Homemade Body Scrub - Tutorial

 Body Scrub Ingredients

I started making my own body scrubs about a year ago. I'd been buying them but I had a hard time justifying the $10 - $15 for a tub of oily, scented salt. 

One day I decided I was going to learn to make my own. It is so easy and it does work out cheaper. There are 100's of "recipes" online.

My favorite part about these scrubs is that they moisturize as well as exfoliate. I have really dry skin but using a scrub like this, I don't ever need to use body lotion. That is another cost saving point for the scrubs. 

Homemade scrubs are a great option for sensitive skin or people with MCS, multiple chemical sensitivities. You can pick your own ingredients based on your sensitivities. Your scrub won't have any of the harsh ingredients found in most soaps and lotions.  

What you need-

1. A plastic, wide mouth tub with a lid. Metal rusts and glass breaks, neither are good options for your shower.
2. Essential/Aromatherapy oils of your choice. You can use one essential oil or a combination. Follow this link to learn more about different beneficial elements of oils; physical, mental and for your health- http://www.naturesgift.com/infomenu.htm
3. An oil base. You can use almost any oil; sunflower, olive, peanut, sesame, coconut, almond. There are oils sold specifically for use on the body. They are usually a combination of different oils. Body oils typically cost a lot more than the oil you find in the cooking section.
4. Salt or sugar. I prefer using coarse salt as the exfoliate in my body scrubs. Other options include coffee, oatmeal, flaxseed... Personally I don't want to clean all that up out of my shower. The salt and the sugar disintegrate in water so for me they are the best choice. 

Today's Recipe-
This makes one 14.5oz jar, the size you would typically find for sale in stores. It's summer so I like a citrus/mint scrub. In winter I love using clove and cinnamon for a more warming scrub.

• 1 cup coarse salt
• 1/4 cup oil base
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil
• 30 drops grapefruit essential oil

Put all the ingredients in your wide mouth tub. Close the lid and shake it vigorously to combine. The oil tends to sink to the bottom so throughout the month you will have to shake it to re-mix. This recipe will last me about 3 weeks. It is not recommended that you use scrubs on your face or neck.

None of the measurements matter that much. Before today, I had never measured any of them out to make a scrub. You will learn as you go how much of each essential oil you like, it is a personal preference. You also might like an oilier scrub than I do.

Sometimes I "flavor" a whole bottle of my base oil. One less step when making my scrubs and I can also use it as a body lotion. It smells great!

Another great thing about these homemade body scrubs... They make great gifts! All you need is a nice tub or jar and a pretty ribbon.