How to Make Body Cream

By Laura | Updated: 03/12/2024 | This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Discover my recipe for how to make body cream – the easy way with moisturizing ingredients that glide on effortlessly due to a whipped consistency

The DIY body cream is one of the more recent creations I came across – purely because I love how it works as a full-body moisturizer.

A homemade body cream is, in fact, super easy to make – as long as you’ve got a working handheld mixer to whip up the ingredients once they are mixed together.

That’s essentially all a body cream recipe is – it’s a whipped & water-free version of a lotion (and it contains more oil too.)

Being whipped means it has that lovely light, fluffy and luxurious texture we all crave after a long hard day (bath optional!), and it’s even more moisturizing than a lotion.

I’ll share how to make body cream in this post (scroll down for the recipe) and my best tips on getting the right texture and fragrance for your liking.

Table of Contents

body cream benefits

Oh, the benefits! There are so many!

That is to say – so long as you use a body cream that is good for your skin (such as the one I share in this post, full of pure, natural ingredients.)

First off, a body cream is an excellent skin moisturizer, leaving your skin soft and supple after just one application.

My go-to is smearing on body cream after a nice warm bath, which helps soften the skin even further.

In line with softening your skin, so too does a body cream help maintain the skin’s moisture levels.

Because of the amount and type of moisturizing ingredients in a body cream, the skin tends to hold onto the moisture that much longer, lasting days rather than hours.

Another benefit is the anti-aging effect of body cream. Mostly due to how moisturizing it is, but, anti-aging also needs to be somewhat firming, which a good body cream will do!

Whipped body cream in a pot beside pretty flowers.

how to use body cream

You use a body cream in the exact same way as you would a body lotion.

Take a small amount in the palms of your hands, rub it in a circular motion to warm it up, and then apply it to your body wherever you want to moisturize.

I use a body cream on my arms, legs, and tummy – never on my face, as it would be too thick. Try this anti-aging face cream or tinted moisturizer for the face.

Just go easy on body cream as it goes a long way – the thicker texture means you need less than a lotion, yet you’ll still get a better moisturizing effect from it.

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Body cream recipe

Here’s my own recipe for a wonderful body cream that adds moisture and fragrance in one hit.

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Melt shea, beeswax & almond oil in a double boiler.
Allow the ingredients to cool to the touch before stirring in the remaining ingredients.
Transfer to the fridge for 2 hours to harden up. (It should be mostly firm, and you should be able to press your thumb into the middle of it, and it should hold the indent)
Whip with a hand mixer until it’s light and fluffy. It takes about 2-3 minutes.
Transfer to an airtight container for storage.

Why you will love this recipe

The key to this recipe is the ingredients in it!

I mean, of course, the whipping of the mixture makes it into the body cream consistency.

But the magic (aka skin benefits) happens because of the shea butter, the oils, the beeswax, honey, as well as the vitamin C and essential oils (if you use them).

Even used on their own, these ingredients work wonders on dry or aging skin. But combined, it’s potent stuff.

Vitamin C is a natural skin tightener, working hard to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.

Shea butter is a superb, healthy skin moisturizer with a wonderful thick consistency – literally like butter! It glides onto the skin effortlessly and locks in moisture for days on end.

Oh, and did you know? Arrowroot powder is a natural stabilizer, helping absorb excess oil and helping the cream to blend easier on application.

how often should you use body cream

This is one of the questions to which there is no specific answer – how often should you use body cream? Because the answer is, as often as you like!

This natural body cream recipe is perfect for daily use, but you’ll probably find you don’t need to use it every day.

That’s what I love about this stuff – you apply it once, and it lasts ages (well, at least a day or two!)

making body cream tips

My top tip is to store this body cream in a glass container with a lid. The reason is if you add essential oils to it, a glass container will allow for a longer shelf life.

Using anything plastic will spoil the oils.

Also, if you’re using this body cream after a hot bath or shower, you may find it doesn’t absorb as quickly.

I tend to dry myself off fully first but stay in the bathroom where the steam has built up. Then I apply the body cream and rub it in well, so it absorbs.

Lastly, take care when whipping it.

If you don’t whip it long enough, it’ll turn into a solid moisturizer block after a day, and if you overwhip, well, the smoother and creamier it will become.

To get the right consistency, try intermittent bursts with your hand mixer – and don’t go below the recommended time limit!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and give it a go. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments section below.

And if you liked this post, I think you’ll enjoy reading one of these.

4.86 from 7 votes (7 ratings without comment)

Comments

Michelle says

07/24/2024 at 9:12 PM

Hi laura,

Is it needed to whip it ? That’s just so it become a cream? Or can I also just mix it all together and just leave it as is?

Reply
- Laura says
  
  07/29/2024 at 5:23 PM
  
  I believe you will like the texture better if you whip it.
  
  Reply