As the first month of 2016 winds down, we luvvies here in central and eastern Arkansas have been treated to several inches of snow. I was glad for it, (hey, who doesn't love a snow day?), but also dreading the drying-out of my skin. By mid-January I was already feeling kind of scaly, and the blustery arrival of last Thursday's snow left me in desperate need of a full-body exfoliation. But lest we forget-- I've been snowed in. Time to DIY the easiest body scrub EVER.
So of course I went to my pantry and -- after digging through the cookies, chips, and other snow day essentials -- grabbed the holy grail of all skin-savers: coconut oil. Duh.
The magic ratio for any at-home scrub or exfoliator is
20% oil to 80% scrubby material, which in this case is brown sugar. To make it smell even yummier, I also grabbed my vanilla extract.
Start by scooping out your brown sugar into a bowl. I used 3 packed tablespoons.
Next add one heaping scoop of coconut oil. (ICYMI: coconut oil is pretty much the nectar of the gods. You can cook with it, put it in your coffee, use it as a natural moisturizer for skin,
lips, and
hair, make dog treats out of it, apply it over makeup as a highlighter... the list goes on and on.)
The coconut oil and brown sugar should already be smelling pretty sweet together, but the added drops of vanilla make this DIY scrub a total joy to use in the shower. Plus it leaves a light vanilla-sugar fragrance on your skin. Only add a couple of small drops, though; too much vanilla extract will mess with the consistency of your scrub.
Now use a fork (or your fingers) to combine the mixture. Because the coconut oil is essentially solid, you will most likely still have small beads of white oil mixed in with your brown sugar. Do not worry about this-- when we heat the mixture up, those beads will melt into the sugar to create the perfect scrub consistency.
Go ahead and move your scrub into a microwave-safe container (one with a lid, so you can seal up your mixture in between uses!).
You could use the scrub as-is: the larger granules of brown sugar will make for a more intense exfoliation.
Or you can pop your mixture into the microwave (lid OFF) for around 15 seconds to fully combine the oil with the granules of sugar and also soften the brown sugar
just enough.
The end result is not only the easiest DIY scrub ever, but also the most effective for dry, patchy wintertime skin.
I stand by this DIY, luvvies! I was dealing with some grody dry patches on my arms and legs, and this scrub not only smoothed out those dry spots, but also left my skin feeling super hydrated and glowy. Thanks, coconut oil!
Have a great week, luvvies-- and get ready for all the exciting things we have cookin' up for February!
