cooking ala mel

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Moisturizing Coconut-Vanilla Body Scrub

Is it just me, or does your skin get all rough and cracked during the winter months, too?  The amount of lotion I go through is kind of ridiculous, and I still haven’t found one I’m really happy with.  I’ve tried straight up Aquaphor, but it’s too greasy, so I have to wear gloves and wear it strictly to bed.  Neutrogena’s Swiss formula is alright, but it’s also a bit greasy feeling (I hate that).  General moisturizing lotions are alright, but the super smelly ones especially hurt my cracked skin, and I don’t really like the neutral scents (there is totally no such thing as unscented).  I’ve seen tons of recipes for homemade kitchen scrubs and the like out there, but I thought they might be too drying.  Then, I got to try out Natural Vitality’s Natural Calm Sports Bath – a combination of magnesium and Redmond mineral sea salt – and I figured I might as well give a scrub a try with the extra calming factor from the magnesium.  Um, guys.. I can’t believe I never gave scrubs a try before.

While the salt burned a little bit on my cracked hands, the lushness of my skin afterwards was absolutely amazing.  If you let your hands get super dry like I do (since I kind of really hate greasy lotions), be aware that it will burn at first, but not too badly.  I recommend not letting your skin get to that point, ha.  The scrub is pretty basic, to keep things as natural as possible:  coarse vanilla sugar, Natural Calm Sports Bath, and coconut oil.  The sugar helps to exfoliate, the Natural Calm Sports Bath pulls toxins out, exfoliates, and allows for minerals to be absorbed through the skin (for a stress relieving experience), and the coconut oil moisturizes and soothes dry skin.

I’m keeping a jar in the kitchen and a jar in the bathroom.  I have been loving scrubbing every rough part of my skin towards the end of my shower – elbows, knees, heels, hands – so that I don’t have to moisturize a ton when I get out.  I’ve even been using it for my face, and it feels and smells so heavenly.
I made some vanilla sugar to enhance the scent, and it couldn’t be easier to make.  You just toss the empty vanilla beans (after they’ve been scraped for recipes) into about 2 cups of sugar, and let them sit together for up to a week before using.  The vanilla really enhances any recipe, and it’s great in coffee or tea.  If you don’t have vanilla beans, that’s totally fine, too – you can add some vanilla extract into the coconut oil before adding it into the rest of the scrub.  If you don’t have Natural Calm Sports Bath, using a mineral sea salt is also fine!
I cannot say enough about how amazing your skin feels after using this scrub – baby soft.  I want to say like butter, but that sounds greasy to me, and it doesn’t feel greasy at all – just so lush and smooth.  And the smell must be pretty great (it is), because Tesla and Nymeria both kept trying to lick my hands like crazy after my first time using it.  Coconut loving kitties.. but yeah.  So fantastic.  Feel free to add any scented oils to mix it up a bit!

 

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Moisturizing Coconut-Vanilla Body Scrub

yields about 1 pint

Moisturizing Coconut-Vanilla Body Scrub

  • 1 cup coarse vanilla sugar (recipe below)
  • 1/3 cup Natural Calm Sports Bath (or mineral sea salt)
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil (the kind that smells like coconut)
    • To make vanilla sugar (makes 2 cups):
  • 2 cups coarse sugar (turbinado or raw cane sugar)
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped*

In a medium bowl, stir together the vanilla sugar and sports bath. Add in the coconut oil, and stir until combined - it'll be the texture of wet sand.

Transfer to an airtight container, and store at room temperature.

To use, place a dime-sized amount into the palm of your hand, and rub all over your hands (or whichever part of your body you want). Rinse off with warm water.

To make vanilla sugar:

In a small bowl, place the sugar. After scraping the vanilla bean (and using it for a recipe), take the empty pod and cut it into small pieces. Rub the pod into the sugar, coating the pod and getting out any excess seeds.

Place the sugar and the vanilla beans in an airtight container, and store in a cool place for about 3 days up to 1 week to let the flavors meld before using. Refill with sugar (and add more vanilla beans) as needed.

* If you don't have access to vanilla beans, you can stir about 1 T of vanilla extract into the coconut oil before combining it with the sugar mixture.

https://cookingalamel.com/2013/03/moisturizing-coconut-vanilla-body-scrub.html

Disclosure: Natural Vitality sent me free samples of their products, and I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own, and I was not paid or expected to write a positive review.