Homemade Body Scrubs

I promised an article about a non-edible way to use your pumpkin pie spice so here it is… homemade body scrubs!


Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

The DIY monster in me came alive again last week when I found a beautiful site featuring an article on making your own pumpkin spice sugar scrub. I remembered purchasing a similar body scrub for my sister a few years ago from Bath & Body Works that was priced between $15-$20! Knowing how much money I was about to save, I very quickly whipped up a batch, transferred it to a repurposed container, and labeled it with a cute tag.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub {Easy Thanksgiving Hostess Gifts}

Since the Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub & Brown Sugar Body Scrub were a hit in the spring, I thought I would share a new festive mix that would make a great hostess gift for the upcoming holiday. These are extremely easy to put together and you can even make larger batches to finish off a few gifts all at once.




Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub
{use as a hand scrub or body scrub}

2 Cups of Brown Sugar
1 Cup of Granulated Sugar
2 Tablespoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Cup + 1 Tablespoon of Sunflower, Safflower, or Vegetable Oil




Mix Brown Sugar, Granulated Sugar and Pumpkin Pie Spice together, making sure there are no lumps.



Add in oil and mix well. I like to use Sunflower Oil that can be found in most health food stores. Sunflower oil, like other oils, can retain moisture in the skin. {Safflower Oil is very similar to the Sunflower} Alternately, you can use plain Vegetable Oil as well.

{I would omit using Olive Oil wth this one as the scent can be a little too powerful to mix with the warm scents of the pumpkin and brown sugar}

These keep well in a sealed, sanitized glass container for months.
Just keep out of direct sunlight; as you would store the oil itself.




Labels
{they are sized to fit a 1 1/2 inch punch or they can simply be hand cut}




Friday is here and I'm ready for the weekend...Are you? ~ Enjoy!

My mom was the lucky recipient of this fabulous spicy scrub. It smells good enough to spread on a slice of homemade bread, but DON’T – it’s not meant for consumption!



Moisturize and exfoliate

With cold weather approaching this moisturizing and exfoliating scrub will make a killer gift this winter. It was so simple that I began to experiment using different sugars, Epsom salt, a variety of carrier oils, and essential oils. Feel free to get creative and fancy when making these scrubs; here is the basic recipe I used to make a few batches:


Basic body scrub recipe

• 2 cups Epsom salts or sugar (use organic cane sugar, brown sugar, or regular granulated)

• 1 cup oil (grapeseed, olive, sweet almond, sesame, and safflower are all good – you can even use vegetable oil)

• 8-10 drops essential oil (your favorite)

Combine Epsom salts or sugar with carrier oil in a bowl and stir. Add essential oil and any other fun additions and mix well. Spoon into a decorative container or canning jar with a tight-fitting lid.

I used this recipe to make a Warm Vanilla Sugar Scrub (use vanilla essential oil or 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract), Lemon Salt Scrub, and a Grapefruit Mint Salt Scrub. I can’t wait to make several more batches and experiment with some more scents including peppermint, lemon-eucalyptus, and sweet orange-lavender.


Tips & Ideas

The yummy concoctions you can create are limitless. Remember that olive oil is not the best carrier oil for some body scrub formulas because it has a strong fragrance. If you think olive oil will be overpowering in a delicately scented body scrub, choose one of the other carrier oils.

I also love being able to use different sugars or Epsom salts – mainly because I had a huge bag of Epsom salts under the bathroom sink that was not getting used. (My organic cane sugar is not cheap!)

Choose sugar for a fine grain, and Epsom salts for a larger grain body scrub.

I even pulled out my craft supplies to create some fancy tags for my hand-crafted body scrubs. The oil will separate in some of these scrubs, so it’s a good idea to attach a small spoon if giving away as a gift.



In addition to my mom receiving one of these as a “just because” gift, I was able to give two body scrubs as birthday gifts this week, and another as a housewarming gift! I think these luxurious body scrubs will make the PERFECT holiday gift for friends and family. They are so simple to throw together, make a beautiful addition to a gift basket, and are great as a stand-alone gift.

Give hand scrubs to a hard working friend to keep by the kitchen sink or a pampering body scrub to use in the bathtub. Mix up a few of these this holiday season to give away as last minute I-didn’t-know-you-were-getting-me-something gifts. You will look ultra-prepared, crafty, AND thoughtful!

POSTED BYSTEPHANIE LYNN @UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING


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