Body scrubs (salt and sugar)

A recent trip to a spa where I treated myself to a wash, scrub and massage using 'dead sea minerals' reawakened my desire for homemade, organic products which really made my skin sing. When I arrived home, I nosed around online for some tempting recipes and inspiration for my own salt and sugar scrubs.

I'm a huge fan of salted caramel, so sweet/savoury combinations really appeal to me, but I'm not convinced they work in a combined product for the skin (but I may be wrong). So, instead I have come up with two different products: a lemon, rosemary and olive oil salt scrub (which makes me feel like a delicious smelling human focaccia) and a cinnamon, sugar, coconut and cocoa sugar scrub (for that hot chocolate feeling).

I've since used each on my skin, and have left the shower feeling fresh, clean and silky smooth, and not at all sticky or salty. I rounded off the shower experience with some of my body lotion (previous entry) and woke up in the morning still soft and smooth.

So, on with the recipes...

Lemon, rosemary and olive oil salt scrub

A lemon and olive oil mixture appealed to me because not only is it energising and moisturising, but it really helps with keeping skin soft and supple, while removing any dead surface skin. I added some fresh rosemary sprigs for an added oomph as it compliments the lemon and olive perfectly in addition to having some restorative properties if aromatherapy is to be believed. If you wanted to encourage relaxation, some fresh lavender could be used as a substitute.

For one 300g jar, you will need:

• Juice and zest of one lemon.
• Extra virgin oil of your choice (preferably organic). I used olive oil, but you could use any of the others previously mentioned, or avocado, grapeseed, another nut oil or even sesame oil.
• Salt [Note: You can be as technical or as straightforward as you like; table salt will work, but I would recommend you use a sea salt. You can use finely ground or coarse salt crystals or, alternatively, Epsom salt. Epsom salt is a natural mineral containing magnesium sulphide which naturally softens skin as well as having the same exfoliating properties as sea salt].
• Optional: fresh rosemary or herb of your choice, chopped. 
• 1 x 300g jar, and a mixing bowl

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix 250g salt with the chopped herb, lemon zest and 100ml oil. Mix well until all of the salt is coated in oil.
2. Once the salt is covered in oil, add the lemon juice and mix again.
3. Pour into a container of your choice. I'd recommend using glass so that the smell doesn't absorb into the plastic, but plastic may be more sensible for use in the bathroom (it depends how clumsy you are!). 
4. Place near the bath/shower with a spoon or some sort of scoop (an old wooden spoon or even a seashell are perfect).
5. You will need to stir the salt scrub before each use, as the salt will sink and the oil will rise to the top. Also be careful not to get any water into the mixture (hence why a scoop or spoon is a useful accompaniment). You may want to add a little more oil once it's settled, so there is a 'protective' layer between the scrub and water while it sits in the bathroom.

Salt scrub is particularly good for cleaning particularly dry areas (knees, elbows, hands, feet). Scrub in a circular motion and leave on your skin for a few moments before rinsing off; I've tended to leave the scrub on while conditioning my hair, and then washed it off after I've washed out the conditioner. You shouldn't need to wash it off afterwards with any shower gel/soap as otherwise you're washing away the benefits of the oil. Simply pat yourself dry with a towel and get on with your usual routine!

All being well, your skin should feel soft and exfoliated, as well as moisturised. You should also have a faint smell of the lemon and herb (but hopefully not smell like an Italian bakery!). You may be a little "pink" when fresh from the shower, but that's just because of the exfoliating action of scrubbing yourself in the salt mixture.

Cinnamon, cocoa, coconut and honey sugar scrub

Sugar scrub is less harsh on the skin than salt scrub. As it's gentler, you may want to start with this product and work up to a salt scrub (if for you). As with the salt scrub, you can experiment with different types of sugar (caster, cane, brown sugar - dark, light, demerara) to work out what you prefer. Again, I tended to stick with organic products but that was a personal preference.

Unlike the more oily salt scrub, I kept this one quite dry. The recipe, however, is just as simple. For one 300g jar, you will need:

• Sugar
• Ground Cinnamon 
• Cinnamon bark essential oil (or another essential oil of your choice)
• Oil (I used coconut oil)
• Optional: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, honey, cocoa, vanilla, ground oatmeal
• 1 x 300g container (I used an old chocolate container, adding to that indulgent sweet appeal)

Method:

1. In a bowl place 250g sugar (I used 200g caster sugar, 50g demerara sugar) and mix in 1 tsp ground cinnamon and any other optional spices (I added 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp nutmeg, and 1 tsp of cocoa).
2. Add 50ml coconut oil, 3-5 drops of essential oil and 1 tsp honey (optional) to the mixture. As my coconut oil was solid, I placed it (and the honey) in the microwave for about 30 seconds until melted, but not hot.
3. Mix together so that all of the sugar mixture is coated in the oil.
4. Place in an airtight container and put in the bathroom ready for your next soak/shower.

Like the salt scrub, this recipe is so simple and can be modified to suit your own tastes. Rather than cinnamon, try more ginger, cloves, citrus zest (and some juice, added after the oil coating), ground oatmeal to add with the exfoliation, vanilla (sugar, oil, pod). You could even add vitamin E, coffee granules or tea leaves. Experiment away, just don't eat it!

For information on the use of oils and essential oils, see my page here.

Body lotion and lipbalm

I had a lot of beeswax and essential oils left over from my candlemaking experiment, which prompted me to wonder what else I could do with it which created a desirable homemade gift for Christmas. Which is how I developed the body lotion and lipbalm.

Personally, I love natural products that don't have added chemicals. I also suffer with dry skin and chapped lips in winter. The recipes below created something that was not only a good gift for friends, but meant I could test it first (and keep it if it didn't work!).

Lipbalm

The lipbalm was experimental, and I wasn't happy with the consistency the first time around (too hard) and the second time around it wasn't right either (too gloopy). Like recipes, consistency can be a matter of personal preference and how you tend to 'contain' your end product. I've noticed online that you can buy 'tubes' for handmade lipbalms/lipstick, so if you want a stick balm then a harder consistency will be better than a 'pot' balm, which is what I desired. The tweaking of the ingredients meant I had to scoop out the 'set' pot and reheat the mixture, adding a bit more oil or wax in small amounts until I'd found my perfect recipe. This means giving a definitive recipe is impossible, but a rough guide is as follows:

For about 10 small pots of lipbalm, you will need (all of which I sourced from eBay)

• Beeswax
• Coconut oil
• Sweet almond oil
• Essential oil (I used cinnamon bark oil as cinnamon is a natural 'lip plumper', not to mention smelling delicious)
• Optional: extra virgin olive oil, or other organic/extra virgin oil of your choice
• Some small pots (or tubes if you prefer). I used about 10 x 3g/6ml pots
• Bain-marie for melting the ingredients

 Method:

1. Heat water in a saucepan ready for the bain-marie.
2. In the heatproof mixing bowl, add one 1oz (28g) stick of beeswax (chopped or grated, to fasten the melting process), 1oz of coconut oil, 1oz of sweet almond oil.[Note: so long as there is a ratio of 1:2 on wax to oil, you can mix the oils to your preference, adding any other oil you may wish]. Melt, but don't boil, in the bain-marie.
3. Turn the heat off once melted, stir in several drops (2-3) of your chosen essential oil and stir.
4. When the mixture is cooler, but still runny, pour into your chosen containers and leave to cool. [Note: you may wish to do one first to check the consistency once cooled and either add more beeswax (if too runny) or more oil (if too solid)].
5. Leave to cool overnight and then put the lids on and package for friends/put in your handbag. Your lipbalm is ready to go!

Body lotion

This is basically like a large version of the lipbalm, but a little oiler, and with a different essential oil. I usually use body butter or plain coconut oil as a moisturiser as I suffer from very dry skin, with a touch of eczema and psoriasis. I also love swimming and chlorinated pools really add to the process of drying the skin out. A really absorbant moisturiser is therefore really important for me.

The ingredient list for the body lotion is exactly the same as the lipbalm (above). However, I switched from cinnamon essential oil to tea tree for its antiseptic qualities. When making for a friend I added rose oil for that really fresh girly smell. The only difference between the balm and the lotion is the wax:oil ratio, as the end product is oily but still quite viscose.

I've also taken this product on holiday as a treat for my skin following a day in the sun/at the beach when your body is crying out for some moisture. A tub of it is also in my gym bag. However, one thing I would say is that it's quite oily so a little goes a long way. At home I tend to put it on before bed and slip into my pyjamas, leaving it on my skin overnight to really soak. However, if you're applying it in the morning, I'd leave it to soak in for a few minutes before you put your clothes on or you risk it absorbing into your clothes before it has the chance to do it's thing to your skin.

Method (for approx 3 x 150ml tins)

1. Heat water in a saucepan for the bain-marie.
2. In the heatproof mixing bowl, add one 3oz (85g) stick of beeswax (chopped or grated, to fasten the melting process) to 9 oz (250g) of oil. I used 5 oz of coconut oil, 1 oz sweet almond oil and 3 oz extra virgin olive oil. [Note: the wax to oil ration here is 1: 4] Melt, but don't boil, the oil/wax mixture in the bain-marie.
3. Turn the heat off once melted, stir in several drops (10-20) of your chosen essential oil(s) and stir.
4. When the mixture is cooler, but still runny, pour into your chosen containers and leave to cool. [Note: as with the lipbalm, you may wish to check the consistency of the lotion when cooled and add a bit more oil or wax to meet your desired consistency.
5. When cooled, put the lids on and you're done!

For ideas on base oils or essential oils to use in your product, see my page discussing oils here.