henry happened: How to Make Your Own Sugar Scrub

I've discovered a new passion - making my own homemade beauty recipes. I can spend time in the kitchen using ingredients that are normally off limits and not worry about calories!

Flipping through a magazine (another obsession) I spotted a gorgeous scrub - for $40! Gulp. Turns out making this stuff at home is uber easy - and cheap. Just follow a basic recipe and add in whatever sounds good to you.

Exfoliation has never been top of mind in my beauty regimen until a recent facial made me a convert. I've been using an easy facial concoction that I'll share soon. But trust me, your skin will feel amazing after using this!

Basic Recipe

1 cup sugar - you can use regular sugar, brown sugar or cane sugar. Epsom salt also works.

1/2 cup oil - again, pretty much any kind goes: olive, almond, sesame, safflower, vegetable, etc. I find the smell of olive oil overpowering so went with sesame oil.

Put the sugar in a bowl and add oil slowly, stirring as you go. You want a consistency you can scoop with your hand so don't let the texture to get too runny. Store in a container with tight fitting lid. You can easily double this recipe if you want to keep it on hand for awhile.

Citrus Vanilla Recipe

Add zest of 2 lemons

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Stir well to combine.

6 More Ideas

I perused the skin care aisle at Walgreens and came up with a few more fun ideas.

Coconut Ginger: Use coconut oil for the base and add grated ginger.
Orange Ginger: Add orange zest and grated ginger for an energy boost.
Cucumber & Melon: Puree cucumber and melon together and add to mixture.
Brown sugar & Warm honey: Replace the oil with 1/4 cup of warm honey. Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to get the right consistency.
Lavender & Chamomile: Add a few drops of lavender essential oil along with chamomile essential oil for a soothing scrub before bedtime.
Peppermint & Eucalyptus: Add a few drops of both essential oils for a great stress reliever.