Brown Sugar & Lemon Scrub to Exfoliate, Moisturize Recipes

I vividly remember the day my mother finally gave me permission to wear makeup. I was in sixth grade at the time, and I had already spent a few painful months in the locker room after P.E. class watching my more fortunate classmates applying shiny lip gloss and powdering their noses.

Now, after months of pleading my case like a miniature law school student, my mother agreed to a little lip gloss. A small victory, but a victory nonetheless!

In addition to desiring makeup for its ability to transform me from awkward middle school student to stunning teenage dream (or so I thought), I just generally wanted to try it because it looked fun. I was the artistic type, so the idea of painting my face and transforming my look really got me jazzed!Beach beauty? Check! 1950′s pin-up girl? Check! Sultry sex kitten? Check! Check!

I’ve been cruising along for years, enjoying the perks of traditional beauty products, but it seems my party bus has hit a bumpy road lately, as I’ve been reading more and more about beauty products that aren’t so great for your skin and health (to put it gently). Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep website has all the dirt (literally), but don’t go there and start clicking around unless you’re ready. Ignorance can certainly be bliss.

So…what’s a girl to do then? Make her own products! In an effort to take action and transform my own beauty arsenal, I attempted to make some products last weekend (“attempted” being the key word). To start, I chose something easy (so as not to get discouraged right off the bat) and something my long-forsaken legs could really use (some love and attention). What better than a Brown Sugar & Lemon Scrub to exfoliate, moisturize, and revitalize!

I’m happy to report that no one was injured in this science experiment AND it took all of five minutes to complete. My legs have been smothered in love and I’m ready to show them to the world (if only it wasn’t 12 degrees in New York City today).

Total Time 3 minutes

Materials

• Brown sugar
• Olive oil OR grapeseed oil
• Lemons

Tools

• Mixing Bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Jar

Instructions

1. Grab a bag of course brown sugar (to exfoliate), a bottle of olive oil or grapeseed oil (to moisturize), and lemons (to invigorate the senses).
2. Mix 1 c. of oil with 1/4 c. of brown sugar.
3. Grate the peel of 2 lemons and add to the mixture.
4. Mix well and store in a mini recycled jar for use in the shower. Your legs (and skin all over!) will be silky smooth.

I can now say that making your own beauty products is empowering — if only because you know EXACTLY what you’re putting on your skin and into your body. It’s a way to send a message to the cosmetics industry that you care about the ingredients of their products, and let’s be honest, your own brand of cosmetics makes a great gift for your friends. Look at you, gettin’ all ‘Martha Stewart’ up in tha’ kitchen!