Sweet or Salty Body Scrub

Just the other day I recommended to a client to try using a sugar body scrub. She had an unfortunate reaction to the chemicals used in a pool that left her swim suit discolored and her skin rough and scratchy feeling. Sounded like the pool maintenance crew added too many additives! She was already well versed in kitchen cosmetics, even sharing with me her favorite hair repair recipe that she used weekly during her platinum blonde phase that included mayonnaise, raw egg, and an avocado. This is what I shared with her to help regain her usual silky skin texture:

Basic Body Scrub

You already have the ingredients in your
pantry for luxuriously soft skin.

• 1 cup sugar or sea salt
• 1/2 cup oil (olive, almond, canola - whatever is in your cupboard)
• essential oils, if desired 

The ratio of oil to sugar/salt will depend on the consistency you like most.  Start with a little bit of oil and gradually add more depending on your preferences.
If you have eczema or another dry and cracked skin condition, stick with the sugar. You will find that the salt will irritate your already sensitive skin.
Olive oil leaves the most nourishing effect on the skin, but leaves you smelling a tad like olives. Almond and canola oil have no scent, but are lighter and less moisturizing.
Experiment to find what suits you best.

And some tasty variations:

Coffee Body Scrub

• 1/2 cup coarsely ground coffee
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 8 drops vanilla essential oil

Lemon Mint Body Scrub

• 1 cup sugar or sea salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbs lemon zest or 5 drops lemon essential oil
• 1 Tbs dried mint or 5 drops peppermint essential oil

How to Use

After your initial shower wash down, with your bowl of scrub concoction poised tub-side, turn off the water and begin your scrub. Take a scoop of the mixture in your hand and begin massaging it into your skin in gentle circles. Try to massage distally on your limbs toward your core in order to promote venous return, there by aiding your circulation, i.e: ankle to hip, wrist to shoulder. Don't forget to exfoliate your lips too! Conveniently, the scrub dissolves before you can over exfoliate. Rinse thoroughly - without soap to keep all the moisturizing goodness on your skin - then towel off and enjoy your newly lustrous integument.

The shower floor gets a bit slippery, thanks to the oil, so please be careful! There's nothing wrong with sitting down to perform your exfoliation.

See you and your gleaming epidermis in the clinic,
Dana




Sources:
http://yeswecoupon.com/diy-sugar-scrubs-makes-a-great-gift/
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-sugar-scrub.html
http://petitelefant.com/how-to-make-homemade-sugar-scrub/