Homemade Sugar Scrub

One item I love to use to pamper my skin (especially in the winter months) is an exfoliating, moisturizing sugar scrub. I recently stumbled upon a recipe to make your own and was intrigued. There are a lot of different tutorials out there, and I searched around until I found one that I would be able to make with items currently found in my pantry.

So here's the list of ingredients I used:

1. Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
   
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1/4 cup)
   
3. Vanilla Extract (1 tsp) - this is optional and was added solely for the scent
   

That's it. The store-bought scrub that I had been using had a list of over 25 ingredients - most of them I can't spell or even pronounce.

Once I had the recipe set my next challenge was finding the right container to store it all in. I didn't want to use anything glass because I could easily see myself dropping it in the shower. I found a jar of chicken bouillon cubes in the cupboard and thought that would be perfect. It was the right size, plastic, screw on lid, and best of all - free. In fact the only problem was it smelled like chicken. I filled it with a bleach mixture and left it over night, I ran it through the dishwasher twice, I put baking soda in it with crumpled up newspaper and let it sit for a few days. Nothing I tried worked, the lingering chicken aroma would not be defeated. So I gave up. I know when I'm beat.

Once two suitable non-poultry scented containers were located we were ready to go (my sister was visiting and wanted to try it as well). We used a fork to mix everything together right in the containers - quick and easy.

(the jar on the left originally held gum)

And here's a peek on the inside.

It might not be the prettiest thing, but it smelled amazing. I did end up draining the oil off of the top a couple of times as more of it rose to the surface.

I used it today for the first time and immediately after getting out of the shower I wasn't sure about it - my skin felt a little too waxy. However 15 minutes later I changed my mind. My skin is really soft and smooth - even now several hours after. I honestly think I like it better than the store-bought scrub (my sister also gave it her stamp of approval).

The next time I make this I'll use half brown sugar and half white. The brown sugar worked well, but I personally think I would like it a little bit coarser - which is where the white sugar would come in to play.

And as far as the oil is concerned, I'd recommend starting out with two tablespoons and then adding more if needed. I did end up draining quite a bit out of mine. Oh, and just a warning, it will probably make your shower slippery - so be careful!

So that's it - quick, easy, and yummy smelling. It took way longer for me to type this up than to actually make it (I talk a lot though, and type like I talk, so it's totally my own fault).