Sugar Scrub!

If you're like me, you appreciate a good body exfoliation. Especially if you have body break outs like I do. *kicks trash can* I've noticed that since I started exfoliating on a regular basis, my skin is doing much better. Here's where I provide a simple sugar scrub recipe for you, and rebuke you from ever buying another sugar scrub from the store again. I mean it.


"If you buy another sugar scrub, everythang you do gon' crumble..."
Listen to Miss Celie!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup sweet almond oil (or olive oil, or a combo of the two, or whatever kind you feel would be beneficial for your skin
  
• 1 tsp vitamin E oil (optional, not required. But why skip this yumminess?)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional, for scent)
  
• Natural fragrance oil of your choice (again, optional)
  
• 1 tsp honey (if you need added moisture)
  

Now, my beautiful, lovely, natural/organic friend Kenya advised me that I should try this with organic brown sugar, so as to avoid any pesticides that may have been used in the production of regular grocery store sugar. The first two times I did use regular sugar, but the last batch was made with organic brown sugar.

Organic brown sugar is lighter in color that regular brown sugar. If you use regular brown sugar from the grocery store, the mixture will be much darker in color. Mix your oils/honey together in a measuring cup. Put the sugar in a bowl where you have room to mix well. Gradually add the oils to the sugar, mixing with a fork. You can add more or less oil, depending on how you want the mixture to be. I find that I like mine a little less oily, so I use less than 1/2 cup. Play around with it.

This stuff is great! It can get slippery in the shower, so please be careful. The first few batches, I used olive oil. Now that I have some sweet almond oil on hand, I think I like using a mixture of them both. Don't scrub hard! The sugar will take care of the exfoliation...gentle, circular motions. I personally like to use my castile soap first, to take care of washing away the day's grime/dirt, and then I follow with the scrub. Some people do it the other way around.

Why are sugar scrubs good for you?

• Cleans skin and unclogs pores
  
• Sugar scrubs are rich in alpha-hydroxy acids
  
• They promote the growth of healthier, more uniformly colored and textured skin
  
• They help to hydrate your skin
  
• Help to stimulate/circulate lymph fluids
  
• WHo doesn't want smooth, soft skin?
  

USAGE/STORAGE:
OK so, there's no preservative in this mixture. There is a little vitamin E oil, but nothing major. It is important that you don't introduce water to this mixture. I sit the container on my hamper and use a scoop to get the sugar mixture out and then dump it into my hand for application in the shower. Don't stick your hands straight in! I make small batches, and tend to be heavy-handed with my products, so it doesn't take me long to use up the mixture. I've doubled it and kept it in a jar for 3-4 weeks without issue. If you take care not to introduce water/bacteria to the mixture, it should be fine. This link states that the mixture should last a couple of months, but after that it can go rancid. I love using this, so I use it twice a week and mine doesn't last long. I've never had any issues.

I follow my scrub with the body butter from yesterday's post. This is the softest my skin has ever been. Try it and see!