I’ve been making a lot more body and beauty products these days for a couple reasons. First, since I’m pregnant I want to be extra careful about what I’m putting on my skin. Second, I don’t feel like cooking but I still like Making Stuff.
The specific reason for this body butter has to do with scars and stretch marks. Since I’m 2 weeks from my due date, I have definitely thought about stretch marks. I’m happy to say I don’t have any on my belly yet, and I think the reason for that has to do mostly with my diet. I wrote a post about how to prevent stretch marks, but I know that once stretch marks have appeared, it can be really frustrating regarding the lack of things you can do to make them less noticeable.
I won’t lie to you and say that you can definitely get rid of stretch marks and scars—honestly, with scars, it really depends on the scar depth, location, and type. For stretch marks, the damage has been done at a very deep layer of the skin, so your best bet is to improve the total quality of the skin and to diminish the appearance of the mark.
I chose the ingredients in this body butter based on how they nourish and repair the skin.
Note: if you don’t have jasmine essential oil (it’s really expensive), you can use lavender. You can also add lavender to this body butter even with jasmine if you want to–I’ve seen wonderful skin benefits from lavender!
Evening primrose oil is high in both linoleic acid and GLA. These two things help repair and restore the skin’s barrier functions, act as an anti-inflammatory, helps with hydration, and increase skin flexibility.
I have used Jasmine oil to help fade scars and dark spots, and to repair and hydrate skin. If you’re pregnant, and haven’t been using jasmine beforehand, you don’t want to start using it during pregnancy until you’re in labor (because it can strengthen contractions).
Frankincense has been used for a very long time (think: ancient Egyptians) to nourish aging and dry skin, and many people state it has helped to diminish the appearance of stretch marks.
Shea butter (100% pure) is healing and moisturizing to the skin, and helps to address wrinkles, blemishes and more. The oil in shea butter matches the oil produced by the sebaceous glands so it is especially moisturizing and nourishing.
The bottom line is that I made this body butter for myself and it feels and works so amazingly well that I wanted to share it! I don’t use this on my face because it really is close to the texture of butter–and it seems a bit heavy for that. I also didn’t want to disrupt the face regimen I already use that is working for me.
Skin Perfecting Body Butter
2oz shea butter (I make sure to buy a pure brand like this)
2oz evening primrose oil (like this one)
10 drops Young Living Jasmine Oil (I only use Young Living Oils)
10 drops Young Living Frankincense Oil
Instructions: in a double boiler, melt the shea butter until it is liquid (but don’t make it hot!). Before you add the evening primrose oil, make sure your shea butter is not hot. It can be room temperature or a little warmer. Add the evening primrose oil and blend well (I used a hand mixer with the whisk attachment). Place the mixture in the fridge until it is cool but not solid—only for a few minutes (time depends on starting temperature, so just keep checking it). Remove from fridge, use hand mixer on high speed to whip the oils into a white cream. It turns into a texture similar to pancake batter. Add essential oils, and mix on low with hand mixer until well-combined. Pour into containers with lids (use glass!). After a while, the mixture will set and be the texture of butter.
Use this on your body anywhere you’d like to improve the texture and/or appearance of your skin! I haven’t used it on any broken skin, but have used it on scars, a new stretch mark on my boob, on my pregnant belly, as a hand cream, and on my knees and elbows. It feels and smells amazing!
Please note: I only use Young Living Oils because I have done extensive reading and reviewing of their quality and purity. So if you use some other essential oil brand for any of my recipes, I cannot vouch for their safety or effectiveness!
If you want to join my essential oils facebook group, where we can chat and share tons of good essential oils information, please click here and ask to join!
Ah, the allure of Making Stuff. It never goes away, does it?!
have you tried castor oil or coconut oil for stretch marks? could i substitute those for the evening primrose oil?
STRETCH MARK CREAM IT WORKS – REVIEW AND BENEFITS
http://www.itworksstretchmarkcream.com/
I don’t understand this part “Remove from fridge, use hand mixer on high speed to whip the oils into a white cream. It turns into a texture similar to pancake batter.
I don’t understand this part “Remove from fridge, use hand mixer on high speed to whip the oils into a white cream. It turns into a texture similar to pancake batter.