Homemade Whipped Cocoa Butter and why I love it



The Story 

Making natural, simple and effective skincare and haircare in my kitchen predates my Grenada Soul Adventurer days. Who remembers the start of natural hair revolution circa 2008-2010 among women and men of African descent? Apart from putting me well on the path of self acceptance and love (gotta love that unruly free mane of kinks and curls) it also introduced me to home made natural ingredient products. I made everything from from hair treatments with aloe vera grown in my front yard to flax seed hair gel and whipped butters for my skin and hair.
Years went by and I had less time to spare. As you do- adulating is real! I found my holy grail hair product on a shelf and creamed my skin with pure shea butter, cocoa butter or coconut oil- less fuss and no worries. 

Last Christmas I decided to curate little "Me Time" gift sets for some of my friends. I was inspired to make a whipped cocoa butter and a mocha sugar scrub. I packaged them in mason jars and labeled them with cute Christmas themed tags which included the quirky names I had come up with for the products and an ingredient list. I was quite proud of my delicious smelling creations.  

On Christmas Eve I delivered my little packages...everyone loved the treatments- including Grenada  Chocolate Fest founder Magdalena Fielden who tried some that I gifted her daughter. 

Fast forward to this year's Grenada Chocolate Fest... I had the opportunity to demonstrate how to make my whipped cocoa butter at the Healthy Benefits of Chocolate Beauty Workshop.

Cheesy Smiles for the Photog
Photo cred: Grenada Chocolate Fest 
The day of the workshop arrived and I was excited yet nervous. Luckily I was in good company:  Chocolate expert and educator from Montreal Karine "Miss Choco" Guillemette clued us in about all the healthy benefits of cocoa, entrepreneur Zoe LeighSmith from Maida guided a hands on cacao body scrub workshop and Kisha from Blue Haven Spa taught us how to make a chocolate face mask.

We had three people to each table and everyone got involved- mixing, smelling, touching, oohing, aahing and tasting! 

Zoe from Maida
Photo cred: Grenada Chocolate Fest 
Participants getting hands on whipping up their chocolate potions
Photo cred: Grenada Chocolate Fest 
Kisha from Blue Haven Spa
Photo cred: Grenada Chocolate Fest 
Elle Coco having a cheeky taste of the Chocolate Face Mask
Photo cred: Grenada Chocolate Fest 
The energy and enthusiasm from all of our participants gave the afternoon a light atmosphere and everyone left in a cheerful mood- with new friends and  paper goodie bags containing their handmade beauty potions. 

 With my fellow #SpiceBloggers Divya and Terrieann and my trusty whipper (I swear my mother has owned this from before my birth)
Photo cred: Grenada Chocolate Fest 
Here are 4 Ways I love using Whipped Cocoa Butter



Daily Body Moisturizer 

This luxurious whipped butter melts right into your skin. It does its job and you won't look greasy or feel hot. Living on a tropical humid island you tend to want to keep it light. Who else has experienced feeling trapped in your own skin and sweaty after using store bought creams with long ingredient lists? Chances are there are some pour blocking ingredients. I had not used them in so long I almost forgot that feeling.

To lighten scars and stretch marks 

In case you did not know, I am a mama- infer into that what you like from the heading. My daughter started walking just shy of a year and falls down ever so often and get little scrapes. Every night after her shower- or shah-wah as she calls it we sit down in bed and cream---keem. Before making the whipped butter I used the solid block of cocoa butter. Without fail she would take a bite. I don't blame her- it smells soooooo good...but I digress. I have noticed that when I use the butter straight away, paying special attention to her scrapes, the skin hardly discolors and with consistent use marks fade away. It is amazing!  

Solid Cocoa Butter Blocks
Makeup Remover and Facial Cleanser

Once you scoop the butter out it does not take long for it to melt into a rich oily consistency. Both cocoa butter and coconut oil melt at body temperature. It makes an excellent oil cleaner and leaves your skin feeling buttery soft. Water proof mascara...no worries...it gently escorts it off your eye lashes leaving your lashes firmly attached to your eye lid.  We all know there are often casualties in the war between our makeup remover and our waterproof mascara.

Facial Moisturiser 

For the longest while I neglected moisturizing my face because I was afraid it would make my t -zone more oily than it already was. It is not a sexy glow. I have also had tiny bumps in that area since my early teens. Fellow spice blogger Divya had recommended I use an exfoliant and start moisturising. Again, what I love about the whipped cocoa butter is that my skin can breath and the butter absorbs without leaving me shining like honey glazed cake. I find I have best results when I apply it to an almost dry face (not dripping wet and not completely dry).

***Bonus*** 

This just in, Divya from  the blog amarananixo.com says it is great for men's beards too! Great from growing, moisturizing and taming. As a long time supporter of beards I am proud to hear men are putting this to great use.

What products are you loving lately? Are you a fan of plant based self care rituals? I would love to hear from you in the comments below. 


You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more day to day updates- I am loving instragram stories lately.









Comments

  1. Girl since that workshop I have been making my own. Thanks to you. Now I am seriously considering having my own bath and beauty line or should I say its coming soon (heheheehehe). Great post hun. Love ya!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that is lovely, how has it been with your skin? Have you experienced some of the benefits I spoke about? What lovely things are you whipping up in your kitchen?

      Delete
  2. OH MAN! I wish I was there. I usually make my own hair products and gels. I had had a cute little label - 'NappyBella'. But then baby A came then bay A-R came and that was out the door, until recently when I made some flax see gel for my kinks. I wold have absolutely enjoy this experience but your post give me a good idea of how it when down and it has sparked my creativity once more, if only I can find the time now. Thanks Sheba xoxo KN

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Working on these projects with little ones running around is a challenge but it is so worth it to know that what you are putting on your and your families skin and hair is not harmful. I used to make flax gel too, it really help the curl pattern. Maybe it is time for a revival of "Nappy Bella"!

      Delete
  3. Oooh I love this! Will definitely be making this soon. I got a cocoa butter bar from The Grenada Chocolate Company and I must say it's helped with my dark marks. Great post Sheba.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really have to thank the Natural Hair Movement for reawakening a love for DIYing and Natural Butters. My skin and hair are so grateful!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right! It has us taking such good care of ourselves. The power of self love!

      Delete
  5. Before I loc'd my hair, I had the pleasure of making a shea butter cream for my hair. I would whipped the raw butter and add essential oils to it. I used it mainly for my twist outs, or whenever I'm braiding my hair. The results from my twist outs were amazing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I have made whipped Shea butter before and it had great hold! I used to also just use it pure for my bedtime giant twists to keep my hair from frizzing. What are you using for your locs? I know you guys avoid anything too heavy because of potential buildup...maybe try whipping up some of this. It is super light.

      Delete
    2. I mostly put mix essential oils in my hair ( castor, almond and peppermint) or Aloe Vera, in-between days I'll spritz my hair with rose water. That's it.

      Delete
  6. Awesome post! Another use for your whipped cocoa butter: growing/taming/moisturizing a beard! Let the fellas know Sheba :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I will add it in now, thanks for letting me know! Has your husband been dipping into your jar?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts