Building Basic Body Scrubs

Another product of my Christmas-Is-Possible mission was my new-found ability to create body scrubs.  What a delightful gift for those that love to be pampered! (And let's face it, who doesn't love to be pampered?!)  Body scrubs differ from typical body washes in that they are full of exfoliates. Sure, some body washes market themselves with having exfoliating beads, but body scrubs are used almost exclusively for their exfoliating properties.

Raw Sugar

The basic homemade body scrub comes in one of two forms: the sugar scrub or the salt scrub.  Both can be easily made at home using ingredients that you probably have lying around anyway.  For the sugar scrub, one can use raw sugar, white (granulated) sugar, or brown sugar. Each has their own, unique properties.  If you are looking to make a product for selling, I would suggest the raw sugar.

  *Fun Fact*: Raw sugar is the most pure form of sugar cane and gets its color from the natural molasses within the coarse granules.  White sugar is made from further processing sugar cane past the raw sugar stage.  To make brown sugar, white sugar is re-infused with molasses.

White Sugar

Back to body scrubs.  Using raw sugar will also make your products last longer, and it is more coarse making it a better exfoliant (to some extent) than the other sugar types.  However, all sugar types contain glycolic acid, which is an "alpha-hydroxy" (a component you have probably heard from a skin care product commercial).  This acid conditions and moisturizes skin by restoring balance to the natural oils found within it.  This alpha-hydroxy also helps to stimulate collagen production, giving it anti-aging properties.  Sugar won't clog pores, but will help to reduce blemishes.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is a little more gentle on your skin than raw sugar or white sugar, so if you are having issues of any kind with irritation, I'd switch to using this type.  Brown sugar is also a source of B vitamins, which help to both prevent and to reverse the signs of photoaging.  Photoaging is caused by UV ray damage from sun exposure.

The other type of scrub is based in salt rather than in sugar. For a salt scrub, one can use coarse salts like kosher salt, epsom salt, or sea salt, or one can use fine table salt.  In general, salts are great at reducing inflammation, acting as exfoliates, reducing stress, detoxifying, increasing circulation, softening skin, and working as antiseptics.

Table Salt

Table salt is derived from underground mining of salt deposits. After being processed, commercial table salts are typically mixed with calcium silicate to prevent clumping.  Some websites describe using table salt regularly, others advocate periodic use, and still others say to never use it at all.  Because it is fine, it makes for a decent exfoliate for washes than need to be gentle for areas such as the face. The nice thing about table salt is that it is readily available in most households and it's cheap.  The downside of table salt is that it can really dry out your skin, especially if you use it regularly.  I would say that if you are going to use table salt, use it sparingly and be sure to discontinue use at the first sign of irritation or chaffing.

Coarse salts, on the other hand, have not been processed as much as table salt and are much less likely to cause problems with drying. Let's start with kosher salts.  This type of salt has no preservatives and takes its name from the koshering process.  It comes from either underground mining or from evaporated seawater. This salt is more effective for drawing out toxins more so than other types of salts, but it also draws out lots of moisture in the process.  If you use this kind of salt, you will want to either add a really good moisturizer to your scrub, or be sure to use a moisturizing lotion afterwards.

Coarse Salt

Moving on to sea salts, these are often named for the place from which they are harvested.  Like the name implies, these salts are created from evaporated seawater.  They receive little or no processing, so they contain many of the minerals that were in the water from which it was harvested.  This is why different kinds of sea salts can produce such drastically different flavors when used to finish dishes. (Note that the flavors cook out if dissolved or heated, so they are better used to top dishes off than to season them from within.)  The minerals also may give a tinge of color to their salts.  As far as skin care goes the supposed "best" type is sea salt that comes from the Dead Sea.  This is because the mineral content is almost ten times that of other sea salts.  Several studies have shown that people who suffer from psoriasis experience  relief when taking regular baths that have been treated with Dead Sea salt.  I have never personally used Dead Sea salt, but I've read that adding 2lbs to a warm bath and soaking for about 20 minutes twice a week or so can really help people with psoriasis.  In general, sea salts (no matter where they come from) are good for promoting circulation, removing dirt, drawing out toxins (if in a salt bath), and for conditioning the skin.  They can also relax muscles and soften tough areas like feet if added to a foot soak.

Epsom Salt

The last type of salt is epsom salt. This kind of salt has LOTS of health benefits.  Like other salts, it reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and helps remove toxins.  Unlike other salts, it is also relieves muscle cramps, joint pains, and general muscle pains as well as boosts muscle and nerve functionality, prevents blood clots and hardening of the arteries, and increases the effectiveness of insulin to lower your risk of diabetes.  This one I can personally vouch for...I used to be a cross country runner back in junior high/first year of high school and I would soak in an epsom salt bath 2-3 times a week or more.  It did wonders!

Now that we've talked about the exfoliates in body scrubs, let's mention the moisturizers that should accompany them.  There are a variety of oils that are useful for being integrated into body scrubs, but the two most commonly used oils are extra virgin olive oil and mineral (baby) oil.  I typically keep both around the house for various uses.  Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is a staple for my kitchen...I love cooking with it!  But it is just as much of a staple for DIY skin care products.  It is a natural anti-inflammatory because it contains antioxidants like vitamins A and E.  It also prevents free radical damage to skin cells because it contains hydroxytyrosol.  This gives it anti-aging properties.  It contains oleic acid, which makes it an incredible moisturerizer.  This acid makes skin more permeable and allows it to retain moisture.  It is also a great base ingredient because it is not irritating to even the most sensitive of skin types.

Mineral oil (a.k.a. baby oil) is another common choice for adding as a moisturizer to body scrubs.  I fell in love with this stuff after making a leg smoother with it that gave me the softest legs I had ever had.  That lasted only a few days, but it was pretty awesome!  Lately, however, I've been reading some mixed reviews of this ingredient.  Some websites say it's great, others say that it ruins your skin by leaving behind a thin layer that inhibits the skin's ability to be permeable and clogs pores.  I don't know how true/untrue that is, so my advice it to not use it on areas such as the face, neck, or upper chest area (i.e. nothing on the face or decclotte).  Then again, if you are making a body scrub rather than a face scrub, you already know that! If you do the occasional body scrub, I can't see that this would be dangerous, but if you are planning to use body scrubs regularly, you may want to go with EVOO instead.

Alright enough background!  Here's your basic body scrub recipe!

Basic Body Scrub

2 cups Sugar or Epsom Salt

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Baby Oil

1) Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container. 

To Use: Apply to body using a circular motion while in shower,
and then rinse off and bathe as usual.