Posts Tagged ‘homemade face scrub’

Homemade Holiday Gifts: Sugar Scrub

Posted on November 18th, 2011 by Tonia 5 Comments

It’s that time of year when we start thinking about what we’re going to give our loved ones for Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. Mike and I love to give and receive handmade gifts because the thought and time put into them make them so meaningful, they’re always one-of-a-kind, and usually it’s more economical than going to the store and buying something.

I’d love to hear what some of you are working on, and I’ll be sharing my gift ideas as well occasionally between now and Christmas.

First up, Jess asked me to share a recipe for homemade sugar scrub- a perfect gift for anyone! It’s all-natural, luxurious, and makes your body silky smooth by exfoliating and moisturizing.

It’s pretty inexpensive to make, but I would recommend splurging a little on a high-quality olive oil so you get the benefit of the most antioxidants possible. Cheap olive oil is more likely to be rancid, expired, or over-processed. I used Lucero Extra Virgin Olive Oil. They’re family-owned and operated and take the art of making olive oil very seriously.

Use equal parts brown sugar and white sugar {about 1/4 cup each for a 6 oz. jar} Fill to the top with olive oil, covering the sugars by an extra 1/2 inch.

Optional: Add 1-2 Tbs of vanilla extract for flavor, a couple drops of your favorite essential oil {something that you know your recipient is not allergic or sensitive to}, or 2-4 Tbs lemon juice for a scrub that lightens dark/age spots on skin.

Wrap it up pretty with a piece of scrap fabric and a ribbon. Done! Easiest gift ever! Thanks for the idea, Jess!

Natural Beauty II: DIY Facial

Posted on February 24th, 2010 by Tonia 4 Comments

I always get the itch to do a little self-pampering in the early spring.  I especially love facials.  After a long winter of dry-skin, I can’t wait to get my healthy summer-glow back.  But most facial products are chocked-full of nasty ingredients (see Natural Beauty: Avoiding Toxic Make-Up).  Knowing that I’m putting toxins on my face and then washing them down the drain takes all the enjoyment out of the facial for me.  So, I started to explore all-natural options.

…Actually, I have yet to find an all-natural moisturizer that I am completely satisfied with.  Do you have a favorite moisturizer, cleanser, and toner?  Please let me know in the comments section!

Since I don’t have a favorite store-bought moisturizer, I usually use aloe, jojoba-oil, and other homemade options.  I feel that homemade is the best option when it comes to skincare.  It’s the only way to have full control over what exactly is going on your skin.  There are tons of recipes to be found online for homemade face scrubs, masks, toners, and cleansers.

If you have never done this before, you might be surprised by some of the ingredients {or you might want to eat them.}  Turns out that foods like honey, yogurt, bananas, and oatmeal aren’t only good for us on the inside of our bodies…they also do wonders when topically applied.

naturalbeauty1Take some time this week to give yourself a homemade facial.  I found the following recipes on the Epic Beauty Guide, which is one of my favorite blogs.  You will be happy with how your skin looks after you try these:

Sugar Scrub

Removes dead skin cells so mois­ture can pen­e­trate, heals scars and acne, anti-aging.

{INGREDIENTS}

2 Tbsp. organic, cold-pressed olive oil
1 Tbsp. organic, raw honey
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 small, dark glass con­tainer {dark glass pre­vents the oil from oxi­diz­ing and will not leach into your scrub}

{STEPS}

1.  Pour your olive oil into your glass con­tainer. Then pour in your honey. Mix well.

2.  Add the sugar slowly and mix as you go. You may use less or more than 1/4 cup. You should end up with a thick scrub. Add a lit­tle more oil if you feel it’s too thick.

3.  Apply to your freshly washed face, neck, and chest.  Mas­sage the scrub gen­tly.  If you have very sen­si­tive skin, rub the scrub in your hands for a few sec­onds to soften up the gran­ules, then apply.

4.  Rinse off with luke­warm water. Skip the toner (you want to keep the remain­ing olive oil on your skin).

5.  Store the leftovers in a cool, dark place like your med­i­cine cabinet.

Milk & Honey Mask

Mois­tur­iz­ing, anti-aging, evens out skin tone and tex­ture, heals dam­age, soothes inflammation.

{INGREDIENTS}

1 Tbsp. organic milk ~ see if you can get local, raw goat’s milk or cow’s milk; you can also use plain, organic yogurt
1 Tbsp. organic, raw, unfil­tered honey
(Optional) 1 tsp. aloe vera gel ~ see if you can get an aloe plant, then you just break off a “leaf” and squeeze the fresh gel out!

{STEPS}

1.  Mix ingre­di­ents together in a small bowl.

2.  After cleans­ing, apply the mask to your face.

3.  Leave on for 10 min­utes.

4.  Wash off with luke­warm water, and a splash of cool water.

Champagne Toner

Cleans out and closes the pores, evens skin-tone, evaporates oil.

{INGREDIENTS}

A shal­low dish, a mea­sur­ing spoon, a cotton ball, and a bot­tle of champagne.

{STEPS}

1. Pour about 2 Tbsp. of cham­pagne into your dish and drop your cot­ton pad into the cham­pagne. Let the pad soak it up.

2. Wipe the champagne-soaked cot­ton pad all over your face, neck, and chest. It is fine to use around the eyes, just don’t get it in there!

3. Don’t rinse off. Follow-up with a light, nat­ural mois­tur­izer — jojoba or sweet almond oil are great.