Making an exfoliating body scrub is easy and takes very little time – but has fantastic results. Removing the dead skin cells from your body leaves it glowing; and many of the ingredients in the scrubs outlined below will leave your skin feeling soft and supple. These scrubs can be shared with family and friends in the form of a small gift – by packaging the salts in a bottle with a ribbon, for example.
Sugar Scrub Recipe: Avocado and Almond
Ingredients for this scrub include raw avocado, and would therefore not make an ideal gift as it could not be stored. In order to present this as a gift, one could put together the dry ingredients (and the oil) with instructions on how to add the avocado at a later stage.
- 1 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons of mashed avocado
- Dash of apricot oil (not too much, as the mixture will dissolve if too wet)
- Dash of honey
Place the sugar into a bowl, adding the avocado and apricot oil slowly. Keep an eye on the consistency as you add them to the sugar – avoiding that it should it be too thin and watery. Add the honey; and should you wish to add a different scent, a drop or two of an essential oil such as vanilla or lavender can be added. Store the mixture in a container with a lid that seals well.
Salt Scrub Recipe: Salt and Olive Oil
- 1 Cup of sea salt (or any coarse salt)
- Olive Oil
With the above combination, any other variations can be made to personalize the scrub, including:
Lavender
- Lavender essential oil
- Lavender leaves and flowers
Vanilla
- Vanilla essential oil
- Vanilla pods (which are stored in the scrub as an aesthetic – especially with gifts – but are not used directly on the skin)
Lemon
- Lemon essential oil
- Whole lemons (which are chopped in half and used to apply the scrub to stubborn cellulite areas such as the thighs)
Preparation of Scrubs
Place the sea salt in a mixing bowl, and slowly add olive oil until the scrub reaches a consistency that you are happy with (moist but not soaking). For the lavender mixture, add a few drops of essential oil and the whole lavender leaves and flowers, and mix well. For the vanilla and lemon mixtures, add the essential oil and mix well. Place the pods into the presentation bottle; and should the lemon mix be presented as a gift, recommend the use of a whole lemon. Store the mixture in a container with a lid that seals well.
All of the above mentioned scrubs are also perfect to use on your hands – leaving them soft, smooth and moisturized.
Tami Struwig - Tami is a freelance writer who currently writes from her home in South Africa, while her two Labradors lounge at her feet. She is ...
