Obsidian
Well-Known Member
I want to make a simple body butter with just cocoa butter and a liquid oil. Any tips on the % of liquid oil to make a softer product that is easy to dip out of a tub?
Body butter help
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My spreadable tallow balm is 2 parts tallow to one part liquid oil. Since cocoa butter is harder than tallow, you'd probably want a lower ratio of cocoa butter. Maybe 1.5:1?
daisychain
Member
This might be useful to you: A Quick Guide to Cocoa Butter & Liquid Oil Ratios - Humblebee & Me . Marie goes through the different textures, hardness and other properties of various ratios of cocoa butter to oil
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
I wasn't expecting to need that much liquid oil, that would explain why my body butter never turns out lol. How spreadable is your tallow balm? like room temp margarine or refrigerated margarine?
Haha well, it does depend on whether I'm using leaf fat (much harder), or the more general trim fat (much softer). Plus how good of a job I've done at rendering out all the water used to clean it.
I like my balm to be very spreadable, so it's definitely more like room temp margarine or butter. Not quite a lotion but definitely way softer than your typical body butter.
My daughter prefers it whipped. I have to use way less oil to get it to hold the whipped texture. Without my notes, my best guess-olection for the whipped version is 3 parts tallow to one part liquid oil.
EDIT: it's easier IMO to add more liquid oil than more cocoa butter, so I'd start with less oil rather than more, adding liquid in small amounts till you get the texture you are after.
I like my balm to be very spreadable, so it's definitely more like room temp margarine or butter. Not quite a lotion but definitely way softer than your typical body butter.
My daughter prefers it whipped. I have to use way less oil to get it to hold the whipped texture. Without my notes, my best guess-olection for the whipped version is 3 parts tallow to one part liquid oil.
EDIT: it's easier IMO to add more liquid oil than more cocoa butter, so I'd start with less oil rather than more, adding liquid in small amounts till you get the texture you are after.
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Carolyn when I make the cocoa version that is scented with Mokolata. I have to remind myself, "Don't lick the spatula!" 
Obsidian
Well-Known Member
Thank you, that does look nice. I tried a cream with lard once, really liked it but for some reason it made me itch. I haven't decided what kind of oil to use with my cocoa butter yet, probably a sunflower/avocado blend since its what I have on hand.
That sounds lovely.
I agree with Carolyn, the cocoa butter with either of those oils does sound really nice. I don't have sunflower but do have grapeseed, and was thinking that the lightness of that might offset the heaviness of both the cocoa butter or the tallow, depending on which I use. I do have a new batch of cocoa butter and may need to experiment myself
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Look what came across my YT feed today:
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