At this point, while mixing the shea butter, slowly pour in the coconut oil mixture, whipping as you go. Your mixture should look soft and creamy, like a thick lotion or perhaps whipped cream. At this point, you can use it as a moisturizer alone, or you can add in your sugar for to make it a moisturizing sugar scrub. Beat in your sugar until its thoroughly mixed in and your scrub looks a little grainy. Store in an airtight jar in a cool temperature. Getting water in your mixture will reduce it's shelf life, so keep that in mind before storing it in a wet, warm shower! (Also, vegetable glycerin is water soluble, so adding water to this mixture might ruin it if you used that instead of almond oil). If your scrub gets flat or melts, it can be re-whipped into shape!
WHY SHEA BUTTER?
Shea butter is a yellow to ivory colored fat extracted from the nut of an African shea tree. It is edible and sometimes used in food preparation and is widely used in lotions and cosmetics as a moisturizer. It is traditionally used to reduce the appearance of fine lines, scars, stretch marks in addition to moisturizing dry skin and treating psoriasis, eczema and sunburn. Shea butter's moisturizing and healing properties are supposed to be superior to those of cocoa butter. If you have an allergy to tree nuts you may experience an allergic reaction to shea butter.
WHY COCONUT OIL?
Coconut oil is extracted from the kernel or meat of coconuts. It is edible and heat-stable, so it is often used in cooking. Coconut oil has a vast number of different uses, including skin moisturizing and treating dry and sensitive skin conditions. Coconut oil does not contain tree nut proteins, but the FDA recommends people with tree nut allergies avoid consuming coconut oil or using it on the skin; however, coconut oil allergies are supposedly pretty uncommon.
WHY ALMOND OIL?
Almond oil is known for its moisturizing properties; it enhances one's complexion and makes the skin smooth. It is less greasy compared to other oils (e.g. olive) which is why I like to use it in sugar scrubs. It contains Vitamins B1, B2, A and E, relieves itching, and is good for any skin type.
WHY VEGETABLE GLYCERIN?
Vegetable glycerin works as a skin conditioning agent and helps the skin retain moisture. It is commonly found in moisturizers and works to make lotions and creams easier to spread on the skin. It is also known for easing discomfort caused by eczema and psoriasis, although I've seen it recommended that you do not apply 100% vegetable glycerin to skin; it should be mixed with other moisturizing substances. Vegetable glycerin is soluble in water and alcohol (which made it easy to clean off of my measuring spoon!) and is hypoallergenic.
WHY VITAMIN E?
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects and repairs the skin. How? Chemistry. Something to do with free radicals, electrons, etc. It got quite boring quite fast, so I stopped researching!
WHY SUGAR?
Because it's delicious of course! Also, it works to exfoliate the skin.
So there you have it! Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
**UPDATE**
I have included for download some labels to go with your body butter sugar scrub! They come in yellow and blue, so you can choose what color would look best depending on the color of shea butter you use. My body butter turned our more yellow than white, so I used the blue label. I think yellow would look better with a white body butter. But it's up to you!
HOW TO PRINT LABELS
- Print the labels on a sheet of label paper, like this.
- Cut out the labels, and place on mason jars. These labels will work for any size mason jar except wide mouth 8 oz. jars.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- Please do not use these labels for commercial purposes, don't alter the designs, and don't offer them for download on your site--link to this page instead.
DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS
- Click the Download Here link below
- You may be prompted to create an account at 4shared.com; if so, do that. It's free, doesn't take long, and they don't pester you with emails.
- You will see a preview of the PDF document these come in; directly beneath it is the download button. Adobe sometimes likes to shrink things, so test them out before you print a million.
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