byAlma Abell

There’s nothing better than having a spa day without the spa bill. Here are a few tips and DIY body scrub recipes to get you started.

Abrasives:

You need an abrasive to do the scrubbing, and there are a lot of them! You can use sea salt, brown or white sugar, coffee grounds oatmeal, or even ground nuts and seeds like almond or flax.

Carrier Oil and Butters:

Carrier oils moisturize your skin while the abrasive does the exfoliation. Just a note of caution – people with nut allergies should not use nut oils, and people with latex oils should steer clear of avocado oil.

Essential Oils:

Essential oils are the essence of an herb, spice, flower or other plant part extracted by distillation. They have a number of therapeutic properties.

8 Quick DIY Scrubs!

Use the following ratios of 1 cup abrasive, 1/3 cup carrier oil, and X drops essential oil to suit. Mix in a nonreactive bowl until the texture is like wet sand.

• Soothing: Brown sugar + grapeseed oil + 1 tsp. real vanilla extract + 12 drops essential oil of lavender.
• Reviving: Sea salt + sweet almond oil + tablespoon of green tea powder + 10 drops orange essential oil + 5 drops each lemon and lime essential oils.
• Tropical: Raw sugar + coconut oil + ¼ cup mashed mango.
• Coffee Scrub: Coffee grounds + coconut oil + ½ tsp cinnamon.
• Cold Killer: Epsom salts + grapeseed oil + 3 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, and peppermint essential oils.
• Sore Muscles: Epsom salts + apricot kernel oil + 2 drops each juniper, rosemary, lavender, black pepper, and bay laurel essential oils.
• Pregnancy Belly Buff: Sugar + olive oil + 2 drops each mandarin, geranium, rose, and sandalwood.
• Eczema: Sugar + jojoba oil + 2 drops each clove and cajeput essential oils + 4 drops each peppermint and wintergreen essential oils.

Experiment with different ingredients such as essential oils, carrier oils and butters, and you’ll find that your spa day doesn’t have to hit your budget. Use a reliable, educational site to order your supplies, and you can treat yourself every day of the week.