How to prepare your own chocolate orange body butter

"This dreamy body butter is wonderful to smell on your skin," Rebecca says. "The cacao butter is great for elasticity, the shea is good for scars and blemishes, the coconut oil is good for moisture, and the cacao powder (apart from the smell) is the perfect antioxidant addition.

"The orange oil is uplifting and is said to help with anxiety and depression as well as being anti-ageing."

If you can bear to give it away, this festive body butter also makes a fantastic homemade Christmas present.

How to make chocolate orange body butter

Ingredients (makes 200ml)

• 4 tablespoons cacao butter
• 2 tablespoons shea butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons raw cacao powder
• 20 drops of orange essential oil
• Sterilised jar or airtight container

Method

1. Melt the cacao and shea butters in a double boiler over a low heat. If you don't have a double boiler, use a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water instead (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water underneath).
2. Add the coconut oil and leave until melted, then stir to combine. Remove from the heat, add the remaining ingredients and stir to mix. Leave to cool.
3. Once the mix is cool and solid, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip for 8 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
4. Transfer the whipped butter to a sterilised jar or airtight container.
5. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. In colder climates, it may solidify, but will warm up enough to melt when it's applied to your skin. In warmer environments, it will become less fluffy over time, but still works a treat.
6. To use, lightly rub the body butter over your skin, as required.

Looking for more homemade toiletries to make? Learn how to make soap at home with our easy tutorial or head over to our sister website Gathered.how to learn how to make bath bombs.

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Taken from The Art of Natural Beauty by Rebecca Sullivan. Published by Kyle Books. Photography by Nassima Rothacker.