Exfoliation is important for healthy skin. It removes dead skin and makes way for new growth. This is not only of importance in aging skin, but also for younger skin to help insure healthy beautiful skin throughout your life.
There are many commercial exfoliators out there, many with harsh chemicals and abrasives that often can leave skin dried out and irritated. Sugar scrubs are a natural, gentle, and safe alternatives that will moisturize and nourish your skin and leave it feeling fresh and youthful. And they are simple to make at home, from ingredients you likely have in your own kitchen.
A very simple sugar scrub can be made with organic olive oil and organic cane sugar. And if you don’t have organic, you can use whatever you have on hand.
To make a simple sugar scrub, mix 1/2 cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup of cane sugar until it has a smooth consistency and all the sugar is saturated in the oil. I like to run 3/4 of the sugar through a coffee grinder, just a quick pulse or two, first, to get a fine consistency. That’s all you have to do and you have a sugar scrub!
You can play around with variations of it, by using different oils – coconut is really nice for skin. Try 50% coconut and 50% olive.
You can also add a bit of essential oils. A little goes a long way, and you only need a couple of drops. Some skin loving essential oils are lavender, tea tree,geranium, patchouli, rosemary. Steer away from oils like cinnamon, ginger, clove – which can burn delicate skin. And I avoid lemon and other citrus oils, except in very small amounts, because of their potential for photosensitivity.
You can also add some dried flowers, such as lavender, rose, chamomile. I like to grind these into a fine powder in my coffee grinder and toss in with my sugar. They make for a delightful scrub and add some lovely color and texture as well.
Store your oils in a clean jar and avoid moisture getting into them. They will last longer. I typically like glass jars, but store my scrubs in BPA Free plastic tubs, because I scrub in the shower and don’t want to deal with broken glass, if the scrub should happen to fall.
That’s it. Easy Peasy.
Happy Scrubbing!
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