DIY Body Scrub for Dry, Itchy Skin
It’s time for a DIY body scrub! It’s the ultimate at-home indulgence for tired parents.
The holidays are a hectic time. For most of us parents, self-care is a challenge even during optimal times. But during the holidays? Forget it.
The season also usually brings on that dry, itchy skin that has a special way of irritating right at the time you don’t have time to deal with it!!
Below is a little idea I have that can help bring the focus back a little bit to yourself and add a little boost of easy DIY beauty self-care to you now that the holidays are over.
Body Scrub Basics
Scrubs are something that you really don’t need to buy. It’s really no secret what’s in them, and in their simplest form they have two ingredients: an oil part and a scrubby part, typically either salt or sugar.
Even advanced scrubs take just a minute to concoct. You probably already have everything you need in the kitchen or you can easily get ingredients next time you pop over to the grocery store.
Benefits of Body Scrubs
A good morning scrub can be a great way to wake up your body and start the day with your skin feeling exfoliated, moisturized and nourished.
Possibly only second to dry-brushing (we’ll talk about that another day), scrubs are also a great DIY way to stimulate the lymph system and keep the crap from getting too comfy in the far corners of your body.
I keep everything I need on hand in the bathroom to mix up a quick scrub when the mood strikes. Half of the battle here is being ready when you find a small moment to add this to your day.
Put your favorite ingredients and everything you need into a little basket, including a small mixing bowl and a mixing tool, fork, spoon, chopstick, toothbrush, whatever you’ve got handy. Once you have the ingredients and tools, a basic scrub is super easy, half scrubby part and half oil… That’s it!
Mix the ingredients, scrub down, then rinse and wash the mixing bowl using whatever soap is in the shower so it’s ready to go for the next time.**
So many scrubs to choose from! There are as many combinations of scrubs as you can think of. Below are a few good options to get you started.
OIL PART
For a made-to-order “scrub buffet,” I like to stick to oils that are already liquid at room temp. You can pre-make small batches of scrubs using butters and there are a bazillion recipes online for those, but that requires a little business in the kitchen and shelf-life concerns**, so I like to save that time and keep this a bathroom-only activity.
Coconut Oil:
For a made-to-order scrub I prefer to buy fractionated coconut oil because it’s already liquid at room temp. You can always toss it in the microwave for a few seconds to make mixing it all together quicker, but again, I try not to leave my bathroom while I do this, but ya know, you do you!
Coconut oil… I mean, what else can I say about the benefits of coconut oil— rich in nourishing fatty acids and vitamins, this super moisturizing, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-aging, sun-protecting super oil is one you almost can’t go wrong with. Good for your body, inside and out.
Almond Oil:
Almond oil easily absorbs into the skin, so if you want a less heavy feeling oil for your scrub, this is a good choice. It’s also a great choice for blending with other oils.
High in vitamins A & E, it nourishes skin while pulling dirt and gunk out of your skin and helping to move along dead skin, so it’s really good for upping the scrubaliciousness of your scrub. (Yes, I made that word up and I like it.)
Jojoba Oil:
This one is great for putting back all the good stuff that our skin needs which gets stripped away every time we cleanse our skin. Our skin naturally produces this ‘sebum’ and it’s a good thing.
Unfortunately, when we clean away the dirt we lose this necessary layer as well. Jojoba oils help build that layer back up and prevent the skin from drying out as a result of cleansing.
Olive Oil:
Known to be another highly moisturizing oil and a great anti-oxidant, olive oil is a great option for a scrub. Olive oil is high in properties that heal and protect the skin and one of the cheaper, more readily accessible oils. It’s also a great swap for traditional shaving creams, so a good thing to have hanging out in your bathroom for a couple reasons!
SCRUBBY PART
Salt:
Anything with a coarse grain works, but for extra mineral benefits go with Dead Sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. They are packed with lots of good stuff, not the least of which is magnesium, which we all need more of.
Certain salts can draw toxins out through the skin and help with a long list of health issues, but to be honest the amount of time these are on the skin while scrubbing these benefits are limited.
What you’re really getting here is great exfoliating and lymph system stimulation.
If you want to maximize mineral intake and health benefits though, do a bath soak right after—that’ll do it.
Sugar:
Generally speaking, sugar is less abrasive than salt, so if your skin is sensitive this might be a better option.
Turbinado sugar is a great option, so is regular old brown sugar. These both have slightly larger crystals and are softer, too, therefore gentler than regular white sugar. But really any sugar will do.
Sugar also has humectant properties, which is fancy talk for it helps the skin draw in and retain moisture. So if your skin is feeling dry, sugar might be a better option that day.
BONUS INGREDIENTS
Essential Oils:
This is so personal and really depends on the time of day you are doing your scrubbing.
Lavender, tea tree, rosemary, thyme, cypress, rose, rose geranium, neroli, frankincense, lemon and orange are all favorites of mine to use in scrubs.
The one thing I will say if you are doing this in the morning is to caution against using some citrus oils. Full therapeutic-grade cold-pressed citrus oils (Bergamot, orange, lemon, lime, etc.) can accelerate the effects of the sun and you can end up with a bad sunburn. Look for “steam distilled” citrus oils or FCF Bergamot or eliminate completely if you aren’t sure.
Oat Flour or Colloidal Oatmeal:
Great for soothing irritated and dry skin. Add to a sugar scrub to maximize moisturizing, soothing effects.
Rice Flour:
Great for mixing up a finer grain scrub for use on the face. Sugar and salt can both be a bit abrasive and rice is a nice neutral ingredient that is less abrasive and great for a morning face scrub. Mix with any of the oils above that you love or mix some right into your morning cleanser.
Coffee Grinds:
The same way caffeine wakes you up on the inside, throwing some coffee grinds in your scrub can help stimulate blood flow to the skin and reduce cellulite…OK, not so sure I’m totally buying that but what-the-hey!!
Worst case it’s gonna exfoliate and it just smells good, too. For Jedi-level coffee scrubbing, find grinds with super high caffeine content.
Choose Your DIY Scrub Formula
So go nuts (or nut-free, if you’re allergic)!! You really can’t go wrong here. I like to combine oils and then alternate between salt and sugar depending on how dry my skin is feeling or depending on the season. Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started.
DIY Summer Body Scrub
- 1/2 c. coconut oil
- 1/2 c. almond oil
- 1 c. Dead Sea salt or Himalayan pink salt or both
- 5–8 drops each of lavender, vanilla and tangerine essential oils
DIY Winter Body Scrub
- 1/2 c. Jojoba Oil
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1 c. Turbinado sugar
- 1/8 c. colloidal oatmeal (optional)
- 5–8 drops each of rosemary, cypress, steam-distilled lemon, lavender essential oils
DIY Morning Face Scrub
- 2 tbsp castor oil (great cleansing oil)
- 2 tbsp almond oil
- 1 tbsp coffee grinds
- 1 tbsp rice flour or colloidal oatmeal
- 2 drops each of rosemary, cypress and lavender essential oils
- Follow with a spraying of your favorite soothing Hydrosol
**Friendly tid-bit… DON’T premix your scrubs. Scrubs go in the shower, and the shower has water. If water gets in your scrub it becomes a happy place for bacteria and mold and other yucky stuff you don’t want on your skin. Mix them to order and you don’t need to worry!!!
Happy Scrubbin’!!
