I made some skincare about this time last year and I have gifted some of it, used lots of it and learned some things about what is best for me to use and make.
I absolutely love the body scrub which exfoliates and moisturises at the same time but it is bit messy, the solid moisturiser is lovely but not very practical in the jars so I have been thinking about the best way to improve on those both in particular.
The solid moisturiser needs to be in a bar so that you can rub it all over during a lovely warming shower and the scrub really needs to be solid to avoid the waste.
I have also been thinking about scents as I still love the smell of Temple Spa’s Sugar Buff and although it would be so easy to keep buying it, it’s expensive and I’m sure I can get closer to the smell of it if I keep trying.
I have some of the solid moisturiser left and will finish it before I make any more so today I made 2 batches of sugar scrub; one version is solid and the other is soft but not lose and I’m quite please with them both.
I already prefer the solid one which is so very easy to use, not at all messy and there is absolutely no waste in getting a well exfoliated and moisturised body in the shower. Completely convenient for a busy time pressured life.
Body Scrub Bar Recipe:
300g of organic or fair trade brown castor sugar (500g for the loser bars)
200g solid coconut oil
100g white bees wax
1 tablespoon of sweet almond oil
1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil
essential oils as follows:-
10 drops of camphor
10 drops of juniper
10 drops of lemon / 3 teaspoons dried lemon zest
20 drops of Patchouili
10 drops of orange
10 drops of thyme
10 drops of rosemary / 5 teaspoons of dried and broken up rosemary leaves
10 drops of fig
10 drops of eucalyptus
melt solids in a double boiler, allow to cool slightly. add almond oil, vitamin E. Pour into sugar and solids mixing evenly.
pour into silicon moulds and allow to cool (freeze them inside a sealed plastic food bag if you want to make a large batch and save it).
the vitamin E helps to preserve it so it should last for 6 months but freezing the bars will prolong this.
Since my last post about home made skincare, I have used the oil blends that I made. They are lovely and I find I use them both as moisturisers and as cleansers. They have kept my skin feeling lovely and soft. With an oil cleanser, it moisturises as well as cleansing so it is another time saving way to treat your skin. Applying extra oil over night certainly helps but the oil cleansing alone has made such a difference.
I’ve also made eye make up remover that is so gentle (equal parts olive oil and distilled witch hazel in a squirty bottle applied to a cotton pad) and inexpensive that I will never buy eye make up remover from a shop ever again.
As well as today’s sugar scrub bars, I made a non greasy hydrating spray and a coffee ground face scrub. I have yet to try them out and I’m not sure about the coffee grounds so it will be interesting to see what the results are like.
Watch this space, I will be making more skin care like toners and face masks at some point in the future. I’m a complete convert now and plan to replace all my skincare with home made as my shop bought products run out.