We are slowly but surely picking up speed in our Make N Take workshops, and I have so many recipes I'm Anxious to share with everyone! Seriously, between my Young Living oils and a handful of KITCHEN INGREDIENTS that I already purchase for use in cooking, I have completely stopped buying skin care products off the shelves or online from questionable companies.
Your skin is the largest organ of the body, and everything, EVERYTHING that you put on it directly effects your body's functionality and even organ function.
So if I can't eat it, I don't put it on my skin!
Since becoming a mother, I have some less than ideal areas of my skin that aren't as tight or toned as I would like them to be. There's a product that many people are slinging these days called the "IT works wrap" that promises tighter, firmer skin, weight loss within hours, and even claims to diminish cellulite. But what's IN IT? What is that goop that lines that fold out thing? What about the toning gel you're supposed to apply after? I can tell you now- it's not as natural as you're led to believe.
So I made my own version of the wrap, but as a body scrub, that combines the exfoliating benefits of a good scrub down, with essential oils that are minimally processed with no additives or preservatives to hinder them, with the moisturizing and healing benefits of virgin coconut oil, and the firming abilities of caffein and the skin. The results, from my personal use- rival those of the wrap. (Which I have also tried, for comparison's sake.)
So here it is! My completely customizable Firming Body Scrub Recipe:
The beauty of this recipe is that it's incredibly versatile. Don't need too much exfoliating? Add less coffee grounds. Need a little more? Add a little more. It's all based on what you like. I like a good balance of scrubby and moisturizing, so I keep the amounts pretty even.
- 1 part coconut oil
- 1 part coffee grounds
- approx 10-20 drops of peppermint oil depending on how cooling you want the scrub to be
- 5-10 drops lavender essential oil
- In a small sauce pan, heat on Minimum or low heat, like the lowest setting on your stove top. Add the coconut oil to the pan and stir it around until it's all melted, this should only take a few minutes and the oil shouldn't be very hot- you want it to be just melted enough to stir in your coffee grounds. When the oil is all melted, stir in your coffee grounds until you've reached a consistency you like. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from it's heat source. At this point you probably want to gobble up that oily coffee mixture because it smells amazing... probably not awesome unless you really like chewing on your coffee.
- Let the pan cool for a few minutes, just enough so that the oils we will be adding to it don't evaporate instantly as they are volatile oils (meaning they go from a liquid to a gas quite easily, especially when heat is applied). When the oil is a temperature that you can put on your wrist and not burn, and it's not quite back to solid yet, add your oils. Using a spoon, stir until well incorporated and the scrub smells like a pepperminty coconut coffee heaven. While still warmish, transfer to a glass storage jar with a tight fitting lid. As the scrub cools it will return to the coconut oils solidish state- which at room temperature you should be able to scoop a good amount out of the jar with relative ease. Store in a place where it will have little exposure to sun or high heat, and keep that lid tight when not using it.
When you wanna try out your new scrub, I recommend standing on a towel or even in your tub as some coffee granules may flake off of your body during the exfoliating process depending on how much coffee grounds you added to it. Less coffee in the mix= less shedding of the coffee grounds, but also = less exfoliating and toning. So it's up to you.
I like letting my scrub really sink in for a bit, so after slathering it all over me and rubbing it in a circular motion over the area I wish to tone up or exfoliate well (everywhere) I usually try and hang out all covered in coffee grounds for at least 5 minutes. You'll notice that the longer you leave the scrub on, the better the results will be. Turn on some warm water when you're done scrubbing, and rinse yourself off well, continuing the circular scrubbing motion while rinsing off. Your skin may feel a little oily when you first step out- but I recommend not using soap to wash the scrub off as it will wash off the oils and caffeine from the coffee and practically all the benefits of the scrub go out the window.
If you are looking for something a little gentler on the skin or for use on your face, you can swap out the coffee grounds for raw cane sugar, as the sugar will dissolve in the warm water. If you do this I would also suggest that you add the sugar after the coconut oil has been removed from heat and has cooled so that none of the sugar dissolves in the coconut oil before you get to use it. You can also omit the peppermint oil and swap for just Lavender, Melrose blend, or Rose oil if you're lucky enough to have scored a bottle of it!
In addition to doing this once or twice a week for the firming and toning effects, we must always always always be sure that we're staying hydrated! The number 1 cause of skin issues, wrinkles, acne, stretch marks, loose skin, etc is dehydration. Guzzle that water! Aim to drink at least as close to a gallon a day as you can, and you will see marked improvement. I know I have!!
Next weeks Make n Take workshop recipe: ALL NATURAL BUG SPRAY. Those teeny skeeters are out with a vengeance this year, I know I can't step out my door without instantly being swarmed! Stay tuned for this workshop and the recipe- it will change your deet-filled life forever!
