Homemade, all natural body and facial scrub

  Have you ever wished that you had the time, and mostly the money, to go to a spa and get pampered?  They claim to have great smelling, skin refreshers that will make you feel like a million bucks.  Honestly, in my 40+ years I have never been to a spa for a body scrub, nor a facial.  I know, you might be thinking that I am missing out, and perhaps I am.  However, I just haven't ever fit a spa day into my budget.(Now, I do like to budget for a massage a few times a year :)
  For the last 20 odd years, I have made a few scrubs that I know you will like.  I know this because they are fun to make, are inexpensive, and smell heavenly!  I like to ask my sister-in-law for baby food jars these days, as I no longer have them around.  I used to make them in pint jars, or recycled pickle jars, but then I learned that a smaller amount does better in the shower.
  A smaller amount means that you will have it in there for a shorter amount of time, thus not allowing as much shower water to come in contact with it.  It's best to try and not drip in the jar as you scoop it out, because your shower water can always add some unwanted organisms.
  I must share another tidbit with you regarding the sweet smelling scrubs.  About 5 years ago, I went to take my morning shower and there was a line of tiny black ants from the window all the way across the room and heading down into the shower.  I thought "what in the world are these buggers doing"?  Well, I hadn't capped my scrub, and they smelled it!  I couldn't believe it, but they smelled sugar.  So, keep it capped :)

  I don't have step by step pictures because I made enough last time to last another month or so.  But it is so easy, you can make it in a matter of minutes.  You will need:

• a mixing bowl, sanitized jars, and I use chopsticks to stir
• I eyeball it, but I will give the approximate measurements: to make 2 medium sized baby jars
• 1/2 cup-ish of raw, organic turbinado sugar
• 1 Tbl-ish Celtic sea salt
• 2-3 Tbl Coconut oil
• 1-2 Tbl EVOO
• 1/2 tsp.-ish of vanilla extract ( I like to make my own with vanilla beans in vodka, just like a tincture)
• 11-13 drops of Lavender essential oil

That's it!  You mix it well, put it into the jars and enjoy!  You get a marvelous exfoliation, and then a luxurious moisturizing.  Your skin feels sooooo soft and you smell like a warm cookie!  This is my favorite blend, but I also like citrus in the summer in which I substitute EVOO that I have infused with organic orange peels for 3-4 weeks (use it in place of the regular EVOO and the coconut oil, measure accordingly).

The jar on the left is body butter, that will be another post :)

  In the fall, I love to use the above recipe, minus the lavender, and substitute about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder.  (I tried it with cinnamon essential oil, but it was way too strong for me, even in small doses).

  **Now for the facial scrub, that is even easier**

I make 2-3 applications at a time, as I only do this twice a week.  I used it more often when I was younger, but with aging, comes finicky skin, so had to ease up a bit.  All you need is:

• 2-3 Tbl baking soda
• choose 4-6 drops of one of these:  Lavender for calming the skin or Ginger for addressing dark spots
• Mix the soda and the oil of choice, scoop out about a TBl into your palm and add a small amount of water to make a paste, apply it to your damp skin, and gently rub.  You won't believe how smooth your skin will feel after!

Here is the link for my homemade toner http://newbeginningsglutenfreeherbal.blogspot.com/2013/07/sun-infused-all-natural-facial-skin.html

Please let me know if you have other favorite ways to pamper your skin!  Have fun!