It is starting to smell like the Holidays

This is another one of those smells-so-good-I-want-to-eat-it posts.

I was trying to come up with something I could make for gifts for some of my female family members that I have not already given out a hundred other times.  If you know me, you probably have already been given at least one of the numerous body scrubs I have created over the years (vanilla, peppermint, citrus, margarita, coffee, and so on.)  

While continuing on the body scrub theme, I thought this new scent would appeal to most of the ladies I would be giving this to.  This time, I created a Chocolate-Covered-Peppermint Sugar Scrub.  If you remember, sugar scrubs exfoliate and moisturize the skin.  I love keeping mine in the shower and using it on my legs and arms.  Using a scrub like this always makes my skin feel soooo smooth.

This particular sugar scrub is made with granulated (white) sugar, cocoa powder, soybean oil, and peppermint oil.  Chocolate dipped candy canes, perfect for Christmas giving!  But I did not want to stop there.

I decided I wanted to make this a 2-for-1 gift.  I created this body butter to compliment the sugar scrub.  

Thicker than a regular body lotion, this body butter contains shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and peppermint oil.  It is thick, but absorbed relatively quickly, so it does not leave your skin feeling greasy.  The cocoa butter gives the product a wonderful chocolatey smell and the peppermint is energizing.  

I hope the ladies enjoy these products, if they can keep themselves from trying to eat them first!

Fresh Pear Body Scrub

We picked a ton (figuratively) of pears recently at my uncle's house.  Worried about what to do with them all, I created this sugar scrub.  

After washing, drying, and coring the pears, I blended them into a puree along with some lemon juice.  Add in the sugar:

Keep Stirring:

Ta-da!  Lovely pear scrub.  Who wants to try some?

(Reminds me of applesauce.)  

Another Squeel Worthy Outcome! Mocha Coffee Scrub Bars

I am so, so thrilled with how these turned out.  Full disclosure- I attempted to make these one other time but it was a total failure that I turned into regular ol' coffee sugar scrub in a jar.  But success!  Yahoo!  I am loving these.  

The coffee bean on top is purely decoration.  These have fresh, ground coffee (cheap stuff is okay here), granulated sugar, cocoa butter, a little beeswax (which I did not use the first go 'round), a pinch of cinnamon (leave this out if you are sensitive to cinnamon on your skin), baking soda, and corn starch.  The coffee and sugar both provide the exfoliating features.  The coffee also stimulates the skin and is supposed to help smooth out cellulite prone areas.  The cocoa butter gives a chocolate scent to these and helps to moisturize the skin.  

You use these just as you would other sugar scrubs (see my last post if you are unsure what to do with these.)

Another test kitchen success!

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!

Brown Sugar Lip Scrubs

These all natural lip scrubs contain brown sugar (2 TBS), vanilla (3/4 tsp), honey (1.5 tsp), and coconut oil (1 TBS).  They smell (and taste) delicious!  

Dip a small amount on your finger and rub around your lips for 15 or so seconds to exfoliate and soften.  

Take a blurry cell phone picture of sugar scrub on your lips and try not to let it drop on your shirt.  Side Note:  I love this color and should get it in lipstick.  Wipe scrub off with a wet paper towel, wash cloth, etc.  

Take blurry after picture to show smooth lips.  Yay.  So soft!  

Coffee sugar scrub

The mud-like substance you see above is actually an attempt at homemade coffee sugar scrub.  Like most sugar scrubs, using this product leaves your skin exfoliated, soft, and smooth.  The addition of the coffee is to help with cellulite prone areas.  

This particular product uses ground coffee, coconut oil, sugar, cocoa butter, and a bit of water.  I actually added too much water, which made me package this as container sugar scrub instead of the bar style scrub I was attempting to make.  

I love using these scrubs on my legs pre-shave, but they are great as an all over scrub.  The oils provide long-lasting moisture without feeling greasy or sticky.  

Cross posted to my craft blog