DIY Spa Treatment: Make Your Own Sugar Scrub

A little sugar on top makes everything sweeter, right? I'm going to go right ahead and say it.  Scrubs are awesome.  Let us count the ways.  For starters, anything that makes you feel good even if it's not really doing anything super beneficial is worth the trouble. I love stepping into a hot shower with a good sugar scrub waiting to be dipped into.  Sugar scrubs are an effective and gentle way to exfoliate and invigorate skin.  It helps bring circulation to areas we tend to neglect otherwise and circulation is key to that healthy glow we all strive to achieve.

As a personal rule I prefer sugar scrubs over salt scrubs because sugar granules tend to be finer and they dissolve, as you scrub, a bit faster.  Salt scrubs are a little drying to my skin but I know many people love the benefits of a salt scrub down. The beauty of adopting a "DIY" approach to simple skin care is that you have more control over what you use.  You are also avoiding a lot of unnecessary chemicals and preservatives (and saving yourself a bunch of money).  You can also custom tailor your scents to your preferences.  Hate lavender? Pick different oils that suit your tastes. Love citrus? Zest a lemon or lime into the mixture to give it an earthy fresh scent.

Here's What You Need:

• 1 glass container (Or a re-purposed wide mouth container) with a lid
• 1 1/2 unbleached organic sugar (choose fine or course ground)
• 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
• essential oils of your choice (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. vitamin E oil

Directions:

Pour the sugar into a clean glass bowl.  Add the sweet almond oil, vitamin E oil and the essential oil(s) of your choosing into the sugar and mix well.  Begin adding drops of essential oils in your preferred scents until desired scent strength is acheived.  Some recommended oils are lavender, sweet orange, bergamont mint, patchouli, chamomile... check out the selection of essential oils at your local health food store. Store mixture in a clean glass container and seal tightly.

Tips:

I have had sugar scrubs attract ants in my bathroom so I started storing them in the fridge between uses which will also extend the life of your scrubs. Just warm the scrub in your palms before showering.  You can find all these ingredients at a health food store or market - I've checked! Also, this recipe works with salt too, just increase the oil content a bit.  It needs to also be said to keep scrubs away from senstitive bits.  But you knew that.  My favorite scent combinations are Lavender Vanilla and Sweet Orange Bergamont.  Let me know if you try this out.. I'd love to hear what scents you love too!