Make Your Own Shea Butter Balm & Shea Butter Cream

Today I'll share my two quickest, easiest recipes for both face and body moisturizers. They are organic, toxin-free, and made with only two ingredients: shea butter and coconut oil. (If you missed my post "What Are You Putting On Your Skin?" then click here!!)

Shea butter is a natural fat extracted from the nut of the karate tree. It naturally carries high amounts of both Vitamins A & E, which are great for the skin, so many studies site shea butter for its ability to fight wrinkles. Although it's not absorbed super-quickly, it provides great protection and moisture. 

Coconut oil is super-versatile, as its anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties make it great for a variety of skin irritations from rashes and yeast infections to eczema and psoriasis. It makes a very gentle and effective skin conditioner, increasing the moisture and lipid content of the skin and even providing a very light level of sun protection. It can easily be used on the skin alone as well.

Recipe for Shea Butter Balm:

• 4 parts Shea Butter*
• 1 part Coconut Oil*
• Optionally, add essential oils of choice

Combine using an emulsion blender or electric mixer with whip attachment. 

This is a very thick ultra-moisturizing balm. Since it has a high amount of Shea Butter in it, it's particularly good for super-dry skin or when it will be exposed to extreme cold temperatures. It makes a good night-time facial cream too. Just be sure to put it on a little while before going to bed so that it has a chance to absorb slowly into your skin. Realize that this balm will smell very shea-buttery, so essential oils can be helpful in that regard.

Recipe for Shea Butter Cream:

• 3 parts Shea Butter*
• 1 part Coconut Oil*
• Optionally, add essential oils of choice

Combine using an emulsion blender or electric mixer with whip attachment. 

You'll notice that this is nearly the same recipe, but it uses less shea butter. You can see the difference between the consistency by looking at the pictures... the balm is much more solid and the cream is much creamier. My preference between the two recipes is the cream because it's more spreadable AND it smells less strongly of shea butter. If you want it creamier still, just add more coconut oil til it reaches your desired consistency. It's a good every-day cream, and it makes a great herbal base for essential oil concoctions.

*When shopping for your coconut oil and shea butter, the key words you need to see on the packaging are: organic, cold-pressed or expeller expressed, and unprocessed. Also on the shea butter, it should NOT be bleached.

Butter up!!