This simple body butter formulation is a rich, nourishing and moisturising anhydrous formula containing precious oils and butters. The skin feel is creamy and pleasant, and it offers a sufficient occlusive effect to help the skin retain its natural moisture.
Exotic cupuacu, mango and cocoa butters add texture while the carrier oil sea buckthorn, even at a very low percentage, gives it a beautiful light orange tint and the benefits of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids.
We chose a combination of citrus essential oils that offer both a floral note (with the neroli) as well as a typical zesty scent. If you live in a hot climate, you may wish to increase the butter and even the wax content to prevent your body butter melting and becoming unstable.
INGREDIENT CHOICES
Sea Buckthorn Oil
It is extracted from sea buckthorn plant (Hippophae rhamnoides) which is referred as the holy fruit of Himalayas for its healing properties.
It is packed with antioxidants that it prevents skin ageing, heals wounds fast, protects skin from sun damage and promotes skin elasticity.
Benefits
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Excellent for Sensitive Skin
Topical application of Sea Buckthorn oil both has many benefits on skin problems. It promotes skin hydration, elasticity, cell regeneration, and even helps treat and prevent acne. Sea Buckthorn oil has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce swelling and redness associated with many skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis and rosacea.
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Essential Fatty Acids
The unique high fatty acid content of Sea Buckthorn oil and the wealth of nutrients it contains make it one of the most health-promoting herbal oils today. When applied on the skin, Sea Buckthorn oil does not leave an oily residue as virtually all ingredients are properly absorbed and quickly assimilated into the skin
Vitamin E
A popular potent antioxidant that combats signs of skin aging brought by free radicals and helps the skin look healthy. It is great in improving the condition of acne and eczema prone skin since it has anti-inflammatory properties
Benefits
Formulation
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Makes: 100 grams
Time taken: 30 minutes
Level: beginner formulator
Phase A
Phase B
Phase C
Phase D
METHOD OF MANUFACTURE
Prepare your workspace
Sterilise your utensils and working place.
Weigh Â
Weigh out all your ingredients, putting them in a separate beaker according to the phases A, B, C, D.
Phase A
Melt phase A ingredients (butters and wax) in a water bath or over a bain-marie until just melted.
Phase B
Slowly add phase B oils into melted butters and mix gently. By this gradual addition of ingredients, we reduce the need to heat the more heat-sensitive botanical oil ingredients at the start.
Cooling and Phase C
Start cooling down your blend in a cold-water bath. When under 40 degrees, add phase C ingredients.
Stir to a trace
Continue stirring gently in cold/ice water bath until an opaque / milky blend is observed. This stage of mixing is sometimes called a “trace “. This is the point when the oils, butters and waxes are completely mixed and there is a low risk of separation of these ingredients in the final product. The trace consistency minimises the chance of your body butter having lumps, grains, and other colour or structural inconsistencies.
Whipping
Start whipping your mixture until fluffy. See our formulation tips below on how to whip the butter. If you don’t wish to create a whipped body butter, continue to point 8 below.
Phase D
Mix in phase D properly.
BottleÂ
Distribute into the jars and label.
FORMULATION TIPS
We offer two version of this simple body butter formulation: regular set and a whipped version. If you are new to formulation, these tips will help you whip the butter to perfection.
If you decide to whip your butter to be fluffier, lighter and more eye catching, put the whole blend into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to cool down completely. For the next stage, the blend must not be too hard nor too soft either.
Remove from the fridge and start whipping with a mini whisk or cappuccino frothier for a few minutes and see if the structure is forming. If the body butter is too hard to whip, leave it to adjust to room temperature. If it is too soft, put it back into the fridge and wait a bit longer.
Keep whipping for a few minutes until your desired texture is achieved. The final texture must be soft, glossy and without lumps.
Once you are happy with the texture, stir in the arrowroot powder thoroughly. It is added to improve the skin feel and to reduce the oiliness of the final product. Then, decant the butter into containers. Ensure it is totally cool, then lid.
ph sensitive ingredients;
alpha arbutin needs to be in a ph between 3.5 – 6.6 and niacinamide needs to be in a ph around 6. I had to use a 10% lye solution to raise the ph of my moisturizer. The natural ph was 5.03 and would be fine if the product didn’t contain niacinamide. So I raised the ph by adding in 0.11 grams or 7 drops of a diluted solution of 10% sodium hydroxide in 90% distilled water.
Substitutions;
substituting ingredients will change the final feel, viscosity, and overall effect of final product. percentages and formulating procedure may need to change with substitutions.
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glycerin – propanedial, propylene glycol or other humectant
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sodium phytate – Disodium EDTA or other chelating agent. You could also leave out.
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montanov 68 MB – emulsifying wax NF, ritamulse SCG, Olivem 1000, polawax or any other waxy emulsifier
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cetyl alcohol – cetearyl alcohol, stearic acid, behenyl alcohol, or another fatty alcohol or fatty acid.
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rosehip seed oil – any other liquid plant oil or liquid emollient ester
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papaya oil – any other liquid plant oil or liquid emollient ester
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alpha arbutin – no sub
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niacinamide – no sub, but you can leave out
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licorice extract – any extract you would like
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FSS Pisum Sativum Peptide – wheat protein, rice protein, baobab protein, or any other hydrolyzed protein.
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liquid germall plus – any other water soluble preservative like euxyl k 903, optiphen plus, euxyl PE 9010, geogard ECT, tristate eco, etc.
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vitamin E – no sub, but you can leave out or use some green tea extract for added antioxidants.
