Saturday, January 21, 2012

Salt and Honey Scrub with Grapefruit and Rosemary

My girlfriends gathered at Katie's to make homemade cleaning products (awesome) and I threw in this recipe for a salt and honey scrub that moisturizes with olive oil. It makes my skin feel super despite Duluth's very dry mid-winter air. The recipe's simple and the only equipment it requires is a bowl and jars!

I made this batch with kosher salt, olive oil, honey, grapefruit and rosemary oils and a bit of sugar. I know a lot of people make theirs with table salt because the kosher's grains are so large. But unlike kosher salt, table salt has anti-caking chemicals in it. And the kosher salt dissolves really quickly when you rub the scrub between your damp hands. It'll soften up to the texture of a good moisturizing exfoliant. Alternately, you can use fine sea salt or even pulse kosher salt to a finer grain for a few seconds in a food processor.

I love how close the color is to real grapefruit pulp!

This sort of treat is my favorite kind of gift to my friends (and self).

Salt and Honey Scrub with Grapefruit and Rosemary
Fills about 6 half-pint jars.
Shelf life 4 months.

2 cups olive oil
2/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon grapefruit essential oil
1/4 teaspoon rosemary essential oil
3 cups salt
sugar (optional)
red food coloring (2 drops)

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl. Gradually mix in the salt 1/2 cup at a time. It's easiest to mix with your hands. Wear gloves if you have sensitive skin.

Continue to mix until the oil is mostly absorbed into the grains. It will be very thick and mass together with a bit of oil seeping out. If it's not coming together after several minutes, add salt or sugar in half cup increments until it's a gritty oily paste (you will need more salt/sugar if using kosher salt and less if using a finer grain salt).

Add 2 drops red food coloring and mix well. Add additional essential oil at a rate of 1/4 teaspoon at a time for a stronger fragrance.

Scoop the scrub into little jars with holes large enough to dig the product out by hand. Wipe off the top of the jar before lidding as the salt can rust the metal lid.

To use, scoop a tablespoon of the scrub into damp hands and massage between your hands until you feel a gritty paste. Scrub your face and body in a circular motion until most of the salt crystals dissolve, then rinse.


Easy as that! Enjoy your day!

56 comments:

  1. This looks awesome! I'll have to try it out-I know about cold and dry air...I'm from Brainerd :) - what a small world!!

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    Replies
    1. Hello Kim! It IS a small world - I grew up in Brainerd!

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    2. i now live in Indiana, but i grew up in DULUTH!!! i will be trying this!

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  2. where did you buy your oils? thanks!

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    Replies
    1. You can get some great oils at
      www.mydoterra.com/connieohara
      They are Certified Pure, Theraputic Grade Oils and they are incredible!

      Connie

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    2. I am with Connie! doTerra Oils are the only ones for me as well. http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/tomorrowtoday/

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    3. Young Living Essential Oils

      That's my fav.

      Erica

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    4. While doterra oils are a nice product, there is NO SUCH THING as a 'certified' essential oil. The company has declared them certified, and I declare myself Queen of the World!

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    5. You Rock!

      Certified MLM merchandise

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  3. I too am curious where to purchase the essential oils. Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. I bought my essential oils at Duluth's whole foods market. Every co-op or whole foods I've known sells them in the section along with their patchouli and sandalwood oils. Also, they sell them at a place in Minnesota called the Electric Fetus which is the type of store to sell alternative music, candles, jewelry and aromatherapy items. Or online, look up Aura Cacia pure aromatherapy. Thank you for your interest!! Enjoy your day!

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    2. I personally also use doTerra Essential Oils because they are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Oils that go through rigorous testing to make sure there are no foreign bodies or carrier products in them. You would be shocked at the oils that are claimed to be pure but yet are allowed on the market as "pure" without the proper testing to make sure nothing else is in them. If we want other things in them, we can add them ourselves, right? You are welcome to research this for yourself. I did, and that is why I use doTerra. http://www.doterra.myvoffice.com/tomorrowtoday/ I would love to share information with you, and for that matter, give you a free book, if you are interested in using them. Let me know if you are interested.

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  4. Replies
    1. Yes! If it's very course, pulse it in a food processor first to the consistency of table salt :)

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  5. Can I substitute the salt with sugar and the olivia oil with grapeseed oil (or any other carrier oil)?

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    Replies
    1. I don't see why not! I have made scrubs many times with honey that's gone crystallized and sugar with dried herbs. I don't always use salt because I feel sugar does as good of a job in exfoliating. Salt is said to be good for your skin but the information I've found has been pretty vague. I also don't always oil either, but I know olive oil and grapeseed oil are high in anti-oxidants and said to be great for your skin for that reason. I also like the moisturizing effect.

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  6. I love the jars that you used. They look really nice. Where can I buy the jars? Thank you.

    Kathy

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    Replies
    1. I used a Ball brand Wide Mouth Half Pint jar that I purchased at my local hardware store (the kind of neighborhood store that sells everything). We have several small grocery stores around here that sell canning jars year round, but not always this type. Ball brand has lots of cuties, though!

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  7. OMG im gonna make this 4 my mom for mothers day!

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  8. This looks amazing! I absolutely love grapefruit, so this is perfect for me.

    Do you know how long it will keep before going bad? Do you have to store it in the fridge or anything?

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Erica! It should keep at room temp for at least 4 months before the oil might start to go rancid. I am keeping my extra jars in the fridge and in there it should be fine for a really long time! I've used them after almost year in the fridge.

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    2. Thanks Hannah! I'm definitely gonna give it a try. I can't wait to see how it amazing it smells in person.

      Have a great weekend! :)

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    3. As a professional producer of natural skin care, may I make the following suggestion? If you want to use the scrub more than once, I would highly recommend using some kind of utensil to scoop out the scrub. If you use your hands, you will be introducing foreign matter into the scrub, and will potentially contaminate it. Why take chances with this wonderful jar?

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  9. What kind of honey did you use? Raw, cream, or natural?

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  10. I just made a "test batch" of this, and I'm already in love!! I am hosting a bachelorette party next month at a spa, and these will be the party favors. I am very excited about sharing them with friends of the bride! This is a great, easy, inexpensive party favor/gift. Perfect for my party on a budget! And I know it is something that will actually be used, not tossed in the garbage.

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  11. This looks awesome! Going to make it for the special ladies in my life for christmas:-)

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  12. What kind of jars did you use? They're not as nice as anything I have. Thanks

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  13. I mean "much nicer"! than anything I have. I only have your standard Ball jars for canning

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    Replies
    1. I found these Ball brand wide mouth half-pint jars at a local hardware store. It's the kind of Minnesota neighborhood store that sells everything. Bet you could order them online if you were really serious!

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  14. I love DIY scrubs! Can't wait to try it - sounds great with the grapefruit!

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  15. You have the most organized blog! I found you through Tip Junkie. All other bloggers seem to not include info such as, shelf life, where to find cute jars, etc. I am grateful for you! Thanks.
    `Michele C.

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  16. I think my wife would like this, maybe ill make it for her.

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  17. Amazing! I am going to do that tomorrow ;-)

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  18. This is so lovely! I featured it in my blog post about having a spa day at home. Feel free to check it out and share it with whomever you'd like: http://www.favecraftsblog.com/spa-day-at-home. Thanks for posting wonderful projects!

    Best,

    Jaclyn

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  19. do u by any chance have the template of the label that you can post or email to me? Thanks

    Karbad11977@gmail.com

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  20. Mix the olive oil and sea salt, Apply on a damp face , This is a pretty simple scrub, its easy to use and prepare.
    best skin care products

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  21. I saw your pin and got curious then landed here. Really nice idea to moisturise your skin. But is can you suggest any online service to buy essential oils.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I prefer the brand AuraCacia, and they have an online store with some pretty good web specials, if you want to try that :)

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  22. Can you use an actual Grapefruit instead of an oil?

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    Replies
    1. I would expect the product to spoil rather quickly if you use real grapefruit, but I've never tried it so I can't for certain. Perhaps the salt would preserve it and it might last?

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  23. Sorry if this sounds like a silly question, but will this smell great or just okay? I'm looking to make scrubs as gifts. Any thoughts, before I go and purchase ingredients??

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    Replies
    1. I think this scrub smells amazing! I used grapefruit and rosemary oils because once I had a grapefruit shampoo and a rosemary conditioner and the combination was awesome. When you're mixing it, if the smell is too mild, just add a few drops of essential oil at a time until you like the way it smells.

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  24. Are there any issues with the food colouring coming off on the face?

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    Replies
    1. Not at all. Before you add the 2 drops of red color, the scrub is kind of an light orange/yellow color. You could leave it at that. The red color gives it a slightly more pinkish tint. It's optional, and it's such a small amount of food coloring you would never see it rub off on anything. Not even a wash cloth, I would guess.

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    2. Wonderful thank you!

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  25. Hi!
    What kind of cup do you mean? a small teacup?
    Thanks!

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  26. Standard one cup measure. Small teacup is about right!

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  27. Amazing article. It is really interesting recipe. I can`t wait to try it. In my opinion it will smell delicious. Greetings!

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  28. Good information. Lucky me I came across your website by accident (stumbleupon).

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  29. I cut this down and made 1/6 of the recipe (no food coloring). While mixing I thought I had made a grave mistake by trying it, it was already quite hard (yet a lot of oil that wasn't helping) and I still hadn't added the second half of the salt! But I must say, I just scrubbed my face with it and I love it! It doesn't look anything like the picture but I used Sweet Almond Oil so that may have made a difference. I also added extra Rosemary and Grapefruit essential oils, and it could have used even more, but I like it very much. Thanks for the recipe!

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  30. How many of the wide mouth mason jars did this recipe fill? I'm making gifts and need to know how much to make! Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. This recipe makes approximately 6 cups of scrub. Not sure how big your jars are. A half pint= one cup. One pint= two cups. One quart (that would be a lot of scrub!)= four cups.

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  31. Wonderful recipe! I didn't want to use red food coloring so I boiled half a beet (cut in chunks) for a few minutes and used about a teaspoon of the beet juice and the color looked beautifully, just like this picture!

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