If you want to make an all-natural, synthetic-free body butter, but don’t like the thick (okay, greasy) texture it can have on your skin, there are two easy options to help.
Option 1 – add arrowroot powder
Option 2 – add clay
Both options work well at absorbing some of the extra fats in butter and body oil, also called anhydrous formula, and will give you all the nutrients and moisture your skin wants and loves.
My favorite general ratio is to add 2 teaspoons of either arrowroot powder or clay to every 4 ounces of body butter. However, these powders must be added at different stages in your compounding process based on how they function in a formula.
Arrowroot Powder
This is a very fine thickening agent used mainly in cooking, where it is added to butter or oil and dissolved. It is also known as arrowroot flour or arrowroot starch, and is extracted from the root of a tropical plant known as Maranta arundinacea.
Since this powder is oil soluble, you need to add this ingredient to your melted butters and oils, then cool and whip them according to your recipe.
Cornstarch or Cream of Tartar work similarly and can be used as a substitute for Arrowroot Powder.
Clay
Clay is also a very fine powder that comes from rocks, but it will not dissolve in any solution, but will disperse. For this reason, the clay is added in the whipping step once the butters and oils in the formula have melted and then solidified in the refrigerator. Whisking rather than stirring will ensure that the clay particles are more evenly dispersed throughout your body butter.
I used Rhassoul Clay as my choice as I had it available. This clay is mined from the quarry deep under the Atlas Mountains in eastern Morocco. It is a very versatile clay that is commonly used in face masks.
Other clays that can be used are: French Clay or White Clay.
Will My Body Butters be Gritty?
Not at all! Arrowroot powder will dissolve completely and work its magic to give your body butter a drier feel. No trace will be visible on your skin.
The clay, due to its very fine particle size, will not be noticeable on your skin, however, depending on the color of your clay, you may see tiny features of it in your jar – but usually not on your skin.
Which one is the best?
The formulation containing clay becomes drier and absorbs into your skin. Adding a bit of clay to body butters also helps prevent them from hardening, as they usually do 24 hours after hitting. The only downside is that if you want to use this ingredient in a body butter to give away or sell, the tiny particles that are visible in your body butter can be a turn off for some.
The formula with added arrowroot powder is not as dry, but you could either add more than what I have in my recipe, or you can just live and enjoy it 🙂 For gifting or resale purposes, added arrowroot powder is the most common method. but again, it all depends on you!
Recipe video
I hope these are helpful tips for making your body butter less greasy. Please comment below with any comments or questions you may have!
