Sugar Scrubs

I've been on a sugar-scrub kick.  They're easy, inexpensive and smell incredible.  My friend, S, gave me 2 for Christmas: a Lemon Hand Scrub and a Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub.  She packaged them in canning jars, so they kept well in the shower and by the sink.

I've been using Safflower and Sunflower oil instead of Olive Oil, because they have a less strong scent.  And I totally cheat when making the Lemon Hand Scrub: I mix a whole bottle of Burt's Bees Lemon Body Oil (4 oz.) with 4 oz. of my base oil, and, easy peasy, lemon-scent plus Vitamin E.

A few years ago, Sephora had a Coffee and Cream Body Scrub that's since been discontinued.  I've been thinking about how to make my own, maybe using powdered milk somehow, and I might start with this Mocha Spice Body Scrub recipe.

I made these for Teacher Appreciation gifts for the girls' preschool.  I got some 4oz. Mason jars at Wal-Mart and was able to make all 3 scrubs in about 30 minutes.  Just a little pampering in a jar for people who have made a huge difference in my children's lives.

Skin Serum

Life has been more hectic lately.  In addition to our regularly scheduled craziness, we moved last weekend and are now in recovery mode.  Things went pretty well considering everything we had to juggle, but blogging has been shunted to the bottom of my to-do list.  However, I have a few quiet minutes and I thought I'd write about an easy skin treatment I've been using. Ages ago, I found the Sonya Dakar Omega-3 Repair Complex.  Since I live in an arid climate and have sensitive skin, it was a great addition to my routine.  I have to say, while I liked the product, I wasn't crazy about the price tag.  So, I looked around to see if I could make something similar.  Sweet Almond Oil is great for your skin.  It has Omega 6 and 9, Vitamin E and is easy to find in lots of stores.  I got a 1 oz. glass dropper bottle and filled it most of the way with the Sweet Almond Oil.  Then, I added 20 drops each of Chamomile, Geranium, Franincinse and Calendula essential oils.  I put 3-4 drops on my skin before my moisturizer. I think it's made a difference.  My skin is definitely much softer and clearer.  And, for the price, it's a great solution.  The almond oil is inexpensive, and the essential oils are pricier, but a little of those goes a long way, so you don't have to buy them frequently. More fun skincare posts to come.  As soon as I get a few more boxes unpacked...

Lip Balms and Lotion Bars

I guess it was inevitable that I would try to make my own bath products. It's a little like baking, and, really, for me lip balm is a basic food group. My friend, S, made two kinds of sugar scrubs and a solid lotion bar as Christmas gifts for everyone, which inspired me to scan Pinterest for recipes.

I made two kinds of lip balm and a solid lotion bar. I made the Minty Chocolatey and a variation of the Coco-Rosey lip balms from Crunchy Betty. They were both really easy to make, honestly. Just some melting in a saucepan and pouring into tins. I got the butters and oils at Whole Foods, in the beauty section, and the tins are 2" round wedding favor tins/boxes from Michaels.

I made a Sweet Orange Hibiscus balm instead of the rose version. I steeped hibiscus tea, instead of rosebus, and used sweet orange essential oil. It smells divine, but doesn't have a lot of color from the flowers. I don't know if there's a difference between petals for tea and just dried petals, but I'll definitely try it again to find out.

The lotion bar recipe is from SoapNuts.com.

Basic Lotion Bar

3 oz. beeswax

3 oz. cocoa butter

3 oz. sunflower oil (may substitute sweet almond, jojoba, etc.)

essential oil or fragrance oil

Melt beeswax and cocoa butter together in top of double boiler.

When melted, add sunflower oil and stir until completely mixed.

Stir until mixture cools slightly before adding essential oils, about 1 teaspoon. Pour into molds and let harden.

I added Chamomile and Geranium essential oils and a little bit of Vit. E oil, to make it a little less hard. I just used a mini muffin tin, this recipe filled up about 9 molds. I popped them out and put them in the round tins.

For the lip balms, I got all fancy and made labels with my Silhouette machine and vinyl, bit I ran out of steam for the lotion bars. I may just use the labels that come with the tins and, gasp, actually write the description on them.

I've handed them out to friends and The Bean's teachers, who were very appreciative. In Colorado, especially during the winter, keeping hands and lips moisturized and crack-free is a big chore.