4 Easy Steps To Fix Grainy Or Gritty Natural Body Butters

Oh no!  Your natural body butter… in all its creamy, dreamy goodness… now feels all rough and gritty.  Ugh, what was once a joy to use, has become… really annoying.

So what do you do?  Toss it?  Vow to never buy that product again? Grit your teeth and bear it?

NO WAY!!  Did you know there’s a SUPER EASY fix to bring your natural butters back to their intended state?  Cross our heart… it’s no lie.

We’re gonna help you return your natural body butter from gritty to smooth in only 4 easy steps!

First, let’s talk a little about WHY natural body butter gets gritty.  

Natural, skin-loving butters like Shea Butter, Mango Butter and Cocoa Butter are AMAZING for your skin. But they are very temperature sensitive, and tend to want to clump up or “crystallize” when not “babied” in a certain way.

Temperature variation during shipping is usually the #1 cause of a grainy texture in butters and balms. During hotter months, butters and balms can partially melt and then cool down too slowly, creating the perfect conditions for that grainy, gritty feeling. 

And while Summer shipping is the WORST for this, it can also happen if wherever you keep your body butters has a lot of variation in temperature.

However, it’s important to know that there’s nothing wrong with these gritty, grainy crystals— they’re a totally natural reaction. They’re just the natural fatty acids in butters that like to stick together. But when they get crystalized—that gritty texture is downright annoying to rub on your skin.

So, how do you fix it?

If you’re using a truly natural body butter, then it’s a quick and easy method of re-melting and letting it solidify quickly in your fridge.

However, if it’s not our product… first, look at the ingredients. If it anything on the label indicates it contains water, or a hydrosol, or glycerin, toss it. Water-based ingredients in some products will not return to their original creamy state, and a gritty texture in those products means it’s gone bad.

So let’s get into it!

4 STEPS TO FIX YOUR GRITTY BODY BUTTER OR BALM

To fix your natural butter or balm, you’ll need:

• Clean, small Pyrex or other microwave-safe measuring cup (one with a handle)
• Clean, small rubber spatula, or spoon
• Microwave
• Original container of body butter
• Small dish or tray
• Fridge

STEP 1: SCOOP OUT THE GRITTY BUTTER

With a small rubber spatula or spoon, scoop out the gritty butter and put it into a clean, Pyrex container. We recommend a spatula over a spoon, but both will do the job.  Set your original container aside on a small dish or tray, we’ll use that later.

STEP 2: MICROWAVE THE BUTTER FOR 15 SECONDS

Remove the spatula or spoon from the pyrex container. Heat the Pyrex container in the microwave for 15 seconds. Stir, then reheat for another 15 seconds and stir. Repeat this process until the butter is completely melted (it should finally turn clear on your last pass).

NOTE: DO NOT MICROWAVE IN THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER. You could damage it, as some of these containers are not microwave-safe.

Remember— DO NOT OVERHEAT YOUR BUTTER. This could burn you and/or ruin your butters. 

Once the butter is *just* melted, you’re done with the microwave.

STEP 3: LET IT SIT FOR 2 MINUTES

Stir your melted butter well and let it sit for 2 minutes in the pyrex cup. This will allow the butter to cool very slightly before you put it back into the original container.  Pouring too-hot butter into your original container can crack or melt the container, and we don’t want that!

Use this 2 minutes to ensure you have space in your fridge for the butter on a tray/plate. 

STEP 4: REFILL THE ORIGINAL CONTAINER

Make sure the original container is on a small dish or tray. Once the 2 minutes are up, pour the melted butter back into the original container and put it all in the fridge. 

DO NOT PUT THE LID ON.  We highly recommend using the small plate or tray to help transfer your butter to the fridge, as the butter will be hot, and a tray helps minimizes any spills.

Leave your container in the fridge for 1-2 hours (the larger the container, the longer it should stay in). Your butter will solidify quickly, ensuring that all the gritty crystallization is gone.

After a couple of hours, take it out, put the original lid back on and ENJOY!

You can do this with any number of natural butter-based products that have turned to the ‘gritty side.’  Just always make sure to use common sense safety measures when melting down the product— avoid any metal in the microwave, don’t overheat, and use a plate or tray to hold the original container.

Happy ‘Back To Smooth Butter’ Day!

**BONUS CLEANING TIP**

Wipe down all your spatulas and containers with paper towels before washing. This will minimize the amount of oils that go down your drains.

Looking for some great raw materials to get you started on your own ‘body butter’ DIY journey? We’ve teamed up with Amazon to bring you a few selections. By clicking and purchasing we may earn a small commission to help offset our hosting fees.

• Unrefined Shea Butter
• Unrefined Cocoa Butter
• Pure Mango Butter