Zero Waste, DIY Belly Butter

Being mindful of what I put in and on my body started before I got pregnant. It is something I practice with full force on a daily basis (my ideal goal is food grade for everything yet somehow it works just as well and the commercial stuff). Now that I was existing for two, it was something that was even more on my mind.

My mother informed me that our family isn't really prone to stretch marks, but I knew I wanted to prevent them just in case. Later in pregnancy, this Belly Butter was so soothing, especially for the skin on my stomach that kept stretching until I felt like I might pop. I rubbed it on every night and thought happy thoughts about my little bébé . It felt so good and the added lavender oil helped with my bouts of pregnancy insomnia.

I made a mega batch to make sure I had enough to last me through pregnancy without having to make again as I had a lot of other things on my mind and to tend to.

Here is the recipe:

In a double boiler (pot of water on the stovetop with a bowl placed snugly in it) put:

1 Cup Shea Butter

1 Cup Sweet Almond Oil

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

2 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil

Lavender Oil (to your liking)

Heat until all ingredients melt together and pour into a glass container.

Voila! Belly Butter!

The Shea Butter and Coconut Butter will help this stay semi-solid but that will change with the weather (hotter weather will make it liquified and it will solidify again in cooler temperatures).

This also makes for an excellent body butter- pregnant or not!