DIY Body Butter

I've made it no secret that the Cabin Kids and I have bad skin.  This morning Cabin Girl came downstairs complaining that she was itchy again.  I'd been procrastinating on trying to make my own lotion since my first lip balm batch was a bust, but her poor, dry skin was the push I needed to just try it.

Of course, I scoured Pinterest for various recipes and tutorials, and came across this tutorial from nataJane. 

With 1 adjustment/addition, this was the result!

One for Cabin Girl, and one for ME!

There are a few little lumps because I *may* have fallen asleep on the couch after I put the oil/butter mixture in the fridge to set, so some of the cocoa butter hardened a bit too much.  Nothing a little extra rubbing during application won't smooth out.

I made the alteration of using 1/2 Tbs. Witch Hazel distillate and 1/2 Tbs. Grapefruit essential oil instead of a full tablespoon of oil.  The cocoa/shea butter combination has a stronger smell, not unpleasant, but enough that you can't smell the super subtle grapefruit.  The butter is thick enough that I think I will try to use a full tablespoon of each next time to get more of the soothing effects of the Witch Hazel and the scent of the grapefruit.

I bought the distillate, shea butter, and cocoa butter off Amazon.com to use for various diy beauty projects I've been wanting to try.  The essential and coconut oils I get at our local healthfood store.  The little jar with the flip lid I found at Fred Meyer for about $3.

As I type my hands already feel more supple.  It was suggested in the original tutorial to apply immediately after getting out of the shower, before toweling off, to get the most out of the oils, and to make sure it's completely absorbed before getting dressed so you don't get oil stains on your clothes.  

Hopefully I can report back with a positive review from Cabin Girl in a week or two!