The Rubbish Junkies waste-free recipe: Cocoa and Shea Body Butter

No more forking out a fortune for plastic tubs of toxic infused body butters, this recipe simply uses raw organic ingredients in an up-cycled jar!

WHAT EXACTLY IS BODY BUTTER?

In a nut shell (as so many good ingredients are!) body butter is made by mixing natural butters (solids) and natural oils (liquids) in a 3 to 1 ratio.

For example:

75% BUTTER (SOLID): cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter

25% OIL (LIQUID): coconut oil,  sweet almond oil, olive oil, avocado oil

INGREDIENTS:

For a rich nutty cocoa aroma and a body butter that melts onto skin without leaving it greasy, I selected the following:

50% : 150g* – Cocoa butter

25%: 75g-  Shea butter

25%: 75g – Coconut oil

*The amounts (grams) provided here produce enough body butter to fill one large coffee jar. For a smaller quantity simply stick to the 3:1 solid:liquid ratio.

A LITTLE MORE INFO:

SHEA BUTTER (pronounced Shee): Derived from the kernel of the shea tree fruit, shea butter is rich in fatty acids, vitamin E and A, with unique nutty fragrance.

COCOA BUTTER: A derivative of the cocoa bean and a key component in chocolate production, cocoa butter is full of fatty acids which promote skin elasticity and moisture retention. But mainly it smells like chocolate and so it’s got my vote.

COCONUT OIL: Another natural ingredient, this time from the coconut. Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, proteins, vitamin E, and anti-microbial properties. Not only does coconut oil nourish your skin, it helps keep your skins immune system stay happy and healthy.

75g of coconut oil, the 25% liquid portion of the recipe.

75g of shea butter, which when combined with 150g of cocoa butter made the 75% solid portion of the recipe.

…AND ACTION!:

• 1) Add all your ingredients to a double boiler (or in my case, a glass mixing bowl in a pan of water on the hob). Let the bowl sit a fraction above the water in the pan, and place a lid over the top.

• 

  Combined ingredients in a glass bowl placed inside a pan of heated water.

  

  My low budget double boiler.

• 2) Gently heat without letting the water come to a boil. The water should not touch the glass bowl, allowing for the ingredients to melt by heat and steam. The nuttiness of the shea butter and the chocolate fragrance of the cocoa butter will be much cleaner this way, and the ingredients will infuse together nicely.

5-10 minutes of heating.

10-20 minutes of heating.

• 3) Once fully melted, stir well to make sure the ingredients have fully blended.
• 4) Decant the liquid mixture into a freezer-safe container (plastic is fine, I use a pyrex measuring jug). Place in the freezer until almost hard. For the amounts given here, I recommend 1 hour freezer time, smaller quantities will take approximately 20 minutes.

Fully mixed and melted ingredients in a Pyrex jug ready for the freezer.

• 5) Once firm, decant the hardened mixture into a large deep mixing bowl and break up any large chunks with a wooden spoon.
• 6) Whip for approximately 15 minutes. I use an electric hand whisk, though I would strongly recommend a cake mixer if you are lucky enough to have one. Good luck trying this by hand-and hat’s off to you if you manage it!

10 minutes of whisking with an electric whisk.

15-20 minutes of whisking with an electric whisk. Ideal consistency.

• 7) When the mix is light and creamy, simply plop it into an up-cycled jar and smother upon your person at will 🙂 !

Completed body butter in my large up-cycled coffee jar.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• Place a tablespoon of your body butter in a cup of boiling water and stir, once melted add to a hot bath for an aromatic relaxing soak.
• Keep your body butter at room temperature, all these ingredients are shelf stable and have a healthy shelf life of 3-4 years!

The Rubbish Junkies Waste Free Recipe for Whipped Coconut Oil Moisturiser.

As requested, I will be posting several waste-free skin care recipes over the coming weeks. I thought I would start off with something easy, which is incidentally one of my favourites: The Rubbish Junkies Whipped Coconut Oil Moisturiser.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon of liquid vitamin E

• 10-20 drops of an essential oil of your choice (I like Lavender, but I have also been told my Tea-Tree version is very effective at healing sore over-blown noses and opening up sinuses-perfect for making yourself feel a little better when suffering from a common cold).

• Electric whisk

• Mixing bowl

• One up-cycled jam jar

WHAT TO DO:

1) Place your coconut oil in a mixing bowl

Coconut oil MUST be solid to successfully whisk. If you are luck enough to live in a hot climate, place it in the fridge until hard

2) Whisk on the electric whisks lowest setting (e.g. level 1). I use the lowest setting because solid coconut oil can spray all over the place when you first start whisking. You don’t want to be finding coconut oil half way up your kitchen walls.

3) Add one teaspoon of liquid vitamin e. This will keep your skin nice and healthy, perfect during the long English winters.

Liquid vitamin E can be bought from your local health food shop or online. I use this particular brand because it is sold by my local health food shop which means I can support local businesses, and the bottle can be recycled.

4) Add drops of your chosen essential oil. I usually add 10 drops, whisk to mix it through, and add up to 10 drops more depending on my preference for fragrance strength.

Please research your essential oil of choice before applying it to your skin. Some essential oils should be avoided by pregnant women, infants, and young children.

5) Whisk until light and creamy. Fold the cream using a table spoon to make sure there are no hidden coconut oil lumps. Total whisking time: approximately 10 minutes.

The ideal consistency!

6) Decant the cream into your used jam-jar and store in a cool place.

So there you have it! It really is that simple.

By using quirky up-cycled jars, these make great gifts for waste-free birthdays too!

SHELF LIFE: This simple recipe uses all shelf-stable ingredients, a jar this size usually lasts me 4 months before I simply run out.

APPLICATION: I use a tea spoon for application to avoid any unwanted moisture from my hands entering the jar and causing a risk of mould. This also means you can share your jar without sharing germs. A little goes a long way, and the smallest piece will melt onto your skin and leave you feeling soft and lovely.

STORAGE: Store in a cool space, bathroom cupboards are fine. You will notice that the creamy texture can alter depending on the temperature (coconut oil melts when heated, and goes rock solid when cold). If your cream goes hard, simply run it under hot water, and if it goes runny just pop it in the fridge. Your jar of moisturiser can be re-whipped any time, and even when hard it will melt on your skin.

USES: I use this moisturiser on my legs and underarms after shaving, I use it as a face-cream at night time, a hand-cream after work, and I use it as a massage cream for myself and my partner. It’s known as the “miracle cream” in my house! It has cleared up mild acne and blemishes, it’s softened skin, and even helped sooth sore areas such as over-blown noses. This is NOT however, a medical cream, and should not be used as such. It’s just a simple way to feel soft, smooth, and luxurious, without spending a tonne of money on chemically infused beauty products packaged in toxic plastics!