Blog

My first post for this super fun series is an amazingly easy and heavenly scented DIY Winter Chai Sugar Scrub! Spoiler alert: If you’re on my Christmas list this year, this will be part of your gift! 

There’s something about a sugar scrub that draws me in. Maybe it’s because I didn’t eat sugar for over six months, or that it just makes my skin feel so amazing! Especially in the winter when skin gets very dry, sugar helps to buff off the dead skin cells and exfoliate. 

Using this chai-scented scrub makes taking a shower a spa-like experience. If you’re a mom like me, you know that just getting a shower can be a luxury sometimes. This way you can kick it up a notch! The exotic aroma puts me in mind of my favorite winter memories of spice cookies and yummy tea by the fire. Fun times! 

My favorite winter beverage is chai. I have my own blend that I’ve shared with all of you through my shop and the recipe here. This is the blend that I use in this scrub. It’s super simple to make and very easy to find the ingredients. You can get them at Amazon, Frontier, or Mountain Rose Herbs. You can usually find them locally as well because they are common spices.
​

Instructions:

1. Blend all ingredients together.
2. For a wetter scrub, use more oil. Use less for a drier scrub.
3. Spoon into an airtight jar.
4. Using a spoon or wooden scoop, use a small amount as a body scrub in the shower.
5. Rinse thoroughly.

​

Just making this aromatic scrub will make everyone think you’ve been baking! If you use edible oils like coconut, you can add this scrub as a sweetener to your favorite winter beverage…not that I’m condoning sugar consumption… 🙂

If you’re looking for easy gifts this holiday season, the recipe can easily be doubled, or tripled, or more to meet your gift giving needs. This will be a hit with anyone you give it to for sure!

Introducing self-care into your weekly and even daily routine is important. It’s more than just applying a face mask or reading a book. Self-care is about taking care of you and your mental health. It provides you with time to relax and reflect. So, I invite you to take a break to pamper yourself with one of my DIY all-natural detox body scrubs and treat yourself to some self-care.

What Is a Body Scrub?

If you’ve never used a body scrub, you’re in for a treat. Scrubs are a fabulous way for you to exfoliate your skin. Not only do they leave you flake-free, but they also revitalize your skin by encouraging blood flow to the areas you are massaging. Additionally, body scrubs help purify and detox your skin by drawing out impurities like dirt and excess oil, leaving you feeling clean and refreshed.

Body Scrub Benefits

Outside elements can take a toll on our skin. Whether you live in a cool or warm climate, environmental stressors can irritate the skin. And when our skin experiences drastic changes in temperatures, it can get stressed, lose moisture, and become dry, itchy, and even sore.

In warmer climates, your skin can produce excess sebum (oil) as a result of perspiration and dry skin. In cooler climates, skin tends to become red from cold air and windburn. 

Regardless of temperature, we must take care of our skin, our body’s largest organ, and make sure it gets the nourishment it needs. Treating your skin to a detox body scrub can be the perfect fix to these problems.

Soothing Ingredients

Commercial body scrubs are often filled with chemical irritants and toxins like synthetic fragrances, color dyes, and harsh exfoliators. These ingredients can cause an allergic reaction, damage to the skin, and further irritation. When you make your own, you can skip the toxins and use more nourishing and protective ingredients.

My all-natural body scrubs are packed full of exactly that, with no chemicals or preservatives. And they’re made with things you probably already have in your pantry. Plus, you can make them in just ten minutes or less.

Tips

Here are some tips to keep in mind for creating your own body scrubs.

Essential Oils

Be aware when using essential oils as over-scenting your products can cause irritation and contact dermatitis.

Shelf-Life

Your scrub should last between one to three months or a maximum of one week if you’re using fresh produce. Use them within this timeframe for the best results.

Storage

You can store your scrubs in a mason jar or air-tight, BPA-free container and keep them in the shower. I find it helpful to add a label to the container with the name of what you made and the date you made it.

Organic and Non-GMO

To get the best results from these scrubs, use organic produce, 100% pure essential oils and extracts, and non-GMO ingredients.
​

These are five of my favorite recipes for a detoxifying and relaxing skin treatment. Make them according to the recipe or change it up and create your own variations.

Moisturizing Lemon & Avocado Scrub

Got avocado but no toast? Turn that would be snack into a soothing and moisturizing scrub.

Avocado is packed full of healthy fats, and when applied topically to the skin, it helps skin retain moisture. Lemon is a powerful bacteria fighter, so it’s perfect for not only toning the skin but detoxifying it of unwanted pathogens that could potentially enter our body. Baking soda is a mild exfoliant that helps fight bacteria, and it’s great for people with sensitive skin.

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 15 – 30 applications ​

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients except the baking soda into a medium-sized bowl and mix together.
2. Mash the avocado until smooth, add it to the dry mixture.
3. Slowly add baking soda until you get your desired texture. For a thicker consistency, add more.

​
​
​

Purifying Green Tea & Kiwi Scrub

The next time you steep a cup of tea instead of drinking it, add it to your shower routine in the form of a scrub.

Green tea is not only a relaxing scent, but it’s a purifying ingredient. This type of tea does a fantastic job of protecting you from the formation of free radicals, molecules that damage our otherwise healthy cells. When applied to the skin, green tea not only moisturizes and gently tones, but it also protects the skin from oxidative stress.

Want brighter and clearer skin? Kiwi is the answer. It’s packed with vitamin C, which is another powerful antioxidant that helps clear and detox free radicals.

Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 15 – 30 applications 
​

Directions:

1. Add all the ingredients together except the coconut sugar into a medium-sized bowl and mix together.
2. Slowly add coconut sugar until you get your desired texture. For a thicker consistency, add more.

​

​Directions:

1. 1. Add all the ingredients together except the Epsom salt into a medium-sized bowl and mix together.
2. 2. Slowly add Epsom salt until you get your desired texture. For a thicker consistency, add more.

Note: If your Epsom salt is coarse, you can make them smaller by pulsing them in a blender. This will make it easier to spread on the body.




Self-Care with a Body Scrub

Treating yourself to self-care is a good thing! It helps lift your mood, relaxes you, and lets your mind and body take a break from your busy day. With these homemade all-natural detox body scrubs in your arsenal, your skin will feel incredibly refreshed again.

​Are you feeling inspired to try something new? If so, tell me which recipe gets you most excited to make!

Share this recipe with a friend who could use some self-care. If you try any of these recipes and post them on social, tag me. I would love to see your creations. @reallifeoutlawblog


Be Well & Thrive!

With Love & In Health,
Sarah Outlaw, MH, MSACN

​
​References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon 
2. https://foodrevolution.org/blog/detoxifying-foods/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2855614/
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric
5. https://www.healthline.com/health/tea-tree-oil-for-scalp