I Made Homemade Body Butter: And This Is Why I Didn’t Film It For Instagram
Written by Donyae Hazley
The Beauty Ed®’s Note: Being a Beauty Editor in 2026 has become as much about being filmed on camera as it is about writing the words for the articles, and this couldn’t be more true for me right now as I’m about to embark on a new journey in TV - as a contributor on Channel 4’s new UK show, Escape To Florida. So this is why it’s really refreshing to see THE LAB students intentionally step back from the camera. While we often assume they’re obsessed with documenting every moment, this piece proves that Gen Z and Gen A are moving toward a more considered, "unfiltered" way of living. This isn’t just a DIY body butter recipe; it’s also a lesson in slow, more considered skincare routines where the focus is on taking time out and natural ingredients rather than social media views. Thanks Donyae for this thoughtful article ♡
I didn’t record any of it. Not the mixing, not the freezing - none of it.
Which is kind of ironic because that was the plan for this body butter: buy ingredients, mix, freeze, blend, and record the process.
Somewhere between deciding measurements and trying my best to not mess up, making content completely slipped my mind. I was laser focused on what exactly I was making - and making it right.
Why is Gen Z choosing intentional, unrecorded beauty?
I didn’t start this process simply for a video. I wanted to craft something that genuinely worked for my skin. When purchasing store bought products always turned into a hit or miss, I wanted something that radiated with simplicity, naturality, and my own touch.
I also needed a physical project for one of my class assignments, and making body butter was the perfect add on to my project. But, I also had been wanting to make body butter for a while. Homemade body butter has been all over my feed and as a curious, easily influenced, prone to dry skin person, I knew I had to make it.
So that’s what I did!
What are the skincare benefits of raw yellow shea butter?
The product wasn’t perfect in any way whatsoever. And it got messy as I was figuring things out in the midst of mixing. By the time I had finished, the kitchen was covered in powder, oil, and the aroma of shea butter (which was kind of bad but worth it for how my product turned out).
True, raw shea butter doesn’t smell like perfume or have an initial sweetness. The closest thing I can compare the smell to is an earthy, smoky wood smell. But what matters most is that this body butter was made with intention, love, and genuinity.
And of course, I couldn’t do this alone. I had my mom by my side. She let me take the lead but stayed nearby at all times as she knew how much I wanted this product to be a success. At one point, although I already added some, she suggested adding more arrowroot powder which seemed small but completely changed everything: but not in a good way.
Arrowroot powder is an ingredient that makes the texture feel more like butter and less like oil. But it seemed like this ingredient wasn’t exactly doing its job.. As my mom poured and I blended, the consistency didn’t change. Every time I applied a little on my skin, I didn’t need to rub it in because of how oily it was.
I lost hope and decided to package it in a glass container, and leave it alone in my bathroom, a place cool and refreshing, until it sat for about a day.
How to use arrowroot powder for a non-greasy body butter texture?
The next day, to my surprise, thanks to the arrowroot powder (and my mom), my butter transformed into this extremely soft, soothing, whipped body butter that felt rich and smooth without the extra heaviness and greasy feeling some body butters leave.
The best part? I knew exactly what I was putting on my skin!
How do you formulate a natural whipped body butter at home?
🌟What Went Into My Butter🌟
1 pound of yellow unrefined shea butter (yes, it was yellow, but it still had the same affect)
¼ cup of unrefined coconut oil
Palmers coconut oil
Arrowroot powder
My thoughts and prayers 🫶🏼
How To Turn This List Into a Real Product 👇🏼
First, boil the unrefined shea butter by boiling a pot of water and placing a glass container with the shea butter on top of the pot
Once all of it is almost to a boil, add the coconut oil and boil that as well
Let it cool down and add your desired amount of oil (doesn’t have to be palmers but make sure it’s safe for skin) along with a 1 teaspoon of arrowroot powder
Place melted butter and oil in freezer for about 30 minutes or until the top hardens a little
Take butter out of the freezer and mix with an electric mixer until the consistency is not oily but if it’s more oily than your liking, add more arrowroot powder like my mom!
TIP: don’t worry if the texture is still not to where you want it. Try letting it sit overnight in a cool place and come back to it in the morning!
It didn’t contain any overcomplicated formulas or ingredients that I had no idea how to pronounce. Just simple things that worked successfully together and did what I needed them to do.
In society today, everything feels like it needs to be recorded, edited, documented, and posted. And this wasn’t. It was purely experimental, extremely messy, and completely undocumented.
And to be honest, not everything has to be instantly captured to be true and to matter. And look how great it turned out!
Donyae Hazley is a high school Junior, pianist and THE LAB mentee focusing on finding a minimal skincare routine that best suits her skin. Her beauty supply consists of skincare like Panoxyl, Differin, Anua and The Inkey List along with an occassional appearance of e.l.f Concealer and Blush.
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