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A Simple DIY Mother's Day Gift That Feels Luxurious & Thoughtful

Photo by Miachel Breton

May 08, 2018

Don’t have a ton of money or time to spend on Mother’s Day? Don’t fret—we got you. This DIY Whipped Body Balm is thoughtful, customizable, and will keep her hands, feet, and dry skin feeling nourished and, perhaps most importantly, cared for.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Vitamix blender
1 cup food-grade shea butter
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
Essential oils (we used 3 drops of peppermint and 3 drops of lavender)

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the blender, starting with the shea butter. Crumble the shea butter so it’s not in one chunk.
Follow with the aloe vera gel, sweet almond oil, vitamin E oil, and essential oils of your choosing.
Blend for 15-second intervals—blending longer than 20 seconds will heat the mixture, and your result won’t look as "whipped." Sometimes, during blending, a little bubble will form underneath the product. If you can’t see it moving, turn off the blender, stir with a spoon, and blend again.
Scoop product into your desired vessel.
Add any garnishes to decorate the jar like ribbon, twine, dried flowers, and/or eucalyptus.

Voila: You’re done!

Pro tips:

Don’t use more than 6-8 drops of essential oils total. You can also make this unscented for extra-sensitive skin!

Temperature has a noticeable effect on the texture, but it’s manageable with the right preparations. If you’re in a warmer climate, scale back on the aloe vera gel by 1 tablespoon or chill the ingredients before making this recipe.

A little of this whipped body balm goes a long way, so packaging it in a smaller vessel is recommended—this way the recipient will use it before it starts to naturally separate. The recipe will keep in the fridge for two to three weeks.

To clean your Vitamix, scrape out all excess product using your hands or a paper towel. Fill the blender about two-thirds full of hot (not boiling) water with dish soap and blend it for about a minute. Hand wash the blender, then wipe the insides dry with paper towels and hand wash once more to remove any residual oils.