Honey & Sugar Scrub
I’ve always been interested in anything homemade. I love baking, making and creating and my most recent passion has been making my own homemade all natural skincare products.
Since I was a teenager I’ve battled with bad skin. I’ve tried all manner of different creams, lotions, potions and medicines and even ayurvedic herbal remedies. But unfortunately, nothing has ever had a long lasting effect.
So I decided perhaps it’s time I was kinder to my skin. Maybe what it really needs is a little tlc, a little thought, love and care. Something handmade with love, from great natural ingredients.
I’ve been researching different methods, ingredients and ideas and this is the first in my series of homemade products: the Honey & Sugar scrub.
Exfoliating is great for your skin, so long as you don’t overdo it. It removes dead skin cells helping to prevent blocking pores and avoid outbreaks. I have also personally found that using a scrub makes me feel super clean and my skin really lovely and soft so I thought that this would be a great starting point.
There are loads of ideas and recipes out there but what I really wanted was something quick, simple, effective and geared towards oily or problem skin.
When I came across the honey & sugar scrub idea initially I was a little disappointed. Only 2 ingredients!? I’d had visions of opening a treasure chest full of exotic and mysterious ingredients that I wold mix together in a cauldron to make some kind of magical skin potion.
But I’m a firm believer now that simplicity is best. Afterall, I was trying to avoid harsh chemicals, soaps and other products that might agitate my skin, so keeping things simple makes that a lot easier. And so far the result has been great. I love the way the scrub feels, it has exactly the right texture – grainy enough to let me feel like I’m really cleaning out my pores, smooth enough to sooth and comfort. The sugar gradually dissolves as I rub it in and it leaves my skin feeling clean and soft. Oh, and it smells amazing and if you happen to accidentally get it in your mouth when washing off, it also tastes delicious!
So, why honey and sugar?
Honey
Well, honey is a natural ingredient that has antibacterial properties so great for helping to
keep any nasty spot creating bacteria at bay. It is also moistursing and of course, it smells
great! Honey also has the consistency to mix well with the sugar and is smooth enough to spoon into a pot but stiff enough to apply without tons of mess. I used raw organic honey, which has the benefit of not losing any of its goodness through processing.
Sugar
Sugar has the right graininess to exfoliate your skin without being too harsh. It dissolves
easily in warm water so it’s easy to wash off. Unlike the dreaded microbeads that have been all over the news recently, it won’t harm the environment when you wash it down the drain, and unlike scrubs made with salt, it won’t dry out your skin so you’ll still get the moisurising effect of the honey working. I used fair trade organic brown sugar.
Method
For my scrub I mixed 1 tablespoon of honey with 2 tablespoons of sugar. I found that the sugar tends to settle at the bottom of the tub so you want to make sure you’re scooping some up from the bottom when you use it. I found that the longer I’ve kept the scrub that some of the sugar does dissolve into the honey so I’d say it’s better to put a little extra sugar in the beginning to make the scrub last longer.
So, if your skin is in need of a little tlc why not give this one a try?!
Have you tried his recipe? What did you think? Do you have your own homemade skin care product recipes or experiences? E-mail me at info@clairetaylormassage.co.uk. Or leave a comment on my facebook page.
