Make Your Own Scrubs
Author: Kelly Walsh
If you are one of those Martha Stewart types and want to ?create? their own bath products we can help steer you in the right direction. Try some of these homemade recipes for salt scrubs, sugar scrubs, facial masks, and much more.
Anyone can make a sugar scrub, facial mask or salt scrub, but it depends on what you want your mind and body to get out of the product. It is important to remember that there are different properties to different oils and ingredients. Here is some information and a few recipes to get those Martha Stewart Ladies started in the right direction.
Carrier oils also referred to as base oils or vegetable oils are used to dilute essential oils before applying to the skin. They ?carry? the essential oil onto the skin. Different carrier oils offer different properties and the choice of carrier oil can depend on the therapeutic benefit being sought.
Here are some of the top oils and their profiles to get you started on your path to creating a Great product.
Almond, Sweet
- Botanical Name: Prunus amygdalus var. dulcus
- Aroma: Light, slightly sweet and nutty.
- Texture: Slightly oily, leaves a slight oily feeling on the skin. Absorbs semi-quickly.
- Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow.
Apricot Kernel
- Botanical Name: Prunus armeniaca
- Aroma: Faint
- Texture: Somewhat oily, absorbs semi-quickly.
- Color: Virtually clear with a tinge of yellow.
- Notes: Great massage oil.
Avocado
- Botanical Name: Persea americana
- Aroma: Medium. Somewhat sweet, fatty and nutty in aroma.
- Texture: Thick, leaves a fatty, almost waxy feel to the skin.
- Color: Deep olive green.
- Notes: Strong oil and can over power if too much is added in a blend. Not good to use on its own since it is too thick.
Cocoa Butter
- Botanical Name: Theobroma cacao
- Aroma: Unrefined cocoa butter is rich and very sweet . It has a chocolaty, "cocoa" aroma. The cocoa aroma is less noticeable in refined cocoa butter.
- Texture: Solid and hard to work with at room temperate. Breaks into pieces.
- Color: Yellowish tan.
- Notes: Great for lotions and creams. Needs to be blended with other ingredients to be workable.
Evening Primrose
- Botanical Name: Oenothera biennis
- Aroma: Light and sweet
- Texture: Thin, leaves only a trace of oiliness on the skin.
- Color: Medium yellow.
- Notes: Evening Primrose is also said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid quickly.
Grapeseed
- Botanical Name: Vitus vinifera
- Aroma: Light, slightly sweet with a hint of a nutty aroma.
- Texture: Thin but leaves a glossy film on the skin.
- Color: Virtually clear, has an almost unnoticeable tinge of yellow/green.
- Notes: Great blending oil.
Hazelnut
- Botanical Name: Corylus avellana
- Aroma: Light, nutty, somewhat sweet.
- Texture: Thin and only leaves a slightly oily film on the skin.
- Color: Light yellow.
- Notes: Mild oil for those with oily skin.
Jojoba
- Botanical Name: Simmondsia chinensis
- Aroma: Light to medium in aroma, not as sweet as the nut oils. The aroma is distinct but pleasant.
- Texture: Light and silky. Absorbs well.
- Color: Yellow.
- Notes:It is a somewhat pricier oil and is frequently blended in a small dilution (10%) with other oils. It has a very long shelf-life.
Kukui
- Botanical Name: Aleurites moluccana
- Aroma: Light, sweet, pleasant, nutty.
- Texture: Thin. Absorbs well, leaving only a trace oily feeling on the skin.
- Color: Clear with a hint of yellow.
- Notes: Great for many skin conditions, digestion problems, and stretch marks. Also good nutrient for cuticles too!
Macadamia Nut
- Botanical Name: Macadamia integrifolia
- Aroma: More fragrant than sweet almond and some of the other nut oils, it is very sweet, fatty and nutty in aroma.
- Texture: Thick and leaves an oily film on the skin.
- Color: Clear with a tinge of yellow.
- Notes: Thick oil, must be blended.
- Olive
- Botanical Name: Olea europaea
- Aroma: Typical aroma of olive oil used in cooking (smells somewhat like olives).
- Texture: Heavy and rather oily.
- Color: Light to medium green.
- Notes: Thick oil, must be blended.
Pecan
- Botanical Name: Carya pecan
- Aroma: Extremely light with a hint of a fatty, nutty aroma.
- Texture: Medium thickness, leaves a slight oily film on the skin.
- Color: Virtually clear.
- Notes: It is said that it goes rancid somewhat quickly. I have used only one bottle of Pecan oil and did not discover any problems with rancidity when stored in an amber bottle in a cool dark area during my use of the oil over about 4-6 months.
Rose Hip
- Botanical Name: Rosa mosqueta
- Aroma: Mild and perhaps earthy aroma.
- Texture: Light and leaves only a hint of oil on the skin.
- Color: Virtually clear.
- Notes: It is said to be excellent in treating many skin conditions. It is expensive and is usually blended in a small (often 10%) dilution with other carrier oils. It goes rancid rather quickly.
Important Note: This information is not considered complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sugar Scrub Recipe:
- 1/10 Cup Kukui Nut Oil
- 1/10 Cup Apricot Kernal Oil
- 1/8 Cup Coconut Oil
- 3/4 Cup Turbinado Sugar
- 10-15 drops of essential oil
- Mix oils together, add essential oil and mix well, then add sugar.
- Salt Scrub:
- ¾ Cup Dead Sea Salt
- ¼ Cup almond oil
- ¼ Cup Coconut Oil
- 10-15 drops of essential oil.
- Mix oils together, add essential oil and mix well, then add salt.
Oatmeal Mask in a Minute
Add just enough warm water to loose oatmeal to form a paste and then massage into your skin for a quick exfoliating facial. Rinse off and your skin will be soft and free of those nasty dead skin cells that results in muddy looking skin.
Yogurt Mask
- 1 tsp plain yogurt (I chose Balkan Style)
- the juice of 1/4 of an orange.
Stir to mix and then dip fingers into mixture and smooth onto face. The sensation is both cool and relaxing. Leave on for a five minutes and then rinse. If you are feeling sluggish, this is the perfect mask for you. The yogurt will cleanse and nourish.
