"Winter is coming"...question about whipped body butter

[navigator9]

While my own handmade soap and any good lotion seem to be enough to make my skin happy during the warmer months, as soon as the air gets cooler and drier, and the heat goes on in the house, my skin needs more moisture, especially my legs and feet. So I thought I'd make myself some whipped body butter to take care of the problem. Never having made it before, I did some reading, and at its simplest, it seems that 75% butter and 25% oil will do the trick. I like the idea of keeping it very simple, and I'm wondering what those of you who make it routinely would think of a recipe of just cocoa butter and avocado oil. They're two that my skin seems to like a lot. Do you think that combo would work well? Do I need to make it more complicated than that? Should I split the oils half avocado and half jojoba? And what's the smallest test batch that would whip up well enough to tell if it's going to be a good combo? Is that too many questions? Ooops...that's another question! :-D

 

[shunt2011]

I make one with Shea Butter, Meadowfoam, Coconut, Avocado and IPM as well as a bit of Vit E. I'm sure Cocoa will work and I too love Avocado and some Jojoba. You can make a small amount, I think I started with 8 oz. I too get extra dry on my legs, feet and arms during the winter months with the heat on. I also use a lotion bar for mostly my feet. I just whip it with my hand mixer not my Kitchen Aid. You may want to try some arrowroot powder or cornstarch if it's too greasy unless you happen to have some IPM. I add IPM at about 2%.

 

[kumudini]

I know cocoa butter is awesome in a WBB. Haven't tried avocado oil yet, so no help there. But you got the right idea about the proportions. Just try your recipe and see how you like it. For the smallest quantity you can whip up, find the smallest whisk attachment and see if it fits in your smallest of coffee mugs, if it does, I think you can whip up a 2-4 oz batch. Of course I never did make a tiny batch, my first one was 24 oz, I just shared with my close friends, yep not really knowing how it works. It worked out fine though.
IPM is great, this and corn starch work to make the product less greasy and easier to absorb.

I think I'm the only odd person who loves glycerine for winter skin, but just oils and butters don't bring enough moisture to my skin when everything else is trying to rob it.

 

[dixiedragon]

I would love a good recipe that is nothing but cocoa butter and avocado. If you find one, please post it!

Regarding feet: Do you have dry, cracked heals that develop sore or even bleeding cracks? My mom gets them BAD. A pedicurist told her that when the pedicurist had that problem, she figured out it was a case of athlete's foot.

Scrub your tub/shower with bleach. You may need to do this regularly if somebody else is re-infecting the area with athlete's foot.

Treat the whole foot with athlete's foot treatment. There is a great cream in a tube that's .98 at Wal-Mart.

Moisturize the feet well. For example, slather them with lotion or a salve and put plastic baggies over them at night.

Exfoliate the feet GENTLY. Get one of those foot files or the cheese-grater type thing, and do a few swipes (less than 5) over the area each time you bathe. Or let a pedicurist use a dremel-like thing on it.

Of course, wash the feet well with soap and water.

 

[kumudini]

Dixie, if it's just those two ingredients, You could mix mini batches of CB/ AO in 90/10, 80/20, 70/30 and 60/40 proportions and see which one you like better and tweak it from there. What's great for someone may not be as great for you and this is such a simple experiment.

 

[lenarenee]

I know cocoa butter is awesome in a WBB. Haven't tried avocado oil yet, so no help there. But you got the right idea about the proportions. Just try your recipe and see how you like it. For the smallest quantity you can whip up, find the smallest whisk attachment and see if it fits in your smallest of coffee mugs, if it does, I think you can whip up a 2-4 oz batch. Of course I never did make a tiny batch, my first one was 24 oz, I just shared with my close friends, yep not really knowing how it works. It worked out fine though.
IPM is great, this and corn starch work to make the product less greasy and easier to absorb.

I think I'm the only odd person who loves glycerine for winter skin, but just oils and butters don't bring enough moisture to my skin when everything else is trying to rob it.

No you're not!!! Glycerin/water spray is my best friend!

 

[navigator9]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the feedback. The house is still in a state of upheaval from all the work going on, but as soon as I can locate the cocoa butter, I'm in business. I'll report back on the results.

Dixie, no cracked heels, just dry, dry, dry. I've been very caught up with all the house stuff, and neglecting my normal hair and skin moisturizing. I can't wait til everything's done, and I can get my house back in order and get back to some sort of routine! Good basic skin care isn't a hit or miss kind of deal, you have to be diligent, and I've been guilty of slacking off. My skin will probably soak up the body butter like a sponge...I can't wait!

 

[traderbren]

I'm daft and have only made lotions and thick butters with ewax. For this do you just melt the butter and add the oil and whip or do you chill it first (I'm guessing it's Door #2)?

 

[navigator9]

I'm daft and have only made lotions and thick butters with ewax. For this do you just melt the butter and add the oil and whip or do you chill it first (I'm guessing it's Door #2)?

My research led me to this site. It seems pretty thorough, and if you check on youtube, there are some good videos, too. I don't think there's any chilling involved, at least not as far as what I've read.

http://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/2013/02/how-to-make-whipped-body-butters-1.html

 

[kumudini]

I think if you start whipping the melted oils while still hot, it's going to take a long time until they cool enough to start solidifying. May not be very good for your mixer. A period of cool down whether on the table or fridge is useful in my opinion.
Once I saw Ariane's first video on WBB where she only melts the mango and cocoa butters and adds into the rest of the mix at room temps and starts whipping. I thought that would be so easy but my end result was grainy.
Melting, mixing thoroughly, chilling just a bit and then whipping is my standard procedure now.
I see that Ariane changed her procedure as well in her second video on body butters.

 

[shunt2011]

I melt my butter then add my liquids. I then place my pan in a ice bath and just let it sit for a bit. I scrape the sides and bottom periodically wit a spatula. Then I start whipping it in the ice bath. Then let it sit a few and whip some more. I scrape the sides and bottom and then whip some more. I tried the fridge thing but it didn't work as well for me. I like keeping an eye on it.

 

[navigator9]

I think if you start whipping the melted oils while still hot, it's going to take a long time until they cool enough to start solidifying. May not be very good for your mixer. A period of cool down whether on the table or fridge is useful in my opinion.
Once I saw Ariane's first video on WBB where she only melts the mango and cocoa butters and adds into the rest of the mix at room temps and starts whipping. I thought that would be so easy but my end result was grainy.
Melting, mixing thoroughly, chilling just a bit and then whipping is my standard procedure now.
I see that Ariane changed her procedure as well in her second video on body butters.

I melt my butter then add my liquids. I then place my pan in a ice bath and just let it sit for a bit. I scrape the sides and bottom periodically wit a spatula. Then I start whipping it in the ice bath. Then let it sit a few and whip some more. I scrape the sides and bottom and then whip some more. I tried the fridge thing but it didn't work as well for me. I like keeping an eye on it.

Thanks for the tips on chilling. The site I read didn't mention that.

 

[Deedles]

Has anyone used anhydrous lanolin in butters or lotions?

In my former life as a Pharmacy Tech I used to make a lotion for one of the nursing homes. I can't find the exact recipe but it was glycerin, anhydrous lanolin, aloe juice and a base lotion we used to formulate lotions per Dr.s orders. For fragrance I added a few drops of bath oil. Estee Lauder Youth Dew was a huge hit at the home! It's been years since I made it but I remember it being very moisturizing and absorbed well with no greasy feel.

 

[shunt2011]

I have some but didn't think to use it. Now you've got me wondering as well.

 

[Paintguru]

I think I'm the only odd person who loves glycerine for winter skin, but just oils and butters don't bring enough moisture to my skin when everything else is trying to rob it.

I think this is a key statement that shouldn't be overlooked in the winter. The problem with anhydrous products is that, as designed, there is no water. So while it can form a barrier and keep any moisture in, it isn't introducing moisture to your already dry skin. This is why I'm trying to make lotions for the winter as well as whipped butters. In my opinion, whipped butters are good to apply after showers or hand washing while lotions are good for times you need to add moisture. Just my interpretation of things I've read.

 

[houseofwool]

I think 75% cocoa butter is going to make the whipped body butter extremely firm. You may need to drop that down a bit.

 

[navigator9]

I made the wbb this morning, and I did decrease the amount of cocoa butter. I used 4oz cocoa butter and 2 oz avocado oil. I put it in the fridge after melting, and with all that cocoa butter, it didn't take long to firm up. It whipped beautifully, and again, with the cocoa butter, it was quite firm after whipping, but melts instantly when it touches my skin. Even though I added a bit of cornstarch, it still feels kind of greasy, but at this time of year, I can take a little greasiness. Next time, I may try jojoba instead of avocado. Thank you all for your input!

 

[CMars]

I make wbb pretty regularly and I find a ratio of 3 parts butters to 1 part oil to be very good and some added starch can be nice. I don' add any waxes or complicate it any further. yes you have to wait until it cools, otherwise you will whip for nothing. I made a post about it when I was pregnant https://marsbalms.wordpress.com/tag/body-butter/

 

[navigator9]

Well, now that the wbb has completely cooled and set up.....it's too hard. I mean, it's still scoopable, but it's not a creamy, whipped butter consistency. If I get a chance tomorrow, I think I'll try to melt it down again, and add some jojoba and see how that works out. My legs did soak up all the butter that I put on them earlier today, and they feel nice and silky!

 

[Cactuslily]

I recently made a batch of WBB. I've alway chilled my oils a bit before whipping. This time, I didn't have arrowroot, and subbed tapioca starch. It came out too firm for my liking. It melts on contact, but I need a small spatula to get any out of the container. Maybe I added too much tapioca starch? Will probably re melt and add a bit more liquid oils to see if it softens a bit. As for putting baggies over your feet at bedtime, I forgot they were on and ended up a$$ over teakettle. Won't be doing that again anytime soon.