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Step out of the shower feeling luxuriously soft and smooth with this beautiful homemade sugar body scrub. A fabulous gift for loved ones and super easy to whip up. You'll never need to buy a store bought body scrub again.
Geranium essential oil is known for its ability to promote beautiful, clear, radiant and healthy skin. It was even used by the ancient Egyptians for that purpose. The herbaceous, floral sweet smell is said to help calm nerves and lessen feelings of stress. In fact one study found that inhaling geranium essential oil improved anxiety in pregnant mums in the first stages of labour. Another study found it was helpful for those with anxiety while being hospitalized after a heart attack!
There are also studies that suggest that the constituents of geranium essential oil may be anti-inflammatory or anti-fungal.
It is considered to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing which means it is a great oil to be applied topically and used in skin and hair care products.
Rub this scrub all over your body before jumping in the shower if you want a really deep cleanse or for a more gentle experience, once wet, step out of the shower spray to apply all over your body and then rinse off. Pat your body dry, trying to leave some of the moisturizing oils on the skin.
There are a few optional ingredients as the basic scrub consists of some moisturizing oil, some sugar and your essential oil. Yip, it's that simple. However the other products definitely add some benefits and make it that little bit more special.
Geranium Sugar Body Scrub
Makes one 250ml jar.
1 C sugar (any type will do but organic fair trade would be even better!)
1/4 C extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil or jojoba oil
12 drops of pure geranium essential oil (I use DoTERRA essential oils)
Optional, but recommended:
1 t shea butter (helps the moisturizing ability)
1/8 t vitamin E (liquid or buy capsules and squeeze out). (Is a natural antioxidant and preservative. It is also useful for skin protection and healing).
1 t blackcurrent powder (Gives it a deep purple colour but is also high in vitamin C and antioxidants).
Combine together in a clean (preferably sterilized) glass bowl. Stir well.
Place in a sterilized glass jar with a wide opening so you can easily access the scrub.
If a gift, jazz it up with a bow and gift tag.
TIPS:
A great way to sterilize the glass jars and bowl is to pop them in the dishwasher without any powder under a short but high heat cycle.
Double, triple, quadruple the recipe if you are making some to give as gifts.
I find this scrub lasts me around 3-4 weeks using every second day.
To prolong the life of this scrub, try your best to keep water out of the scrub.
The initial start up cost may seem a little expensive (especially with the deluxe version), but if you consider how many you can make, and the fact that similar scrubs cost around $20-30 NZ in stores, homemade is still better value. Plus there are no nasty ingredients. It is so natural, you could almost eat it! (You actually could, if you left out the shea butter and jojoba oil!)
If the oil separates and sits across the top of the sugar, just give it a little mix with a spoon. In a hot shower the coconut oil will melt if it has hardened due to the cold.
You can play with other essential oils for a different experience. Wild orange and peppermint is refreshing and energizing. Add a dash of turmeric for a bit of colour.
You can pick up the perfect sized 250 gm glass cosmetic pots from www.arthurholmes.co.nz for around $3 per pot.
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