Make It Yourself Monday- Easy Seaweed Scrub

 With winter beginning to appear in our rear-view mirror, it is time to evaluate what this season has done to our skin, repair any damage, and begin preparing for the revealing fashions of Spring and Summer. Today's Make it Yourself Monday project is just the thing to help you on your way to taming harsh, winter skin. 


This recipe is multi-functional. The scrub part gently, but firmly, exfoliates dead skin cells, smoothing the skin, and preparing its surface to more easily accept the nutrients and elements that are needed to replenish those which are lost on a daily basis [by the skin]. 
Since the molecular formation of the human blood cell and seaweed are very similar, nutrients contained in the  seaweed are easily able to be filtered through the skins' pores, and then travel directly into the bloodstream. This means that nutrients and elements such as potassium, magnesium, iodine, protein, copper, vitamins, calcium, and various other amino acids, will be pulled from the seaweed, and transfered into the body, restoring the balance that elements strip away. 


Kelp is the most popular form of seaweed used for healing and cosmetics purposes. Kelp is the common name for the large, leafy, brown algae that grows along the colder coastlines. Fresh kelp is often available in health food stores and many internet vendors, but using the powder, usually by adding water to form a mayonnaise consistency paste, will be just as beneficial as the fresh. 


For this Easy Seaweed Scrub you will need the following


1 lb Sea Salt -  Instead of  ordering this in from a vendor, you can actually get it, very inexpensively, at your local grocery store. Look in the condiment section, it will be in a container similar to your table salt, but with a "sea salt" label. I find that the fine grain works best. 


4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil


1 oz. Shea Butter 


2 oz. Melt and Pour Soap Base - Use whichever type you prefer


1 oz. Seaweed Extract or Seaweed Powder


1 tsp. Fragrance of your choice or 1/2 tsp. your choice of Essential Oil or EO Blend 




To begin, melt the shea butter and the melt and pour soap base in a pan, over low heat. Once melted, remove from the heat and add in the almond oil and salt, mix well, then add the seaweed extract or powder, and lastly, the fragrance of your choice. Make sure that everything is evenly mixed, then pour out into a jar and allow to cool completely. 


Use this scrub as you would any other, making sure to keep the product away from your eyes. Be careful to not to introduce any water into your jar, as water droplets may facilitate microbe growth. In order to prevent this, with a dry hand, remove the entire amount that you will use in one application. Re-seal the lid and put the jar away prior to beginning your scrub, so that you cannot possibly be tempted to reinsert a wet hand into the jar. Wash your face and neck with this scrub, rinse and pat dry, then moisturize as normal.