Whipped Manuka Orange Body Butter
I received Manuka essential oil as a bonus with my May Young Living Essential Rewards package. The skin is the largest organ in our body. To limit my toxic exposure, I either make my own body butter or purchase moisturizers that are free of common endocrine disruptors. Manuka has a nice floral scent with a hint of honey. It supports healthy-looking skin and can help to reduce the appearance of blemishes. I decided to combine it with Orange essential oil to make luscious body butter with a refreshing scent. I used the Better Shea Butter recipe for Whipped Lavender Shea Butter as inspiration for making my Whipped Manuka Orange Body Butter. Here's my recipe.
Ingredients
30 drops Manuka Essential Oil
30 drop Orange Essential Oil
Instructions
Slowly melt the Mango butter and the Shea butter. Use a heat-safe glass bowl over a saucepan filled with water.
Once the butters are melted, add the almond oil and essential oils (I think I lost some of the scent in the final product by adding the oils to the still hot butters. I plan to try waiting until the final step to add the oils for a more fragrant finished product)
Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes then place in the freezer for 45 minutes.
Take the mixture of out the freezer and whip for 5 minutes. *This is the point the the recipe were I think I had a eureka moment. Usually I use my immersion blender to hand mix my body butters. The result I get is decent but not as light and airy as on this occasion. Since going gluten-free and reducing my carbs, my Kitchen Aid mixture has sat alone and unloved on my kitchen counter. I decided to use it to mix the body butter.
Transfer the mixture from the glass bowl to one of the bowls that comes with the Kitchen Aid mixer. Blend the mixture on medium then high until the appearance is like whipped egg whites or frosting. Use a spatula to transfer your whipped butter to your favorite glass or stainless steel container.(I get my containers at Trader Joe's) Be careful not to over compact your mixture.
Because this technique added so much air into the mixture, it remained soft and fluffy hours later after the mixture had completely cooled. I plan to use it on my body and in my hair. My husband likes the scent as is and didn't find it particularly feminine. I plan to add a bit more of the Manuka later to create a stronger scent. This will be my go-to recipe since it practically disappears into the skin. I tested it on my husband and he loved the feel of this product on his skin also. This is important since especially as the weather warm up you want you skin to be healthy and moisturized, not greasy. Let me know if you try this recipe. Feel free to substitute your favorite therapeutic-grade essential oils for different fragrances or skin-nourishing benefits.