Roughing It In Style: Do It Yourself Sugar Scrub

Is a sugar scrub part of your preparedness supplies? Just because you’re preparing for all kinds of “what if” types of scenarios, doesn’t mean that you have to prepare to be miserable. In fact, I do just the opposite. I specifically prepare to be as comfortable as possible even if the lights were to go out for years, or the water was contaminated, etc.—you know, just the typical thoughts of us crazy preppers. *grin*  Likewise, I’m preparing now to continue many of my physical pampering habits—nothing makes me grumpier than feeling itching, sweaty, smelly, and gross.  I’ve always taken good care of my skin and I’m not going to let some big, bad EMP change that if at all possible. In fact, I intend to indulge in my sugar scrub ritual as often as possible.  “Sugar scrub?”, you might ask. Yes, a sugar scrub. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft and fabulously clean all over. Now before you go thinking I’m crazy to talk about such a thing on a preparedness themed site, keep in mind that cracks and crevices in your hands and feet are prime targets for parasites and other nasty–and even deadly–invaders. So keeping them smooth instead of rough is ideal indeed. Many women experience the red, bumpy, somewhat blotchy skin on their triceps and some even experience acne breakouts on their face and backs. Even worse, though is dealing with the embarrassing break outs on the front and side of the neck, décolleté, and even on the fanny.  If this is a regular occurrence for you then a key rule of thumb to remember is that such breakouts on your skin are a manifestation that your liver function is compromised.  When the toxins can’t get cleaned out fast enough through the liver, then the next best place to get rid of the toxins is within the fat cells/cellulite underneath the skin.  Even that method of storage can overwhelm the cells underneath the skin at which time you’ll see the toxins break out.  A sugar scrub which includes organic or wild-crafted essential oils, like the one I’m going to share with you today, will not only help to scrub and smooth such areas, but will also benefit the liver and assist it in its cleansing efforts. Better yet, you can use a myriad of combinations to address more specific imbalances in your body. One thing you should be aware of is that when you purchase the commercial sugar scrubs, they inevitably are full of five syllable ingredients that you’d never use on your dog, let alone give them immediate access to your body by going through the largest organ of your body—the skin. Even more dangerous, though, is if you purchase one of these commercial brands which also contain SOME essential oil. The reason this is so much worse for you is because the smallest amount of real essential oils can actually act as a Trojan Horse to various parts of your body that are designed to protect it from chemical invaders, such as the brain which is protected by the blood brain barrier. The microns in essential oils are so small and unoffensive to the blood brain barrier that they get to pass right through. But when they are mixed with chemical agents, as in common when using cheap essential oils  they end up opening these protective barriers throughout our body and give them free rein to wreak havoc—which is why it’s called the Trojan Horse Effect. Needless to say, learning about this effect ruined my love affair with sugar scrubs until I discovered how I could make them myself for an ENTH of the cost, and with a whole slew of fabulous health benefits elsewhere in my body and mind. (I just love multi-purpose things, don’t you?!)

Keep in mind also that all essential oils are not created equal. Wintergreen for example, though it is an essential oil, is not friendly to the liver; and when combined with it’s common adulterant companion,  White Camphor, it can literally cause liver failure when used for long periods of time. Wintergreen is commonly used as a substitute for the fabulously beneficial Birch essential oil because it smells very similar and is much less expensive to harvest domestically.  White camphor comes with its own set of dangers; one of which being that it can stop the breathing of a small child in a matter of minutes. So, selecting and using essential oils willy nilly without having a good understanding of the constituents therein and how they behave with the various body systems, is a recipe for disaster. For the record—and to cover my fanny—ahem—know that when I suggest the use of any essential oil, the only brand I have found to pass all 16 of my criteria is the brand Be Young Essential Oils. That’s all I’m going to say on that topic within the confines of this article. Moving on…

You will like  this sugar scrub!

This particular sugar scrub that I’m going to suggest will not only leave your skin feeling oh, so yummy smooth, but it will also target the toxins held below the skin in the cellulite and fat and encourage their release. As such, I don’t recommend you using this every day. You don’t want to go into overdrive and cause a “cleansing crisis.”  One of the other benefits of this recipe is that your right and left brain will be energized and your liver will receive a helping hand in properly cleaning toxins from the blood. While there are many more benefits, I’ll also mention that this sugar scrub is very effective in getting rid of those tiny red bumps on your triceps too. Additionally, when you use this sugar scrub in the shower, as you rinse it off, the constituents found in the citrus essential oils that I recommend using will also aid in deodorizing your drain. And since these essential oils are also a natural preservative, you can double or triple this recipe and not have to worry about it going bad on you. Just be sure to store it in a jar with the lid on tightly. Again—you just gotta love that multi-purposing! O.K. so here’s the recipe:  (Not recommended for use on children)  

Kellene’s Sugar Scrub Indulgence

1 part sugar (about 1 cup)
1 part oil such as jojoba or coconut (about 1 cup) Note: I prefer Jojoba, Coconut, Grapeseed or a good quality olive oil is O.K. too. Do NOT use Baby Oil as it is 100% a petroleum product.
2 drops of Be Young’s Lemon Essential Oil
2 drop of Be Young’s Orange Essential Oil
2 drops of Be Young’s Grapefruit Essential Oil
Mix ingredients in a glass bowl (never in a plastic/Tupperware bowl) until well blended. Then transfer to a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. You’ll want to have a tongue depressor, Popsicle stick, or a wooden spoon on hand to scoop out your mixture when you use it in the shower. (Never use plastics with essential oils.)
When you’re ready to use it in your shower (I always use my sugar scrub after I’m done cleaning everything else in the shower so that I don’t get oil in my hair), stir the mixture a bit with your wooden tool of choice as the oil will continue to separate from the sugar when resting,  and  then place about 1 tablespoon in your hand and apply it directly to your skin, spreading it over your skin area while briskly scrubbing in a circular motion. Repeat until you have treated all of your desired surface areas (such as the face, feet, upper arms, etc.)
I use only about 3 tablespoons total of the mixture each time I shower. Be sure to keep it out of your eyes and ears.
Rinse off with warm water when finished.
When you’re drying off your skin afterwards, do so gently, with a gentle blotting movement so as to continue to allow your pores the opportunity to absorb the oils. This is a great treatment to use on your tired hands and feet at the end of the day too! You can have fun with some other combinations too! Just remember you want about 6 drops for every 2 cups of sugar and oil mixture you’re using. Use peppermint and lemon for an energizing start to your day and which is even more beneficial to the liver. (Use Spearmint instead of peppermint if you are pregnant or have high blood pressure) This also feels great on sore feet after standing for a long time! Use lavender and frankincense at the end of a stressful day for some much needed relaxation. Use Sandalwood and Cypress for better circulation and to better strengthen your resolve for the day. It rarely turns out that I use up the sugar and the oil equally. I always have oil remaining. But I just use it in the next batch and it smells that much more divine! You can also substitute sea salt in this recipe if for some reason you have an aversion to using the sugar, but be sure to scrub gently as sea salt hasn’t been refined in shape and thus may be a bit more rough on your skin. I specifically use sugar due to it’s fine texture. If you aren’t quite convinced yet that something like this will be fabulous, then do a test run using equal parts sugar and oil and add your favorite essential oil. Scrub it all over your hands and see if you’re not then convinced as to just how decadent this can be! *The only essential oils that I’ve found to pass my 16 point criteria are those created by Be Young Essential Oils. If you want a source for these oils, you can simply go to here and purchase them retail or wholesale. It’s easy either way.