Peppermint Bath Salt Scrub

Not to make anyone nervous, but the holiday season is quickly approaching.  I put together these cute little salt scrubs and think these would be great gifts that you could whip out in about fifteen minutes.  I recommend finding cute containers at the dollar store or your favorite thrift store.  Make sure any container you use is air-tight.  

The above is peppermint essential oil, Epsom Salts, sea salt, and coconut oil.  I added red food coloring to half the mixture and divided into the containers.  If you do this, be sure to push each layer to the sides of the container before adding the next layer.  Of course, you can leave the red food coloring out all together and this will work just perfectly.  (This is great if you seem to continue to run of red food coloring because your child has suddenly discovered that red food coloring on the skin is a great practical joke to make someone think they were recently injured.  *cough*  Not that I know any boys that would do that.)

Interestingly enough (as I thought most people knew already), I have had some family members ask what salt (or sugar) scrubs are for and how to use them.  When you are in the shower, grab a small handful of the mixture and gently rub it into your skin.  The salts (or sugars in sugar scrubs) help exfoliate your skin and remove dry and dead skin.  The coconut oil helps to soften and moisturize the skin.  The peppermint in this recipe is a nice pick-me-up.  After you have gently rubbed the scrub into your skin, rinse off and finish your shower as normal.  Your skin will definitely feel smoother.  

For the record, you do not have to do this in the shower, but I find it less messy if you are scrubbing your legs or other body parts with the scrub and it rinses away easily.  Many gardeners, painters, or others who do a lot of messy work with their hands, like to keep a scrub mixture at the sink and use it to scrub their hands whenever they need to get off some of the tough stuff left behind on their skin.  Please note:  While scrubs can be used on the skin of your face, I do not recommend this particular scrub to be used on that delicate area.  You definitely want something with fine granules, so look for some of my scrubs with brown sugar, baking soda, or other softer exfoliators.  

Whatever your method, do your best to keep water out of the container to avoid contamination by bacteria and other unfriendlies.  As with everything you make from my recipes using all-natural ingredients, I suggest you make these in small batches and store them in a cool, dark place when not in use.  

Let me know if you give these a try!  I would love to know what you think!