Anne-Marie Faiola owns Bramble Berry, a company specializing in raw materials to manufacture soap and toiletries, and has been making soaps, lotions and all manner of bath and body products since she was 16 years old. She lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband and son, and when she’s not blogging here or for Soap Queen or filming free soapmaking videos for Soap Queen TV, she loves to read, scuba dive and hike.
Try my Whipped Belly Butter tutorial below. Click here to read more about which essential oils are best for belly balms.
This therapeutic balm moisturizes stressed and stretched pregnant bellies.
Photo by Anne-Marie Faiola
Whipped Belly Butter
Here’s what you’ll need:
• 6 ounces cocoa butter
• 3 ounces calendula-infused jojoba oil
• 1 1/2 ounces unrefined hemp
• 14 ounces shea butter
• 0.3 ounce equal parts: German chamomile, carrot seed, frankincense (optional) and helichryum (optional)
Wondering why I chose all the ingredients I did? I wrote an explanation here. Curious about how to infuse oils? Check out my tutorial here.
This is a photo of German chamomile, which is a dark and beautiful blue.
Photo by Anne-Marie Faiola
1. Weigh out all of your ingredients (volume doesn’t provide the same).
2. Warm your liquid oils in the microwave and put the cocoa butter in with them. Melt until the cocoa butter is melted in. You might need to stir it a bit to get the last of the cocoa butter melted in. Do not melt the shea butter.
3. Add your warmed oils onto the shea butter.
4. Using a stick blender, “trap” the shea butter chunks under your stick blender and blend them up until they incorporate into the mixture.
Photo by Anne-Marie Faiola
5. Turn your stand mixer on low. (It can splatter oils otherwise.) Slowly start to increase the speed to medium and whip until all the butters are fully mixed in. The mixture looks lighter and fluffy, sort of like a warm frosting.
6. Pour into containers.
7. Allow to harden before use.
This balm melts almost instantly on contact with skin and is incredibly skin loving and nourishing. Amber in the office swears that it has cured her dry and cracking fingers (darn that cold spell) and my belly looks moisturized (albeit a bit larger than normal). No more itchy, peeling skin for me!
Note: This is designed to be a more therapeutic recipe. It won’t smell delicious and fruity. If you’re going for sweet and fruity smells, stick with fragrance oils.