Body Scrubs are not just great for removing dead skin cells, but they also help promote circulation as they invigorate and rejuvenate the skin. The abrasive action that occurs when the scrubbing agent meets the skin, removes the dead skin cells and open the pores. The various oils that are added to scrubs offer nourishment for the skin as they moisturizing it.
Any carrier oil will work in any scrub recipe, so feel free to change out according to what you have in the cabinet. You should, however, study the oils enough to know which ones will work best for your skin type. You may want to review some of the past posts on carrier oils to refresh your memory.
Many things make good exfoliation agents. You can use salt, corn meal, almond meal, ground walnut shells, jojoba spheres, bamboo powder, apricot seed powder, sesame seeds, and on and on. You will want to do a test with your "scrubbing" agent though, especially if you are unfamiliar with it. You may be surprised at how rough a powder feels when they are used in a scrub. Once you become accustomed to performing routine exfoliation your skin will roughen up a bit and you will be able to exfoliate longer, harder, and with agents that you cannot tolerate when you first begin.
To make Ginger Lime Salt Scrub, you will need;
1/2 cup of sea salts (fine or small)
1/2 cup grapeseed oil (or sub as desired)
1/4 cup fresh ginger root
3-5 drops lime essential oil
To begin with, pulverize the fresh ginger (find this in the grocery store produce section) in a blender. Then mix the salt and the ginger together in a bowl. Make sure that you don't use any copper, aluminum, cast iron or teflon coated bowls or utensils. You don't want any chemical reactions while you are mixing.
When it is well mixed and appears to be a consistent blend, add the grapeseed oil, or whatever you are substituting. Once that is mixed well, add the essential oil. If you want, you can drop the lime EO to 3 drops and bolster with 2-3 drops of ginger EO. Once mixed well, place into an airtight container. Some prefer glass jars, but you can use a PET jar with a tight fitting lid and not have to worry about dropping it! To use it, just scoop out a small amount, place it on your palm, and begin rubbing gently, in a circular pattern, over your skin. Make sure that you apply gentle, even pressure. You can do your hands, feet, heels, elbows and any rough patches of skin, anywhere else. Just don't use on skin that is cut, infected, or irritated, or you will be sorry! Once you are finished, rinse off thoroughly with warm water and pat dry. While the oil in the recipe will give you some moisturizing, it is possible that you will need extra conditioning. If that is the case, apply lotion, cream, butter, oil, or whatever you use when you are finished exfoliating.
Remember that you need to begin slowly, you don't want to exert too much force, or rub too long. You do not want to tear or abrade the skin the skin, you just want to clean it. Then, as your skin becomes accustom to the treatment, you will be able to increase the amount of time that you spend performing the treatment, as well as the amount of pressure or force that is applied doing the treatment.
Since there is not any preservative in this recipe, make sure that you use a scoop or spoon to get the product out of the jar and then recap immediately. Never use your fingers to scoop out the product, as this could introduce microbes and contaminate the entire jar. Do not store or use the open jar anywhere near water. Water, even a small drop, can seriously contaminate your product in a very short period of time. So take extra care to prevent this possibility from occurring.
You can make all sorts of scrubs, just use your nose and your imagination to blend what you like!
Use 3 cups of sea salts (fine) and whatever oil or oils you want. Try mixing 1/2 cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup of sweet almond oil. When it's well blended, add in your EO (s). Try 2-3 drops of tea tree essential oil, 2-3 drops of Siberian fir essential oil, 4-5 drops of rosemary essential oil, and 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil. OR any combination you can think of. Try a new one every day!
Showing posts with label face scrub. Show all posts
Showing posts with label face scrub. Show all posts
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.
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.
More Rubs, More Scrubs
As you have probably figured out by now, you can use a great many different kitchen and grocery products in your health and beauty regimen. Oatmeal, sugar, ground nuts, and ground citrus peel all make gently abrasive ingredients for scrubs. Experiment to see which feels best for you and which best suits your skin type. When in doubt go with oatmeal, as it is very gentle and helps to soften the skin while gently and lightly abrading, as well as being an agent that helps to reduce itching.
As for the carrier oils, which you use can depend upon availability (just about everyone keeps olive oil in the kitchen) or you can go with one that is perfect for your skin type and/or need.
OILS
Apricot kernal oil rehydrates the skin and is great for facial scrubs or massages. It restores the skin's glow and softens the skin. It is a light oil and is great for mixing with heavier oils.
Avocado oil is great for very dry skin. Even though it is very heavy, it is easily absorbed into the skin, so use this if you have skin that has a hard time accepting oils. This oil is very nourishing, but the shelf life is short.
Hazelnut oil is easily absorbed by the skin and is great for those with oily skin.
Jojoba oil is on the expensive side, but it is very similar to the oil our own skin produces so it is easily absorbed. Another plus is that it naturally contains vitamin E, which helps to preserve it and give it a longer shelf life than many other oils.
Olive oil (extra virgin) is very heavy so you may choose to mix it with a lighter oil. It is disinfecting and healing, and it is great for chapped, dry skin.
Safflower oil is light and very easily absorbed by the skin.
Sunflower oil is a fairly light oil. It helps the skin to maintain its natural level of moisture while softening it.
Sweet almond oil is a mid weight oil and a great all purpose oil. It can be used by all skin types and it relieves itchiness.
CREAMY FACIAL
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 cup honey
4 Tbs. powdered milk
2 drops rosemary EO
Heat the honey, remove from heat, then add in the mayo, powdered milk and rosemary essential oil. Stir well. When cool enough apply to face and neck. Leave on for 15 minutes then rinse off with tepid water and pat skin dry. This must be used when and as it is made.
CORNMEAL FACE SCRUB
5 drops Pink Grapefruit EO
5 drops Patchouli EO
5 drops Lavender EO
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Mix ingredients together and refrigerate for a couple of hours before using. Store any unused portions in the refrigerator.
GINGER BODY SCRUB
2 drops Ginger EO
4 drops Peppermint EO
3 drops Rosemary EO
1/3 Cup your choice of a Carrier Oil (like sweet almond oil)
1/4 Cup Cornmeal
1/4 Cup Dead Sea or European Spa salts
Mix the salt and the cornmeal together. Warm the carrier oil, mix in the essential oils, then mix all with dry ingredients. Use this in the shower or standing in the tub, but be cautious to not slip in the oil. Apply in circular motions, working from the extremities inward, working towards the center of the body and the heart. Rinse with warm water, then pat dry. This, as with most scrubs, is best used in the mornings because of its invigorating effects.
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