Whipped Pine Body Butter Recipe

This whipped pine body butter is wonderfully moisturizing for dry skin and helps support skin with healthy fats necessary to nourish and moisturize. 

I have a good friend up in New England that was generous enough to do some bartering with me this month. I made her some custom soap and in return, she sent me some white pine needles.

Here in the Phoenix area you won’t find pine trees. You will, however, find Ponderosa Pine up in Flagstaff and the higher elevations, with Pinyon Pine up in the higher elevations of Arizona and New Mexico.

Tall ponderosa pine trees dot the landscape in Flagstaff, where many folks go in the winter. Winter is such a beautiful place up in Flagstaff, with cold temps, and snow-covered tree tops. It brings back memories for me as a young child – burning the wood stove to stay warm and drinking hot cocoa on the coldest days.

These white pine needles were dried and sent forth so I could use them to make luxurious body care items like pine lip balm and pine body butter. 

Body butters are one of my favorite things to have in the cold, winter months when dry skin can be especially prevalent.

This body butter can make a really nice gift, while also leaving your skin unbelievably soft. To make this body butter, you’ll infuse pine needles in your oil (or fat) and then whip into a rich, creamy body butter.

Be sure you know the identity of the tree when you are harvesting your needles to ensure that they are safe. The needles from the yew tree (Taxus spp.) are not safe to use in body care items.

You might consider using needles from your Christmas tree or holiday wreath, under one condition. Check with your supplier to make sure that the tree/wreath wasn’t sprayed with any type of chemicals or colorants.

White Pine Body Butter Recipe

This body butter combines just a few simple ingredients, and is scented with a combination of Cedarwood and Juniper essential oil. You could also use fir needle essential oil or even Northern Lights Black Spruce.

You can definitely go without the essential oil if you prefer a lighter, more natural scent. But if you really want your body butter to smell like the forest, then I suggest using pine or evergreen essential oil.

Infuse your needles in your carrier oil. Unrefined, cold-pressed grapeseed, apricot kernel and jojoba are always a great choice. Or, infuse the needles in your pastured tallow.  Tallow will be a bit hard to add to your jar but will soften up as it is heated.

Ingredients:

• 3.69 oz pastured tallow
• 1.05 oz cold pressed oil (unrefined grapeseed, jojoba, apricot kernel or jojoba)
• 1/2 C. dried white pine needles, chopped
• .30 oz beeswax pellets (affiliate link)
• optional: evergreen or pine essential oil*
• 4 oz mason jar

*Or, opt for cedarwood and juniper essential oils if you like a variation in scent.

Place the needles in a jar with your tallow.  Place the lid and ring on the canning jar and set it in a medium pot of water using low heat on the stovetop.

Heat the jar on the lowest heat for 2-3 hours. Remove from heat and strain the needles using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Save the needles for your compost and combine the measured tallow with beeswax and choice of oil. 

Allow to cool on the countertop (I place a piece of plastic wrap or lid over the bowl).  You want it to remain soft, but not hard. (I try to avoid using the fridge or freezer as it makes it too hard too quickly, and then doesn’t whip properly). 

Using a stand or hand mixer, whip the body butter mixture until it’s light and fluffy. Add additional carrier oil as needed. Scoop it into 2 airtight glass jars (noted above) and store away from the heat.