Who wants to pay upwards of $40 for a body scrub when you can home-brew your own for a couple of bucks? Cheap and cheerfulness aside, making your own skin products also means you can control exactly what’s going onto and into your body – your skin is porous and will soak up anything you slather on it, so needless to say additives and excess chemicals aren’t a great idea. If it’s good enough to eat, you can be sure it’s good enough to put on your skin (and perhaps bake with later, no?).
This is not a lotion as such, but the coconut oil is beautifully moisturizing (and won’t leave a greasy residue), whilst the sugar granules help to exfoliate dry skin. Rosemary extract, when applied topically, helps to strengthen capillaries and has a rejuvenating, antioxidant effect, whilst a little invigorating lemon oil departs freshness. Actually,dietary rosemary (ie not in body scrub form!) and rosemary oil consumed daily can help to block excess oestrogen and harmful oestrogen metabolites by stimulating liver enzymes that inactivate oestrone and oestrodiol (study), so including a good fistful of rosemary in your diet is a good way to support endocrine health.
Feel free to omit the rosemary and lemon and experiment with different culinary herbs and extracts – lemongrass, ginger and sage are an energizing combination, whilst infusing dried lavender or adding a few drops of rosewater or pure vanilla make for dreamy, sweet perfumes. Avoid using peppermint oil (or use sparingly) as it can irritate sensitive skin, and it probably goes without saying that using chilli would be a risky idea unless you have the hide of a rhino or are really into Johnny Cash.
Feel free to omit the rosemary and lemon and experiment with different culinary herbs and extracts – lemongrass, ginger and sage are an energizing combination, whilst infusing dried lavender or adding a few drops of rosewater or pure vanilla make for dreamy, sweet perfumes. Avoid using peppermint oil (or use sparingly) as it can irritate sensitive skin, and it probably goes without saying that using chilli would be a risky idea unless you have the hide of a rhino or are really into Johnny Cash.
Rosemary and lemon sugar body scrub
You’ll need a clean glass mason jar (>300ml capacity) to store the finished product.
1 cup coconut oil*
1.5 cups raw sugar (or other coarse sugar)
4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
The peel of 1 lemon
Sterilize the glass jar by washing, drying, then placing in a 150°C oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely (do not wash the hot jar with cold water as it will shatter).
In a medium saucepan, heat coconut oil, rosemary and lemon peel until the oil has completely melted. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to infuse for 5-10 minutes. Strain out the rosemary leaves and lemon peel and discard, reserving oil. Allow oil to cool slightly for 5 minutes.
Stir sugar through the infused coconut oil, taking care not to add the sugar whilst the oil is still hot (warm is fine). Pour the mixture carefully into prepared mason jar and allow to set at room temperature.
Apply topically as needed as an exfoliating, moisturizing scrub, liberally on dry areas such as elbows and knees and more minimally on face. Allow to soak in before rinsing off excess after use.
Note: coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but I usually find the warmth of my fingers is enough to disperse a little oil and sugar from the jar once set. If you find the mixture too firm, store in the shower to use after you wash (the warm water and residual heat will be enough to melt the oil a little), or substitute a third of the coconut oil in the above recipe for extra virgin olive oil or macadamia oil (the monounsaturated fats will make the mixture a little runnier at room temperature).
*Refined coconut oil is best for this recipe as it has imparts no flavour and is hypoallergenic in comparison to raw, cold-pressed varieties which sensitive individuals may react to.
1 cup coconut oil*
1.5 cups raw sugar (or other coarse sugar)
4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary
The peel of 1 lemon
Sterilize the glass jar by washing, drying, then placing in a 150°C oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely (do not wash the hot jar with cold water as it will shatter).
In a medium saucepan, heat coconut oil, rosemary and lemon peel until the oil has completely melted. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to infuse for 5-10 minutes. Strain out the rosemary leaves and lemon peel and discard, reserving oil. Allow oil to cool slightly for 5 minutes.
Stir sugar through the infused coconut oil, taking care not to add the sugar whilst the oil is still hot (warm is fine). Pour the mixture carefully into prepared mason jar and allow to set at room temperature.
Apply topically as needed as an exfoliating, moisturizing scrub, liberally on dry areas such as elbows and knees and more minimally on face. Allow to soak in before rinsing off excess after use.
Note: coconut oil is solid at room temperature, but I usually find the warmth of my fingers is enough to disperse a little oil and sugar from the jar once set. If you find the mixture too firm, store in the shower to use after you wash (the warm water and residual heat will be enough to melt the oil a little), or substitute a third of the coconut oil in the above recipe for extra virgin olive oil or macadamia oil (the monounsaturated fats will make the mixture a little runnier at room temperature).
*Refined coconut oil is best for this recipe as it has imparts no flavour and is hypoallergenic in comparison to raw, cold-pressed varieties which sensitive individuals may react to.
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