Clean Skin Care - Pure, Simple, Natural

Making your own Body Scrubs and Moisturizers!

Now we are in the swing of the new year, a return to basics is just what the doctor ordered.  Using ingredients from the supply shelf at work and your kitchen, you can easily create clean skin care that costs pennies!

What is a good body scrub?

A good body scrub will exfoliate, stimulate lymph flow, and leave your skin with a good dose of beneficial oils. When making your own scrubs, a good rule of thumb is to mix together sugar (or salt,or coffee grounds, or all three!) and oil at a ratio of 2:1.  The best oils will be nourishing for your skin, but don’t need to be the best of the best.  Stick with a basic grapeseed oil  or coconut oil,whatever you have on hand. 

For satisfyingly scoopable scrub, stir demerara brown sugar into soft-not-melted coconut oil (Note:  You're not making cookies.  There is no need to firmly pack the brown sugar.  Don't ask me how I know this.)  Add a few drops of sweet orange essential oil  for a mouth-watering morning wake-up scrub, or lavender to wind down at the end of the day.   Scooped into small jars, these also make a unique gift idea, and are easily customized to be fragrance-free or gender-neutral with bergamot essential oil, grapefruit essential oil, or chamomile essential oil.

 Fantastic Recipe for Moisturizers

When it comes to moisturizers, clean skin care sometimes feels like you have to compromise -  either you’re chipping out chunks of solidified oil, or wiping drips off the bathroom floor.  The solution?  Whipped coconut oil!  

Coconut Oil Body Butter

Place oil in a deep bowl.  Using your whisk attachment, whip at high speed for 3-4 minutes.  Add in your essential oils or extra oils, continue to whip for another 2-3 minutes.  Carefully spoon into containers.  If stored at temperatures above 23-24 degrees Celsius, the oil will return to its liquid state and lose the fluffy consistency. 

Optional: Essential Oils for scent- I like using 10-30 drops depending on the essential oils used. Peppermint and Citrus/Lavender are favorites at our house.

Store in a glass jar with a lid and use as you would regular lotion or body butter.  

I used straight coconut oil, and it whipped beautifully.  Remember that your coconut oil MUST be cold in order to build and maintain a fluffy texture.  (Note:  If you do need to firm up your coconut oil a bit, we do NOT recommend leaving it in the freezer while having tea with a friend.  The fridge will be cold enough and save you having to chip the oil out of the mixing bowl.)  

(Hat tip to WellnessMama.com for the inspiration on whipped coconut oil!)

So take a look through your cupboards, and see what you have on hand to work with.  Scrub off the remnants of 2013, and restore yourself with a generous slathering of body butter you can feel good about using.  Caring for yourself in small ways on a daily basis ensures that you can continue to do what you do best - healing others. 

(Article, recipe testing and photos by Faye)