W is for Whipped

It's the last week of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge! This week, we take on the toughest set of letters... W through Z. Today is letter W and I'm doubling it up with Wild Orange Whipped Cocoa Body Butter.

Homemade gifts are becoming more and more popular and it's always nice to have a spa product for yourself. I've assembled more than one Pinterest board for making homemade items including soaps, body scrubs, and of course body butters.

There are a lot of different recipes for body butter out there. While I liked the scent used by Amy over at The Idea Room (and her labels), I actually fabricated my body butter based upon merging a few of the different recipes from my pin boards.

I started out by purchasing some 4 oz. Bell jars. The rest of my supplies came from Bulk Apothecary.

Ingredients:

1 cup Raw Cocoa Butter
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
15 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil (use more or less as you see fit to get the strength of smell you want)

When you get ready to put this together, your cocoa butter will be a solid brick. That doesn't mix well. Measure out what you need and then pop it in the microwave for a quick 10-15 seconds, just enough to soften it up, but not so much that it completely melts into liquid.

I blended my ingredients in my mixer and made a serious mess. Not kidding. It was a greasy, sticky debacle. But my hands were super soft when I was all done.

The goop was transferred into jars and sealed up. As it sets, the mixture will harden again. If it's too hard when you're ready to use it, just pop it back in the microwave for about 10 seconds and it will be ready to roll again.

It doesn't take much for this body butter to go a long way. It's a slightly greasy application, but it does soak into skin pretty quickly. Afterwards, your skin will be nice and silky and smell like delicious chocolate oranges. You could probably eat this if you really wanted to, but I'm pretty sure it smells better than it tastes.

A jar of this will last a long time, but may start getting bacterial growth (due to bacteria from your hands as you scoop it out) after 3-4 months. Periodically zapping it in the microwave will extend its life as you kill off some of that bacteria.

Miss any of my A to Z posts so far this year? Find them below...

1. A is for Anna (Easy Anna Cape)
2. B is for Bath (Appliqued Bath Mat)
3. C is for Child (Children's Growth Ruler)
4. D is for Denim (Denim Bib)
5. E is for Etch (Etched Casserole Dishes)
6. F is for Felt (Felt Hopscotch Mat)
7. G is for Good Night ("Good Night" Envelope Pillows)
8. H is for Hood (Easy Hooded Towel)
9. I is for Insulated (Insulated Beverage Cozies)
10. J is for Jumper (Embroidered Spring Jumper)
11. K is for Know (Know When to Hold 'Em/Fold 'Em Laundry Sign)
12. L is for Loveseat (Envelope Loveseat Pillows)
13. M is for Mittens (Fleece Baby Mittens)
14. N is for Ninja Turtle (Felt Ninja Turtle)
15. O is for Owl (Owl Stuffies)
16. P is for Princess (Princess Peg Dolls)
17. Q is for Quilt (Moustache Quilt)
18. R is for Reading (Appliqued Reading Pillow)
19. S is for Superheroes (Superhero Peg Dolls)
20. T is for Tumblers (Custom Etched Barware)
21. U is for Upcycled (Little Kitchen)
22. V is for Vinyl (Vinyl Pallet Art)

Are you visiting from A to Z?

Be sure to leave me a comment (including your blog link) so I can come over and return the favor!

Tomorrow is the toughest letter in the alphabet...X...where I get a little creative with my word usage.