By: Aura Cacia<\/p>\n
Your skin is your body’s first line of defense against a host of tough customers\u2014sun exposure, pollution, hot days and freezing cold temps. It’s important to take good care of your skin so it can take good care of you.<\/p>\n
Why not pamper your skin with an easy DIY body scrub? All it takes are a few simple ingredients from your own kitchen and your local co-op. While body scrubs are great in the shower, they\u2019re also good for quick spot applications on your hands and feet. Use at the sink, or take a basin of warm water and a towel to a favorite spot, like the den or patio, for a mini spa treatment.
\nBasic formula and function<\/p>\n
Start with the basic formula: something scrubby + skin care oil. For scrubby ingredients, use food-grade, biodegradable ingredients like sugar, salt or coffee grounds (before or after brewing). These will exfoliate the skin, removing dry, dead and dull-looking skin cells and helping to prevent clogged pores. Incredibly, your skin will respond by generating new, fresh skin cells more quickly. Isn\u2019t Mother Nature wonderful?<\/p>\n
Next, choose plant-based oils that nourish the skin and provide lubrication for the scrubby ingredients. Sweet almond oil is a great choice, with its rich texture and skin-hydrating properties.
\nUp your game with essential oils<\/p>\n
Add your favorite essential oils to the mix and take the benefits of your scrub to a whole new level of luxury and efficacy. Not sure where to start? Try this recipe featuring refreshing, vitalizing peppermint and spearmint, and cheering, uplifting sweet orange. This clarifying, energizing scrub will leave both you and your skin feeling invigorated and refreshed, while the coffee\/sweet orange aroma evokes warm comforts of snuggling by the fire. As a bonus, peppermint oil has natural antiseptic properties.
\nPeppermint sweet orange sugar and coffee body scrub<\/p>\n
Ingredients
\n 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
\n 1\/2 tablespoon coarsely ground coffee
\n 3 1\/2 tablespoons Aura Cacia\u00ae Sweet Almond Oil
\n 30 drops Aura Cacia\u00ae Sweet Orange Essential Oil
\n 9 drops Aura Cacia\u00ae Peppermint Essential Oil
\n 9 drops Aura Cacia\u00ae Spearmint Essential Oil
\n 4-ounce wide-mouth jar<\/p>\n
Preparation
\n 1. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well blended. Transfer to wide-mouth jar.
\n 2. To use, scoop scrub out of jar with fingertips and apply to skin using gentle circular motions.
\n 3. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.<\/p>\n
Note: For a sweeter, more citrusy aroma, substitute bergamot (bergaptene-free) essential oil for the spearmint. For a more meditative, calming aroma, substitute frankincense essential oil for the peppermint and spearmint.
\nShare the joy<\/p>\n
Body scrubs make great gifts, so why not make a larger batch and share? Scale up the recipe, divide the scrub into jars and tie with a decorative ribbon. You can even modify the oils in the recipe to personalize them to the recipient\u2014use the suggestions above, or your own creativity!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Aura Cacia Your skin is your body’s first line of defense against a host of tough customers\u2014sun exposure, pollution, hot days and freezing cold temps. It’s important to take good care of your skin so it can take good care of you. Why not pamper your skin with an easy DIY body scrub? All […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14497","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipes"],"yoast_head":"\n