Homemade Peppermint Whipped Hand and Body Butter

Homemade all natural herbal peppermint whipped hand and body butter smells delicious enough to eat!

Much as I love spring, its a season that's hard on the hands.

All the cleaning, and mucking out stalls and chicken coops, gardening and outdoor work turn my hands dry and cracked, instead of soft and smooth.

I don't often bother wearing my gardening gloves, although I do have this gorgeous buttery-soft pair that really would work wonders to protect my hands - if I only would remember to wear them religiously!

But I don't....

So I'm left with hands (and often feet too!) that need a little TLC after a long day of working outside. I love to whip up a batch of this smooth body butter to slather on all my rough, hard-working body parts.

I love to use peppermint essential oil because the scent really wakes me up and keeps me going about my day, but feel free to substitute, say lavender for a wonderful bedtime butter, or any scent of your choosing.

The butter goes on smoothly and absorbs into your skin, leaving it soft and silky. Easy to make, you can have a batch ready in no time at all.

Homemade Peppermint Whipped Hand (and Body) Butter

(makes about two 4-ounce jars)

1/2 cup Shea butter (or 1/4 cup Shea butter and 1/4 cup mango butter)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup sweet almond oil
20 drops peppermint essential oil (or essential oil of your choice)

Several drops Vitamin E oil

Add the butter, coconut and almond oil to a glass measuring cup set in a pot of simmering water over medium-low heat, using a wooden chopstick to stir until completely melted and clear.

Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.

You can put it in the refrigerator or freezer to speed things up a bit. (It's cooled down enough when it becomes cloudy and has just started to solidify)

Once cooled, blend the mixture with a hand mixer on low speed, then increase the mixer speed until your 'butter' starts to look like whipped cream and stiff peaks form (this will take several minutes). A

At this point, add the essential oil and Vitamin E oil and blend for another few seconds to combine.

Scrape the butter from the bowl and smooth it into 4-ounce mason jars to store. Apply liberally as needed for a softer, smoother you!