Homemade Body Scrubs

It always amazes me how expensive body scrubs are if you purchase them premade. It's so easy to make your own salt or sugar scrubs and there are a number of free recipes to be found online. If you are looking for a great exfoliator to help keep your skin smooth or prevent ingrown hairs, then look no further than your kitchen cabinet.

For a super simple scrub, grab a handful of either table salt or white sugar and add enough olive oil to make a paste and rub away. Your skin will be instantly smooth and you'll have spent pennies in the process. If you want to get fancy you can add all manner of higher end oils like almond or coconut oil instead of the olive oil. Add in essential oils for fragrance and you'll be competing with those $20 jars of scrubs in no time flat.

Here's one of my favorite scrubs that doubles as a great gift to give away during the holidays:

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Crushed candy canes are really just sugar right? So, why not add them to a sugar scrub to make a super festive beauty treat?

Ingredients
1 cup granulated white sugar
6 candy canes, finely crushed almost into a powder
1/2 cup sweet almond oil (or olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional - used as a preservative)
1 teaspoon cocoa butter (optional)
6 drops peppermint essential oil

Instructions
Mix all ingredients until well blended. Place into a clean glass jar with a tight lid and add a fancy label. I highly recommend the 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars and wide mouth plastic storage lids.