There are about a gazillion recipes on Pinterest for homemade body products and with Christmas coming around the corner, it's the perfect time to try a couple out. In this post, I'm going to tell you where to find some of the ingredients you'll need to make a homemade body butter. Luckily, you can get them all from stores and suppliers in Malaysia.
The first and most important ingredient you're going to need to make your body butter is BUTTER (WHAT?!). Shea butter or Cocoa butter are the most popular types and are called for in nearly every recipe I've seen. The best kinds are raw and unrefined, meaning there's absolutely no additives or chemicals in them. Unfortunately, they're not available at just any supermarket and they can be really pricey! I got my Shea Butter for RM112/kg and my Cocoa Butter for RM16.90/700g but the prices range depending on where you get them.
You can buy Cocoa Butter from:
House of Ingredients (I got mine here and it is a deodorised kind)
Soap Story (unrefined - RM70/500g)
You can buy Shea Butter from:
Pameri Organic Malaysia (I got mine here. More expensive but organic. They don't have a storefront but give Diana a call and you can arrange to collect it at their office in Empire, Subang)
Soap Story (unrefined - RM70/kg)
Soap Artisan (unrefined - RM76/kg)
The second must-have ingredient you'll need are carrier oils. Coconut oil, grapeseed oil and avocado oil are all commonly used. I've also seen some recipes that use Extra Virgin Olive Oil which is great because you probably have a bottle of that lying around already. These oils are much easier to source and require only a quick trip down to the supermarket.
You can buy these oils from:
Cold Storage (prices range from RM22-RM59 per bottle)
Soap Story & Soap Artisan (Coconut and Grapeseed oil are cheaper here though probably not organic)
If you're looking for something a little more advanced, you can buy these and rarer oils like Sweet Almond from Soap Story and Soap Artisan, Publika. Soap Artisan has an online store now too (!) but I think they charge less in store.
Most recipes also call for extra ingredients to make your amazing homemade body butter even more amazing. Some of these are easy to find.
You can buy Vitamin E oil from just about any small health store or pharmacy. I forget the name of the place I got mine but I'm certain you can find it at Caring Pharmacy or Watsons. This little bottle cost about RM40 I think.
Essential oils add scents to your body butter and may also have other beneficial properties. You can buy essential oils from lots of places including RM5 stores like Daiso. I'm not sure about the quality though and I don't trust some cheap ones not to be watered down or padded up with random chemicals. I managed to find these in my mum's makeup drawer but I would buy mine from Soap Artisan or Soap Story (RM12-RM30+) if I had to.
Beeswax helps thicken the body butter and prevents it from melting into an oily puddle. If your butter seems to be doing that, you might consider adding beeswax into the mixture. You can purchase beeswax from Soap Artisan for RM8.50/100g. They also have larger quantities.
If you're a math person, you'll have realised the ginormous sum you'll have to part with for this DIY project. But think about how many you could make with all of this and all the money you might save on gifts. I'll never buy another product from L'Occitane or Body Shop again.
Do you know other stores/suppliers for these items?
