Time to invest in some Adhesive Ducks... I'm making Lavender body SCRUB for the TUB

Whoop!  Sugar Scrub Time! 

As I've mentioned before, I'm not a very crafty person... I've never taken any cosmetology classes and pretty much get my ideas from the internet or books I've found along the way. If you do an internet search for Body Scrubs, you will find there are a BOAT LOAD out there, trust me, I've looked! Scrubs are super quick and easy, use readily available ingredients, and can make a great gift.  There is no wonder why they are so popular! 

Now if you don't collect oils, salts and fragrances like I do.... here is a quick, easy, no effort, no special ingredient recipe for things you probably have readily available.

QUICK & EASY SUGAR AND HONEY SCRUB

3/8 cup Olive Oil (8 tablespoons)

1/4 Honey

1 cup of sugar

Mix it all together and store it in a jar.  If you don't have honey, just add extra Olive oil.  Simple. However, if you have scents, or other oils to cut it with, do it up right!  EVOO is great for the skin, but depending on the brand it can have a strong smell, as does coconut oil, but I'd rather smell 'tropical' rather than I just finished a stir fry or made a salad. :-)  (Okay, it's really not that bad, but using EVOO so often for cooking...it's imprinted with cooking on my brain!).

Anywhoo, to the main recipe.... today, I decided to put a hair more *gasp* effort into the project.... don't worry, it's not that much effort! I've tried a few different scrub recipes in my day, so I did what everyone should do, and combined my favorite things into my own blend. This time around I went with a Sugar Scrub because it's more gentle on the skin.  For a more heavy duty rougher scrub you can substitute salts! As I mentioned above, there are TONS of recipes.... I love Coconut Oil (and I have a ton kicking around,) so when creating this recipe I chose that to be my go to base oil.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil pops up as a base oil a lot too, it's just about what you like!  For a scent I went with Lavender because it's a favorite...plus, one time I ran out, now I tend to buy it whenever I see it, so I've got about 4 bottles of it in my cupboard...so, time to use some!

 So without further ado....

The Lazy Diva's Coconut Lavender Sugar Scrub with a splash of Vanilla

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Coconut Oil (melted)

1/8 cup dried lavender (ground up, if you so desire)

8 drops lavender essential oil

1/2 tsp of Vitamin E

1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (the real stuff)
This recipe yields about a Laura Ingalls (1/2 pint) (I know....really lame, really old, bad joke...but I made it anyway!)

1) Melt your coconut oil 














I just microwaved it, and stirred it about every 15 seconds until it was completely clear. Then poured it into a measuring cup.

2) Pour the sugar into a jar or bowl
I used plain old, cheap, white generic sugar... for a more gentle scrub you can use brown sugar, or do a combo of white and raw for different textures.

3) Stir in Coconut Oil and a splash of Vitamin E
I have a jar of liquid Vitamin E, but you can also break open a capsule for this too.

4) Using a coffee grinder (blender or mortar and pestle,) powder the lavender, then add it to the mixture.

I purchased this particular batch of lavender from SensibiliTeas in Glens Falls, NY.  Tea shops are a great place to pick up some herbs!  Some health food stores, too!

I do have to add that I'm so excited to find a use for the coffee grinder we never use...I don't think this baby has seen a bean of coffee since we got it! It works really well. It became a really nice powder, and smelled so good!

5) Add about 8 drops of Lavender Essential Oil















and a splash of real Vanilla Extract













6) Stir, and transfer it to your final jar.
In an alternate batch I did, I just added and mixed in the 1/2 pint jar... If you're winging the measurements, which is a perfectly fine thing to do, it's nice to give yourself the room.  Plus, if you're making it as a gift, and mix it in a seperate jar you can have a 'sample' of the batch for yourself to 'test' and enjoy... for quality reasons of course.  ;-)

7) Seal it up!  If you're giving it as a gift, obviously you'll want to make it look nice.

I like to use the mason jars and add a pre-made square of fabric... cause I'm lazy.  I usually will put a label on the jar too, with instructions.

8) Enjoy!  
I usually just scoop out a little at a time and use it in the shower (with or without a loofah). It leaves a light layer of moisture and smells great! 

NOTE:  THIS LEAVES THE SHOWER/TUB SLICK...  IF YOU DON'T WANT TO CLEAN THE TUB AFTER USING.... AT LEAST WARN OTHERS TO BE CAREFUL OF THE OIL SLICK!

Husbands can get a little grumpy (and possibly hurt) if they are not expecting a slick tub!  Much like Penny in 'The Big Bang Theory' I need to invest in some adhesive ducks! No injuries yet, but there has been some slip sliding.

ANOTHER NOTE:

OMG!  My arm looks huge at that angle!  Like Pooh stuck in a honey jar...

This also works as a nice 'manicure in a jar' recipe, too!  You can add another base oil like Sweet Almond, Apricot, etc...for a bit more moisturizing.  Just pre-moisten hands, rub it in for a good minute or so, then rinse. 

After clean up, I used the leftovers to give my hands a nice scrub and soak... so awesome!

My hands feel so nice and soft while I'm typing this up!

From my research.... it looks like this has a shelf life of about a month, which is why it is nice to keep the batches small. Also, you probably only want to use it 2-3 times a week, since to much 'scrubbing' can irritate your skin.  The Vitamin E and supposedly the Vanilla Extract act as natural preservatives so that should help extend its life, but if something starts to smell bad....times up.  

Tips:
If the coconut oil tries to solidify, just soak the jar in warm water before use.
Because of settling, you should stir it up before using.

Well, that's the blog... hope you enjoyed the visit to Sugar Scrub Land.  Please visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/VeronicaTheLazyDivasQuasiCraftyBlog and give a 'like' for extra recipes and such, or just to help a fledgling page get started.  

THANKS AGAIN FOR READING!!