Flower Infused Whipped Body Butter
This nourishing whipped body butter recipe is perfect for softening and soothing dry hands and body!
It features a trio of herbal flowers: dandelion, sunflower, and calendula, that help repair and condition chapped skin.
Today I’m excited to share a recipe that was inspired by my friend Colleen’s brand new book, Healing Herbal Infusions.
If you love making useful projects with flowers and herbs from your garden, this is a must have for your home library!
Isn’t the cover gorgeous!?
The inside is just as beautiful – filled with full color photos and a lovely botanical design. (Use the “look inside” feature at Amazon and check it out!)
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Flower Infused Oil
(Note: For my version, I used dandelions & sunflower petals instead of lavender & elderflowers. I used a combination of rice bran oil and grapeseed oil for the oil portion.)
- 1/4 cup dried calendula
- 2 tbsp dried lavender
- 2 tbsp dried elderflowers
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
- 1/4 cup apricot kernel oil
- 1 tbsp castor oil
For the Body Butter
- 4 oz shea butter
- 1/2 cup of the flower infused oil from above
- 5 to 10 drops lavender essential oil, optional
How to Make Flower Infused Body Butter
First, make the flower infused oil:
- Combine the dried flowers and oils in a half-pint jar.
- Cover with a lid and shake to mix well.
- Put the jar in a cool dark place to infuse for 4 to 6 weeks.
- You could also use the quick infusing method as detailed in my 10 Things to Make with Calendula article.
- Once infused, strain the flowers from the oil and proceed with the recipe.
Next, make the whipped body butter:
- Melt the shea butter in a double boiler over low heat.
- Add the flower infused oil.
- Mix well.
- Place in the refrigerator about 1 hour, until beginning to solidify.
- Use a hand mixer to beat until fluffy.
- Add the lavender essential oil.
- Mix until incorporated.
- Spoon into jars or tins.
This filled about 2 1/2 of the 4 ounce small canning jars shown.
We recently started back the wood stove for winter and my skin was feeling dry. I’ve been applying this body butter at night over the last few weeks and it leaves my skin feeling softer and smoother!
This looks great. Wondering if I need to add a natural preservative.
Hi Shima! That’s a great question! Since this doesn’t have any water in it, there’s no place for mold or bacteria to grow, so you don’t need to add a preservative to this recipe. :)
Hi, thank you for the recipe. What is the shelf life of the body butter?
Hi Marion! The body butter should last a nice long time, at least 1 year, though it will deflate a little bit over time. It won’t spoil or mold, but the oils will eventually go rancid. If it starts smelling like old oil, then you know it’s past its prime. :)
I’m so excited to try some of your recipes! I’ve foraged quite a bit in anticipation :) I know I harvested more than I will need for a few recipes, so I am wondering how long dried flowers (IE dandelions especially) will keep? And the best way to store them until I need to make more of something? TIA!
Hi Lauren! They should keep for at least 6 to 9 months if stored in a cool dark place. Storing in a brown paper bag is a great way to keep them out of sunlight. Once the color starts fading, then you know they’re aging too much & losing beneficial properties. I also have an article on drying flowers & herbs you may enjoy! :)
https://thenerdyfarmwife.com/how-to-harvest-dry-flowers-herbs-from-garden/