Herbal Body Scrubs

bark? Do not lose hope. Try assembling a few ingredients from your
cupboard to make polishing, exfoliating, moisturizing body scrubs.
Then you can pamper your skin and get ready to face the holidays
refreshed and gleaming.

Salt and sugar scrubs use commonly available ingredients and the
recipes lend themselves to improvisation. Try using food- grade
oils such as almond (also known as sweet almond), hazelnut, sesame,
jojoba, or a blend of castor and apricot. Look around for other
interesting oils from on-line suppliers. Feel free to substitute other essential
oils or essential oil blends that you have on hand. Make sure not
to use more than twelve drops of essential oil per ounce of
vegetable oil and no more than five essential oils in your
blend.

After you make the scrub, store the unused portion in a glass
jar in the refrigerator. There are no preservatives in these
scrubs, so keep them dry and keep your fingers out of the
containers. When I’m cold, I like to warm the scrub for 20 or 30
seconds in the microwave. But it is also quite refreshing to pull
your scrub from the refrigerator and use it chilled if you’re hot
and grubby. Don’t scrub more often than once a week—that’s just too
much of a good thing. Too much exfoliation (mildly abrasive removal
of the layer of dead skin cells) may cause irritation and stinging.
It may also stimulate oil-secreting cells that make your skin more
oily. Sometimes I only have time to scrub my feet or hands, and
that’s fine. Pampering is always good for your body and your
soul.

Moon Glow Salt Scrub Recipe

Makes 5 oz.

The essential oils and herbs in this scrub were chosen to help
ease the symptoms of PMS. The scrub leaves your skin “very soft and
well moisturized,” according to our testers.

• 1/4 cup table salt
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt (available in the salt section of the
  grocery store)
• 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
• 10 drops rose geranium essential oil
• 6 drops clary sage essential oil
• 6 drops bergamot essential oil (bergapten-free)
• 1 teaspoon dried lemon balm leaf, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried rose petals, crushed

Carefully measure all of the ingredients into a clean glass
bowl. Mix together well. Spoon into a clean glass jar and allow to
age for 2 days.

Cleansing Scrub Recipe

Makes 8 oz.

This is a nice exfoliating scrub with herbs and essential oils
to increase circulation and fight cellulite. The yogurt makes this
scrub extra emollient.

• 1/2 cup table salt
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1/3 cup sweet almond oil
• 2 tablespoons plain active yogurt (available at health-food
  stores)
• 14 drops grapefruit essential oil
• 6 drops cedarwood essential oil
• 4 drops fennel essential oil
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon dried powdered eucalyptus leaves (process in blender
  until powdered, then measure)

Carefully measure all of the ingredients into a clean glass
bowl. Mix together well. Spoon into a clean glass jar and allow to
age for 2 days. Store in the refrigerator. Scrubs will keep for at least a month in a cool, dark location and indefinitely in the refrigerator. The only thing that will make them spoil quickly is if they get water or any bacteria from your hands in them. With a clean spoon, scoop out a couple of tablespoons of
scrub and put in a plastic container. (You don’t want glass or
pottery to break in the bathroom.) 

Aegean Breeze Scrub Recipe

Makes 8 oz.

Like the herbal breeze over the Mediterranean hills, these herbs
and essential oils are said to increase a sense of balance and
boost energy. This scrub is wonderful for those crazy times when
you feel like there needs to be three of you to get everything
done.

• 1/2 cup table salt
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
• 3 tablespoons unscented liquid soap
• 20 drops lavender essential oil
• 8 drops rosemary essential oil
• 8 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed lavender flowers
• 1 teaspoon dried crushed peppermint leaf

Carefully measure all of the ingredients into a clean glass
bowl. Mix together well. Spoon into a clean glass jar and allow to
age for 2 days. Store in the refrigerator. Follow the use
directions at left.

Sugar & Spice Scrub Recipe

Makes 7 oz.

Our testers found this one to be “just right” and the “best one
yet!” Use this scrub if you tend to knick your legs during
shaving—it’s non-stinging. The essential oil blend in this scrub is
made up of oils reputed to be aphrodisiacs.

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
• 1 tablespoon finely ground oatmeal (process in blender until fine,
  then measure)
• 6 drops ginger essential oil
• 6 drops cardamom essential oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon calendula petals
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Carefully measure all of the ingredients into a clean glass
bowl. Mix together well. Spoon into a clean glass jar and allow to
age for 2 days.

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Sheron Buchele has been growing herbs for more than thirty years
and carries more than fifty herb-based products for Fox RydeGardens. She and her husband, Curtis Rowland, sell their wares at
farmers’ markets and craft fairs in Northern Colorado, and on-line
at .