Brown Sugar Body Scrub

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. (Proverbs 31:13)

At the bottom of the closet in our spare bedroom, there is a large Rubbermaid tub. The tub belongs to me and holds a variety of interesting items: vegetable glycerin, oatmeal, aloe vera jelly, brown sugar, joboba oil, olive oil, several essential oils, Epsom and Kosher salts, honey, as well as many measuring cups and spoons. I call these items the tools of my trade.

Whenever I bring my tub down to the kitchen JT usually says, “Hmm, I see my little alchemist is about to begin her work. I wonder what she’ll be making today.” I love to mix up heavenly-scented, skin pampering treats for me and my friends.

One of my favorite treats to make is a brown sugar body scrub. I found this simple recipe online a while ago, but I do not recall where I found it. It makes a thick, rich sugar scrub that leaves your skin soft, smooth, and smelling delicious!

Simple Brown Sugar Scrub
1 cup ground oatmeal (I use our blender to grind it.)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Epsom salt
½ cup scented body lotion
¼ cup baby oil

Combine oatmeal, white sugar, brown sugar, and Epsom salt in a large bowl. Add the baby oil and lotion and stir into a thick paste. This makes enough scrub to fill a 16 ounce container.

To use: Stir the scrub to redistribute the oils that have risen to the top. Apply the scrub in the shower after your skin has been cleansed. Place a bit of the scrub in your hand or onto a bath mitt and massage it into your skin (from your shoulders to your feet) using gentle circular motions. Do not rub too vigorously or you will scratch and damage your skin. Rinse with warm water, pat yourself dry, and apply lotion to your skin. When done, be sure to rinse out the tub and shower fully because the oils in the scrub will make it slippery.

Though this recipe is great as is, I’ve modified it to include more natural products such as aloe vera jelly and jojoba oil. Tinker with the recipe to customize it to your liking. Play with the ingredients to create a scrub that suits your skin type (dry or oily) and matches your scent preferences.

If you’re interested in creating more homemade scrubs, check these websites. They’re some of my favorite places to visit:

Belle City Soapworks
From Nature With Love
Robbie’s Recipes

Lip Love!

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. (Song of Solomon 4:3a)

I am obsessed with lip balm.

My husband, my mother, and my best friend Valerie can all testify about my pitiful dependency. Because I hate to be without lip balm, I have stashed my “lip love” tubes all around: in the car, in the van, in coat pockets, in nearly every bag or backpack I own, and in both girls’ bags as well. In spite of my preparedness, I still have had to make emergency trips to the drugstore in order replace precious tubes that have been lost. In dire situations, I have even bummed balm from JT.

After our MOPS group created homemade sugar scrubs, I was inspired to make my own lip balm. I figured if I made it at home, I would probably never have to be without it. I was surprised to discover that lip balm is easy to make and contains simple ingredients that don’t usually cost too much.

Lip balm recipes are posted all over the internet. Over the past several months I’ve collected and tried several, but this recipe is my favorite. Keep in mind that you may have to “play” with the recipe in order to create a balm you like. If your balm turns out too hard, melt it down and add a bit more oil. If it turns out too soft, melt it down and add more beeswax.

Creamy Cocoa Lip Balm

2 tablespoons cocoa butter
1 tablespoon beeswax
½ teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons jojoba oil
1 Vitamin E capsule
1 tube of lipstick (any color you choose)

Melt the cocoa butter, beeswax, and honey. Stir very well to prevent lumps from forming in the balm. Add vitamin E and oil. Stir very well. Add color to the balm by slicing off a small amount of the lipstick and stirring into the melted lip balm mixture. (This will not color the lips, but will just give your lip balm a pretty color.) Pour into small airtight containers.

Lotion in Motion!

I love lotion! I know that sounds silly, but I really love slathering myself with wonderfully scented lotions, creams, and body butters that leave my skin feeling as soft as a baby’s bottom. Several weeks ago, I was very excited to discover a new honey almond body butter that smelled heavenly.

One evening a short time later, I took a shower, applied the body butter, jumped into my comfy pink pajamas, came downstairs, and settled down on the couch next to my husband. I was feeling happy and refreshed as I relaxed on the couch. My evening was off to a perfect start!

However, a few minutes later perfection turned to pandemonium. As I rested on the couch, my skin started to itch, I began to feel dizzy, my breathing became a bit more labored, and my chest started to tighten. An almond allergy (unknown until that moment) was causing me to have an allergic reaction to the almond oil in the body butter. JT quickly whisked me off to the emergency room for treatment. Thankfully, after receiving medication my symptoms subsided and I was released a few hours later.

After that frightening experience, I visited an allergist (yes, Mom, I know you’ve been telling me to do so for at least a year), got an Epi Pen, and started reading labels MUCH more carefully. I also began searching the internet for homemade body butter recipes figuring that if I made the lotion myself I’d definitely know what was in it.

During my search, I stumbled upon this semi-homemade recipe. I have adjusted it to suit my personal taste and now call it Creamy Cocoa Body Butter (pretty creative right?)

Creamy Cocoa Body Butter
1 (8 ounce) container cocoa butter (I prefer Palmer’s)
8 ounces Clear Basics Vitamin E Cream (I purchase it at Family Dollar)
¼ cup Vaseline

Scoop the cocoa butter, Vitamin E cream, and Vaseline into a mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to whip the ingredients to a smooth, fluffy consistency. Store in non-metal airtight containers with lids.

Notes: Cocoa butter is very firm, but once it is whipped, it becomes light and fluffy. The recipe calls for the use of Vaseline, but I find it makes the cream a bit too greasy for overall body use. The only time I use Vaseline in the recipe is when I make the cream specifically for use on the feet. After I pedicure, I apply the cream to my feet, slip on a fresh pair of socks, get in bed, and awaken with soft well moisturized feet.

I love this stuff! I apply a generous amount each night before I slip into bed (and I do mean slip!) and apply another healthy dose before slipping into my clothes each morning. The light chocolate aroma is fabulous plus the positive benefits of cocoa butter and Vitamin E cream make it good for the skin. Another plus is that it is relatively inexpensive to make and once it’s whipped you get twice as much.