Lemon Cookie Body Butter

About two years ago I was nudged to start replacing all of my body products with 100% natural products. If you're like me, that would be a very big ask, not to mention an expensive one. I didn't exactly know where to start but watched about a million tutorials on social media, gathering books, herbs, butters, oils, beeswax and essential oils. I fumbled with ratios for months before grounding myself into body butters with an act of love.

My dad was approaching his death process and as if that weren't hard enough for a person, he was faced with an autoimmune response to dying. He was simply covered with painful sores all over his body. I won't get into details, but it was horrific to witness my sweet daddy suffer. Hospice was called in and they were trying to come up with comfort measures for him, but topical creams hadn't put a dent in it. So I looked at my shelves of mason jars filled with herbs and I infused my oils and butters with skin healing and soothing herbs to make him a body butter with a high caster oil ratio. I made about ten jars. The hospice nurse and I slathered him from head to toe in it daily, both of us intent on exploring every possible solution to his discomfort. When my dad finally passed away about three weeks later, all of his sores were healed. He died without one wound. Was it this body butter? Or was it the love I held for him while making it? Was it my application of it with comforting words and a gentle touch? Was it all of it mashed together into something we could call a miracle? I don't know. I really don't. But I am so thankful this devastating experience pushed me to create medicine to gift my daddy this act of love that provided him relief in his last days. 

This is the same base recipe I used for my daddy with all the skin loving herbs. In addition, I infused the melted butters with Madagascar vanilla beans for three days on low before whipping it up and adding a hint of lemon to it. I'm telling you, the restraint I show to NOT eat it. I just have a feeling it wouldn't taste as good as it smells. This would pair well with the lemon cookie sugar scrub as a self-care duo! I've also had two people tell me it smells like their grandmother's cooking when they were kiddos- which I take as a HUGE compliment!

This body butter is 100% natural without any preservatives or emulsifiers that prevent most body butters from melting in warm climates. I will be shipping my butters and scrubs with ice, but be aware that these need to stay out of hot sun. If your butter happens to accidentally melt in your car, this is easily fixed! Just chill the butter in the fridge for about 15 minutes and then scoop it out and whip it with a beater or kitchen aid mixer until it fluffs up again. It will be as good as new. The same mechanism is used for melted sugar scrubs as well. 

Ingredients: Shea butter, caster oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, roses, neem, calendula, plantain, comfrey, borage, lavender, yarrow, chamomile, marshmallow root, St. John’s Wort, gotu kola, vanilla bean, lemon EO

All ingredients are organic and locally sourced when possible. Used herbs are offered back to Gaia as an offering of gratitude.