Believe me when I say that making your own body butter at home is so much more rewarding not to mention cost effective. Usually it involves melting a combination of mango, cocoa, or shea butter along with coconut oil before chilling in the fridge for a short while, then whipping until it’s a creamy consistency.
Of course, you can throw in some essential oils and make it smell incredibly fabulous too – but even without the oils, it’s amazing for your skin.
Did you know that Kokum butter is a wonderful alternative to mango, coconut and shea butter? It’s one of the most stable vegetable butters on the market and also one of the hardest. Unlike other butters, it remains solid at room temp but melts as soon as it touches skin.
Kokum butter is one of the best butters to use for personal care items like body butter or lip care.
I picked up Kokum butter last week so I could make body butter at home – I’ve used mango and coconut butter in the past with success so I wasn’t sure how I would like trying something new. At first it seemed dry and flaky but after melting it down with coconut butter and whipping to a nice thick, luxurious cream, I absolutely love it.
It’s likely that I won’t be purchasing shea butter in the future because I think kokum is worlds better.
Did you know ..
…..that ultra purified derivatives of Kokum butter are used as substitutes & stabilizers (CBS – Cocoa butter substitute) while manufacturing chocolates so the end product doesn’t melt during transport and sale in hot summer months.
Crazy – right?
Kokum butter can be used for anything that you would traditionally use mango, coconut or shea butter for – body butter, deodorant, or even lip care.
Why Kokum Butter?
If you are thinking about doing a body butter for yourself or family, kokum butter is a great option. Fatty acids are low and it is more emollient than most other butters. It’s high level of triglycerides promote regeneration of the skin.
Kokum butter is:
- Non pore clogging
- High in Triglycerides
- More emollient than other butters
- Contains high level of antioxidants
- Can soften the skin to prevent drying
- Can be wonderful for even the most troublesome of spots (lips, hands and feet)
Kokum butter is quite hard – and at first look, it appears as if it may have gone bad. It’s dry and flaky, but don’t let that deceive you as it’s a natural characteristic and if used for body butter, is designed to be melted and blended with other ingredients to make it more usable.
Where to find Kokum Butter?
Kokum butter comes in two forms – refined and unrefined. You can find refined kokum butter at Mountain Rose Herbs, or even Bulk Apocathecary – where it comes in 14 oz, 7 lb or 55 lb sizes (as low as $9 per lb).
Amazon carries several varieties of kokum butter as well.
Hello hello.
Just found your site. I too am a big fan of kokum butter. I only use Shea and Kokum. They are fantastic together. Thanks for including Kokum .