When I initially started making body and skin products in my kitchen, it was with the hydrating lotion bar. I was obsessed with the scent of the cocoa butter, literally chocolate, and wanted to add in nourishing nutrients from herbal infusions. The bar melted on contact with the skin after the shower which I loved, but I also felt like I wanted something more like a lotion as well.

At the time, I was living in the woods of Northern California and would be outdoors quite a lot, so my skin was frequently in the sun and water for most of the day. I would find that my skin would be crying of thirst, so I set out to find something that I could slather on throughout the day.

When I was also playing with ingredients creating the facial oil, I was LOVING some of the following oils:

• sea buckthorn fruit oil: contains 190 nutrients and phytonutrients! rich in Omega 7 for skin repair and regeneration, incredible for vitamin C which reduces acne breakouts, prevents inflammation and future flare ups, helps fade scars and promote overall more even tone and texture.

• carrot seed oil: rich antioxidants, vitamin A and carotenoids make up 40% of this oil, as well as having vitamin E & C which helps repair and mend skin damage from sun and scars, tones and tightens tissue, collagen boosting and skin balancer

…and herbal allies like:

• nettle for it’s host of vitamins, ability to decrease inflammation easing skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis, tightens and risk skin, and evens skin tone

• calendula not only for addressing inflammatory skin concerns like acne and irritations, its very moisturizing, can help firm your skin, protect from free radicals, and promotes healing

• comfrey contains a natural source of allantoin which helps regenerate new skin cells, reduces inflammation and keeps skin healthy, softer and more supple

I was wondering, why aren’t there products out there that helped maintain a supple, healthy, glow for the body like they have for the face? I was thinking of my chest, booty and legs and how when I kept them hydrated how much of a different it made to the way they felt and looked.

Keeping skin oiled on the outside, as well hydrated on the inside, I feel like is the key to aging well and looking healthy.

I decided to go for a more luxurious butter vs the lightweight jojoba oil and keep all the other ingredients the same as the facial oil, since they were exactly what I wanted. I opted for a fair trade shea butter from Ghana. Most of the incredible butters we know and love grow closer to the equator. Shea butter comes from the Shea Tree which grows wild in Northern Ghana and covers vast areas of the Savannah. This tree is a precious commodity and can take up to 50yrs to gather the fruit, so regenerative farming practices that can sustain the community for generations to come is extremely important.

By working with the company Baraka, they work to make a difference in the lives of the women who produce the shea butter by hand using an age-old technique that has been passed down for generations. Every purchase has a positive and direct impact on the women, families and communities in Northern Ghana as well as the environment. Their story is quite incredible and worth a read if you are interested- click “Baraka” in the first sentence.

Shea Butter has amazing benefits to the skin like being very nourishing and moisturizing, it can aid in natural collagen production, minimize the appearance of scars, fine lines and stretch marks, and helps to calm skin irritations.

When I started researching how to make body butters, that is whipped lotion without water, it’s a delicate balance of oils and butters. They need to melt down and then slowly be brought back to a cooler temp so they harden and be whipped. I will have to say that this process sounds easy-ish but it took me several years to figure out the chemistry behind it and even still, it varies whether I make a batch in my studio in winter vs summer.

After a while of whipping up hundreds of batches, I have figured out that it requires a double whip of the oils and butter. The initial whip of all the ingredients as soon as they start to solidifying, then after they fully harden together, then they need to be painstakingly whipped again so they stay permanently whipped and luxurious. It is tedious but SO worth it.

When I step out of the shower or want to reapply throughout the day, I take a huge scoop into my hands, rub vigorously until all the butter melts into a liquid in my hands and generously apply all over my body. I then give myself a bit of time for it all to soak in. My skin will stay insanely hydrating for incredibly long, usually until the next time I shower or hop in a river.

In the 8 years that I have been making body butter, I have tried putting on other lotions, less than a handful of times. It was generally, because I was in a pinch and left my body butter at home. I can honestly say, my skin thinks any water based lotion is so inferior and I find that I am dried out again hours after an application.

If I am ever in a desperate lurch for body butter, I now go straight to a kitchen and liberally apply olive oil, since straight butters and oils are the most hydrating. However, it’s VERY rare that I go anywhere without at least my 3 staples- facial oil, toner and body butter.

Xoxox

Heather