Turmeric Ginger Body Butter

As the planet goes through seasons, did you know that our bodies also go through the same seasons. So instead of winter, spring, summer, and fall, the year breaks into vata season, which goes from late fall into early winter; kapha season, from the coldest part of winter into spring; and pitta season, which includes the hottest, longest days of the year—from late spring into early fall.

Turmeric has been creating waves for centuries now. Back in the day, a few generations back turmeric was considered the queen been of natural skin care and now its back in vogue.

This DIY turmeric body butter with ginger essential oil not only offers amazing skin protection and moisture but also is a great antiseptic and has antioxidants. What more does one want when it is loaded with all the goodness. How I started out with this idea? I ran out of body butters at home and instead of picking it up from the store, I wanted something that is loaded with antibacterial, antiviral agents. Turmeric was the first thing that flashed across my mind..I am slightly in awe/love with this vibrant herb Turmeric.

Why Turmeric?

Turmeric is the superhero of the spice world, as it brings with it many benefits. It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant

There are many vitamins and nutrients found in this vibrant herb. Turmeric contains

• Vitamin A which is known to repair tissue.
• Vitamin E, a popular cosmetic antioxidant that reduces inflammation.
• The vitamin C , a clear antiseptic helping fight and protect against damage

 

Why Ginger?

Ginger contains 40 anti-oxidant elements, which means you have a whole army at your disposal fighting free radical damage that

• Prematurely ages your skin
• Improving blood circulation
• Promoting collagen production
• Increasing elasticity
• Evening out skin tone.

Now are you convinced that this is a power packed cream with loads of goodness!!! 🙂

 

In case you worried about the orange stain. What we used here is Kasturi Manjal- the kind of organic turmeric that is specifically meant for the body. A tiny pinch goes a long way and I can assure you there won't be any stain.

For this recipe you will need the following:

This makes 1 tub of cream

• 3 tbsp of organic shea butter
• 1 tbsp of cocoa butter
• 2 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 tsp of Kasturi Manjal or organic turmeric powder
• 3 ml of ginger essential oil ( about 20 drops)

Now let's get started.

1. Butters:

For this recipe I chose a combination of shea butter and Cocoa butter. You can choose any butters like Kokum butter, mango butter or almond butter. If they are soft butters you may not need to double boil them but for cocoa butter or shea butter, you may have to double boil them.

2. Oils:

Choosing oils can be a personal preference based on the aroma or the weights of the oils you choose. I chose coconut oil as its a universal moisturizer also provides longer shelf life but you can choose any oil that is good for the skin like almond oil or avocado oil.

Once you have fixed the oil, add the oil to the mixing bowl along with the butters.

3. Blending:

Blend all the butters and oils together. If they are not liquid, double boil them in a container till it becomes a liquid state.

 

4. Adding Turmeric:

This recipe calls for using organic Turmeric powder called Kasturi Manjal(Manjal in Tamil, an Indian language means turmeric). You can typically find this in Indian stores or speciality stores that carries organic spices. Add anywhere between 1/2tsp to a 1tsp of turmeric powder to the mixing bowl. You can also get fresh raw turmeric root and grate it finely to get the fresh powder.

5. Adding Essential oils:

Choosing essential oils is a personal preference. I chose Ginger essential oil because it gives the warmth you need for this transition season, allowing even blood circulation to flow, preventing from premature aging. But you can choose any oil to your smell preference.

6. Refrigerate:

Refrigerate for about 30 mins till the oils and butter solidifies

7. Time for the whipping action:

Use a hand whipper or hand blender to whip the solidified butters. Whip it till it becomes nice buttery texture. Voila!! Your body butter is ready for scooping it in a container. I saved up my old body butter containers and used them to house this turmeric body butter. Its budget free and saves on purchasing another container. If you don't have your old saved up containers, any container that you have in your closet would do.

Use this recipe as a guide for your dry skin needs; once you play around with the oil-butter ratio, you'll know what works best aesthetically and for your body. Use it as a daily moisturizing cream.