I have never been one for sugar scrubs. I have oily skin and the idea of putting something with more oil in it on my face, regardless of how ‘scrubby’ it claimed to be–appalling. But after reading that sucrose in a good oil actually has alpha-hydroxy (chemical exfoliant) properties, I thought I might give it a try. Besides, I had a lot of dried basil in the garage.

SUGAR SCRUB

1. Get a handful of dried herbs. I like basil. You could also do calendula, lavender, rosemary, whatever you have on hand and know that you’re not allergic to.

2. Buzz them in the coffee grinder until you’re sick of it.


3. Put the following in a bowl:

  • 3/4 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 c olive oil
  • 1T herbs (1-3 different kinds if you like)
  • 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil


5. Stir until blended.

6. It will be QUITE grainy, but trust me, it’s awesome.


7. Store in airtight container and keep it by your sink or in the shower. If you are a SLOW user of this kind of thing, you may want to add a tsp of vegetable glycerin or make sure that you use an anti-microbial essential oil.

TO USE: Take a handful and GENTLY apply to face. Don’t whale on it like you can with that St Ives Apricot stuff. You’ll scrub your whole face off. Gently. Leave on for two minutes. Rinse. Do a little icky-dance about the residual oily feel and rinse 12 more times. Realize that you’re no longer beading up and the smooth feeling is actually YOUR SKIN. Dry your face and hope that you don’t wake up feeling like a greasy loaf of foccacia in the morning. (….and I didn’t. Not greasy at all. WEIRD.)

Ivory