Shea butter could be difficult to smooth over your hair or skin in its raw form.
Still, you don’t have to be an expert, and it only takes around 10-20 minutes to whip shea butter, but once you are done, you will love how easy it is to use it in your daily life.
Finally, I found a great organic raw shea butter product. Because unrefined shea butter is a bit hard to spread over a large area of my skin, I decided to try this whipped shea butter recipe for easier application.
The process is easy; you need to add carrier oil that will dissolve the good fats in shea butter and prevent it from re-hardening when it cools.
There are Two Ways to Whip your Shea Butter:
With heat: using a double boiler, by heating shea butter until it melts then adding the carrier oil/oils of your choice.
Without heat: by mixing ingredients at room temperature which is much safer for maintaining the significant benefits of shea butter.
I chose to use the No-Heat method. I picked argan oil, I could use extra virgin olive oil, but olive oil is known for being greasy compared to other oils like argan oil. Besides, I have been using argan oil for curing acne, as anti-aging oil and would love to combine the benefits of it along with shea butter in one cream.
To Make Your Whipped Shea butter (No-Heat Method), You will Need:
10-20 drops essential oil (optional), for example, lavender oil
Electric mixer
Clean empty 8 oz ( 240 ml) container (pump containers is always preferable), a fork, and measuring cups and spoons.
Here is how …..
Mash your shea butter using a fork until it becomes soft.
Add the base oil; here I use argan oil, you can also use coconut oil, and mash it a little bit more. It will look like this…
Then, mix it with the electric mixer for about 10 minutes. It will become fluffy just like whipped cream. During mixing, add the essential oil (optional) and mix a little bit more…
How to make whipped shea butter fluffy? Mix more! The more you mix, the fluffier it will be. It also depends on the room temperature; I find that I need to mix more during cold days, and vice versa.
The final result will look like this …
Then fill your whipped shea butter in a jar, and enjoy soft skin!
How to Make Whipped Shea Butter (Without Heat Recipe)
Recipe Type: DIY Beauty Recipe
Author: Dima Al Mahsiri
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 20
This is a simple basic recipe for making whipped shea butter. Once you whip your shea butter, you could add whatever essential oil you would like. Or, if you wish, use it as it is, especially if you are planning to apply it to the sensitive or baby skin.
Ingredients
• 4 oz (1/2 cup ) unrefined shea butter.
• Two tablespoons base oil; for example argan oil
• 10-20 drops essential oil (optional), for example, lavender oil
• Electric mixer
• Clean empty 8 oz ( 240 ml) container
• A fork
• Measuring cups
Instructions
Mash shea butter using a fork.
Add the base oil; argan oil, or coconut oil, and mash it a little bit more.
Mix with the electric mixer for about 10 minutes until it becomes fluffy.
Add essential oil.
Fill your whipped shea butter in a jar.
Serving size: 8 oz
3.5.3251
If you would like to try the other method (WITH heat) for making whipped shea butter, you will have to melt your shea butter using a double boiler, then mix and whisk as illustrated earlier.
Try to apply the least amount of heat to avoid using the health benefits of shea butter.
How to Make Whipped Shea Butter Without Heat Infographic (Save for Later!)
Things to Keep in Mind When you Make your Whipped Shea Butter:
The volume will increase by approximately two times; make sure you use a bowl that is large enough to prevent spreading cream all over the place.
The larger the amount of shea butter you have, the longer it will take to whip it.
Storing whipped shea butter in the refrigerator may cause it to become grainy. Store it in a cool, dark place, in a plastic or glass container.
Other oils you can use to mix with shea butter include coconut oil, argan oil, olive oil, jojoba oil.
Never heat shea butter above 175 F (80 C), or it will lose most of its healing properties. Heat makes it easier for you to blend in oils. Also, wait for the mixture until it cools before adding essential oils.
Always use unrefined ingredients for best moisturizing and healing results.
Since homemade whipped shea butter does not contain any preservatives, do not make larger quantities than you can use in few months.
To protect your shea butter/whipped shea butter from contamination, always wash your hands before you touch it.
This fluffy light shea butter is great for applying on the skin, especially for large areas. Apply some after the shower for silky and smooth skin. You can also apply it to your hair if you have coarse dry hair. Read my other post for more ideas on how to make the best use of your shea butter.
Have you ever used shea butter? Which one would you prefer; whipped or raw shea butter? Would you try to make your whipped shea butter? What other oils would you use?
I’m Dima Al Mahsiri. I love blogging, and I consider myself the luckiest person on Earth. Why? Well, I have a great husband, four amazing children, including twins.
Like any ordinary woman, I would like to have a perfectly smooth, shiny, and young looking skin. After trying every possible solution you may think of, finally got the golden rule that: THE MORE NATURAL, THE BETTER.
This is what Tips for Natural Beauty Blog is all about: teaching you Tips to keep your skin NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL.
Dima, this post is wonderful! I love it. I have argan oil that's a hair oil. I'm not sure whether it has other ingredients in it or not. I guess I should check if I want to use that. If I used coconut oil, would that not be so good because it will harden?? I have plenty of coconut oil on hand, lol. I definitely want to try the no-heat method but I'm not sure about the argan oil vs. the coconut oil that I have.
Thank you, Allison!
I am glad that you liked it.
I am not sure if your argan oil will work well, but you can use coconut oil. If I had coconut oil, I would have used it, too!
While researching about whipping shea butter, most posts and videos used coconut oil, and it did not re-harden at all. On the contrary, it formed fluffy creamy mixture. You can search YouTube for some videos for farther details.
Dima, I just made the no heat method and I love it. I used coconut oil as it is what I had on hand, and boy is it fluffy! There are still a very few Shea grains in it even though I let it set out on the counter for about 20 minutes before whipping more. I live in Florida so setting up is barely an issue even in winter. Anyway, the very few grains there are melt readilly enough and I am very happy with the end product. Thank you!!!
You are welcome, Nan!
I am glad it worked well for you :)
I just made a batch of cellulite buster moisturizer using shea butter (i melted it w/coconut oil), added witch hazel, cinnamon oil, vitamin E oil & lavender oil. It is "runny" and will not set up. Is there any way to make it thick like a moisturizer should be?
Thanks,
Debbie M.
Hi Debbie,
Have you whipped it long enough to form a whipped cream? When I use the (with heat) method, I let the mixture cool before I continue whisking. Otherwise, it might take forever to turn into a creamy texture.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was looking for a cold prep and stumbled across this gem. I used argan oil the first time in a tester 1oz and mixed it by hand because it was such a small amount. It was great and so I did it right the second time by whipping it and used the 4oz shea butter, but I used almond oil and 5 essential oils (sandalwood, frankincense, geranium, myrrh, and helichrysum). It is divine. I use this on my face and hands at night. Thank you again!
You are welcome, Kim!
I am glad it helped you make your own whipped shea butter :)
Oh, I would love to make mine using essential oils like what you did! I will add this to my to-do list, especially that the weather has started to cool, and that is when my skin starts to dry and crack.
Thank you Dina, you explained the recipe step by step with measurements. Given nice information n tips to follow while making the procedure. Thanks a lot
You are welcomed, Manimala!
Thank you for the informative post. What other oils can you use to mask the smell of shea butter? I tried lemon essential oil but the shea butter smell was still strong.
Also, do I have to sterilise the container first or any clean container will do?
You are welcome, Ruba!
Shea butter smell does not last for long, but if you wish to use an essential oil, you can use lavender; it has a strong and pretty smell. But make sure you add just a few drops since most essential may cause irritation when overusing them.
Yes, you have to use cleaned container(preferably sterilised) since the shea butter you are making does not contain any preservatives.
Can i use marula oil instead of argan oil mdam?
Great tutorial and recipe!
Just on a side note, from the picture you've posted, the Argan oil you use comes in quite a large bottle and it appears to be perhaps *culinary* argan oil.
For those of you who would like to try this recipe with argan oil - or already use argan oil for skin care - make sure you use *cosmetic* argan oil. While the culinary version might seem tempting because of its quantity/price ratio, it does not have have the moisturizing/anti-aging properties for the skin of the cosmetic version. And the reason is because they are both made using a very different procedures (just google it, but one is heated and the other is cold pressed). Culinary argan oil remains one the healthiest oils with great benefits, particularly for the hearth and brain, but it should be eaten not applied to skin. To make sure you're using the right one, the cosmetic one should say "100 % cold pressed UNREFINED argan oil" (if it's not "unrefined" it's culinary oil). Be careful because a lot of brands and stores, such as Sephora, sell argan oil and while it might say it's "100 % pure" it's culinary oil. Hope the info is useful to you! xx
Thank you Biene for the note.
The argan oil showing in the picture is from Morocco, I received it as a gift from a friend. As the label shows in Arabic and French, it says "Cosmetic Argan" for skin and hair.It was bought from local argan sellers, so I am confident that it is of high quality.
You are right about using unrefined cold pressed argan for skin and hair, and one should make sure to buy a good quality for better results.
Wow, I picked up a bottle of *culinary* argan oil about a year ago at a grocery store in Germany. Always wondered why it was so cheap, I just thought it was a steal, go me! Never even thought twice about it. Now come to find it doesn't benefit my hair at all, haha! Well I only use it right before I shower anyway just to make it easier to brush my hair. Otherwise it is too oily (now I know most likely why).
Anyway, thanks for the recipe and technique! However I am wanting to mix mango butter in my body butter as well and its my understanding (I've ordered both but haven't received them yet) that mango butter is alot more firm and dense so I might have to heat it. Really don't want to. Should I just barely melt it and then add it to the cold shea butter and whip? Any advice is appreciated! <3
Hi Kim,
You can still use the culinary argan oil for your hair to make easier to manage. Of course, it won't benefit your skin as the cosmetic high-quality argan oil does, but it can still help moisturize your hair.
Regarding mango butter, I suggest that you use as low heat as possible, if you could leave it in a warm place till it softens a little (ex. your kitchen), that would be much better than heating it. Whipping it will also help soften it and mix with the shea butter and other ingredients you wish to add.
If it is too hard and you have to heat it, make sure to use a double boiler, never put it on a direct heat source. And once it starts to melt, switch off heat and wait for few minutes, this will help soften it WITHOUT exposing the butter to extra heat.
Hope this helps!
Would love to know the result of your recipe, let us know then :)
Thank you for this post! The consistency of the shea butter worked out very well with the no-heat method. It is so creamy and only takes a few seconds of warming in fingers to get out any graininess. I used half grapeseed/jojoba oil for liquid oils. The only issue I am having is the smell of the shea butter. I can't seem to quite get the smell out and I have never used it before so maybe this is normal and something you just get used to? I purchased quality (I think) organic, unrefined, raw shea butter that came in a nicely packaged product from Village Shea Premium Grade A...
I used about 30 drops total of lavender, peppermint and a bit of ylang-ylang (I did almost double your recipe so that is why I used more EO's). Still wondering if this is just the smell of shea butter. Can't quite describe it- not nasty but not exactly a pleasant smell I was hoping for. If this is the case I am inclined to use cocoa butter but I prefer shea butter to its properties it has and that it is non comedogenic. Plus I have heard that CB can be linked to aiding in cancerous cells? Any thoughts on swapping CB for the SB?
You are welcome, Katie!
The smell of shea butter could be a bit weird for some. That was my case in the past, but once you get used to it, it won't be a big deal.
You mentioned that you added 3 essential oils, I think that the result is a strange mix of all them plus the shea butter smell, so I suggest you use one essential oil at a time.
Shea butter may smell strange, but the smell disappears fast. As you mentioned, it has more benefits than the cocoa butter, not sure about the CB side effects, but I personally prefer shea butter for its tremendous benefits, especially treating eczema.
The consistency came out whipped for me, but once applied it is quite Oily. Is there a way to thicken this up?
Shea butter is oily whether it is heated or applied to your skin. The good thing is that your skin absorbs most of it. So if you don't like the oily feeling, apply a small amount, and wait for a few minutes and your skin will absorb it.
Hope this helps!
You can add 1 tsp melted beeswax or 1 tsp Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, I prefer Arrowroot) to thicken it. Also, add two 1/8 tspn of Vitam E as a preservative.
Thank you very much, Kelly!
I haven't tried adding beeswax to whipped butter, will try your recipe next time.
I have plenty of sunflower oil vsn l mix it with raw shea butter cream
I had been using raw shea butter on my eczema on my hands but was finding it difficult to apply. I didn't realize you could whip it without melting it first, which I didn't want to do. So thank you very much for this informative post. Whipping it creates a such a great spreadable texture! I added castor oil, calendula oil, aloe vera gel and a bit of vitamin E oil. Then I added an 'Eczema Helper' EO synergy blend of Palmarosa, Cedarwood Atlas, Lavender, Coriander, Geranium Egypt, Patchouli, Rose absolute and Sandalwood. It soothes my eczema like nothing else I've ever used, plus it smells amazing!
Wow, this looks like a wonderful recipe to try, Nancy!
I am glad my post inspired you to create such a wonderful combination for healing your eczema.
Thanks for sharing your recipe here!
Hello
Please I want to know which essential oils have sweet fragrance.
It depends on what you really mean by "sweet", still, citrus oils, especially sweet orange, and green mandarin or tangerine are sweet.
Thanks for this recipe. I was wondering can I use a hand whisk to whip?
View Comments
Dima, this post is wonderful! I love it. I have argan oil that's a hair oil. I'm not sure whether it has other ingredients in it or not. I guess I should check if I want to use that. If I used coconut oil, would that not be so good because it will harden?? I have plenty of coconut oil on hand, lol. I definitely want to try the no-heat method but I'm not sure about the argan oil vs. the coconut oil that I have.
Thank you, Allison!
I am glad that you liked it.
I am not sure if your argan oil will work well, but you can use coconut oil. If I had coconut oil, I would have used it, too!
While researching about whipping shea butter, most posts and videos used coconut oil, and it did not re-harden at all. On the contrary, it formed fluffy creamy mixture. You can search YouTube for some videos for farther details.
Dima, I just made the no heat method and I love it. I used coconut oil as it is what I had on hand, and boy is it fluffy! There are still a very few Shea grains in it even though I let it set out on the counter for about 20 minutes before whipping more. I live in Florida so setting up is barely an issue even in winter. Anyway, the very few grains there are melt readilly enough and I am very happy with the end product. Thank you!!!
You are welcome, Nan!
I am glad it worked well for you :)
I just made a batch of cellulite buster moisturizer using shea butter (i melted it w/coconut oil), added witch hazel, cinnamon oil, vitamin E oil & lavender oil. It is "runny" and will not set up. Is there any way to make it thick like a moisturizer should be?
Thanks,
Debbie M.
Hi Debbie,
Have you whipped it long enough to form a whipped cream? When I use the (with heat) method, I let the mixture cool before I continue whisking. Otherwise, it might take forever to turn into a creamy texture.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I was looking for a cold prep and stumbled across this gem. I used argan oil the first time in a tester 1oz and mixed it by hand because it was such a small amount. It was great and so I did it right the second time by whipping it and used the 4oz shea butter, but I used almond oil and 5 essential oils (sandalwood, frankincense, geranium, myrrh, and helichrysum). It is divine. I use this on my face and hands at night. Thank you again!
You are welcome, Kim!
I am glad it helped you make your own whipped shea butter :)
Oh, I would love to make mine using essential oils like what you did! I will add this to my to-do list, especially that the weather has started to cool, and that is when my skin starts to dry and crack.
Thank you Dina, you explained the recipe step by step with measurements. Given nice information n tips to follow while making the procedure. Thanks a lot
You are welcomed, Manimala!
Thank you for the informative post. What other oils can you use to mask the smell of shea butter? I tried lemon essential oil but the shea butter smell was still strong.
Also, do I have to sterilise the container first or any clean container will do?
You are welcome, Ruba!
Shea butter smell does not last for long, but if you wish to use an essential oil, you can use lavender; it has a strong and pretty smell. But make sure you add just a few drops since most essential may cause irritation when overusing them.
Yes, you have to use cleaned container(preferably sterilised) since the shea butter you are making does not contain any preservatives.
Can i use marula oil instead of argan oil mdam?
Great tutorial and recipe!
Just on a side note, from the picture you've posted, the Argan oil you use comes in quite a large bottle and it appears to be perhaps *culinary* argan oil.
For those of you who would like to try this recipe with argan oil - or already use argan oil for skin care - make sure you use *cosmetic* argan oil. While the culinary version might seem tempting because of its quantity/price ratio, it does not have have the moisturizing/anti-aging properties for the skin of the cosmetic version. And the reason is because they are both made using a very different procedures (just google it, but one is heated and the other is cold pressed). Culinary argan oil remains one the healthiest oils with great benefits, particularly for the hearth and brain, but it should be eaten not applied to skin. To make sure you're using the right one, the cosmetic one should say "100 % cold pressed UNREFINED argan oil" (if it's not "unrefined" it's culinary oil). Be careful because a lot of brands and stores, such as Sephora, sell argan oil and while it might say it's "100 % pure" it's culinary oil. Hope the info is useful to you! xx
Thank you Biene for the note.
The argan oil showing in the picture is from Morocco, I received it as a gift from a friend. As the label shows in Arabic and French, it says "Cosmetic Argan" for skin and hair.It was bought from local argan sellers, so I am confident that it is of high quality.
You are right about using unrefined cold pressed argan for skin and hair, and one should make sure to buy a good quality for better results.
Wow, I picked up a bottle of *culinary* argan oil about a year ago at a grocery store in Germany. Always wondered why it was so cheap, I just thought it was a steal, go me! Never even thought twice about it. Now come to find it doesn't benefit my hair at all, haha! Well I only use it right before I shower anyway just to make it easier to brush my hair. Otherwise it is too oily (now I know most likely why).
Anyway, thanks for the recipe and technique! However I am wanting to mix mango butter in my body butter as well and its my understanding (I've ordered both but haven't received them yet) that mango butter is alot more firm and dense so I might have to heat it. Really don't want to. Should I just barely melt it and then add it to the cold shea butter and whip? Any advice is appreciated! <3
Hi Kim,
You can still use the culinary argan oil for your hair to make easier to manage. Of course, it won't benefit your skin as the cosmetic high-quality argan oil does, but it can still help moisturize your hair.
Regarding mango butter, I suggest that you use as low heat as possible, if you could leave it in a warm place till it softens a little (ex. your kitchen), that would be much better than heating it. Whipping it will also help soften it and mix with the shea butter and other ingredients you wish to add.
If it is too hard and you have to heat it, make sure to use a double boiler, never put it on a direct heat source. And once it starts to melt, switch off heat and wait for few minutes, this will help soften it WITHOUT exposing the butter to extra heat.
Hope this helps!
Would love to know the result of your recipe, let us know then :)
Thank you for this post! The consistency of the shea butter worked out very well with the no-heat method. It is so creamy and only takes a few seconds of warming in fingers to get out any graininess. I used half grapeseed/jojoba oil for liquid oils. The only issue I am having is the smell of the shea butter. I can't seem to quite get the smell out and I have never used it before so maybe this is normal and something you just get used to? I purchased quality (I think) organic, unrefined, raw shea butter that came in a nicely packaged product from Village Shea Premium Grade A...
I used about 30 drops total of lavender, peppermint and a bit of ylang-ylang (I did almost double your recipe so that is why I used more EO's). Still wondering if this is just the smell of shea butter. Can't quite describe it- not nasty but not exactly a pleasant smell I was hoping for. If this is the case I am inclined to use cocoa butter but I prefer shea butter to its properties it has and that it is non comedogenic. Plus I have heard that CB can be linked to aiding in cancerous cells? Any thoughts on swapping CB for the SB?
You are welcome, Katie!
The smell of shea butter could be a bit weird for some. That was my case in the past, but once you get used to it, it won't be a big deal.
You mentioned that you added 3 essential oils, I think that the result is a strange mix of all them plus the shea butter smell, so I suggest you use one essential oil at a time.
Shea butter may smell strange, but the smell disappears fast. As you mentioned, it has more benefits than the cocoa butter, not sure about the CB side effects, but I personally prefer shea butter for its tremendous benefits, especially treating eczema.
The consistency came out whipped for me, but once applied it is quite Oily. Is there a way to thicken this up?
Shea butter is oily whether it is heated or applied to your skin. The good thing is that your skin absorbs most of it. So if you don't like the oily feeling, apply a small amount, and wait for a few minutes and your skin will absorb it.
Hope this helps!
You can add 1 tsp melted beeswax or 1 tsp Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch, I prefer Arrowroot) to thicken it. Also, add two 1/8 tspn of Vitam E as a preservative.
Thank you very much, Kelly!
I haven't tried adding beeswax to whipped butter, will try your recipe next time.
I have plenty of sunflower oil vsn l mix it with raw shea butter cream
I had been using raw shea butter on my eczema on my hands but was finding it difficult to apply. I didn't realize you could whip it without melting it first, which I didn't want to do. So thank you very much for this informative post. Whipping it creates a such a great spreadable texture! I added castor oil, calendula oil, aloe vera gel and a bit of vitamin E oil. Then I added an 'Eczema Helper' EO synergy blend of Palmarosa, Cedarwood Atlas, Lavender, Coriander, Geranium Egypt, Patchouli, Rose absolute and Sandalwood. It soothes my eczema like nothing else I've ever used, plus it smells amazing!
Wow, this looks like a wonderful recipe to try, Nancy!
I am glad my post inspired you to create such a wonderful combination for healing your eczema.
Thanks for sharing your recipe here!
Hello
Please I want to know which essential oils have sweet fragrance.
It depends on what you really mean by "sweet", still, citrus oils, especially sweet orange, and green mandarin or tangerine are sweet.
Thanks for this recipe. I was wondering can I use a hand whisk to whip?
You are welcome, Edak!
Yes, sure you can.