Sugar Scrubs and Whipped Shea!

My camera. It's still broken. It's a sad thing. I do, however, have a DSi, which doesn't take the greatest pictures, but should get the point across:




First, brown sugar scrub. Why brown sugar scrub? It's exfoliating and skin softening. I like using sugar more than salt - mostly because I'm a bit clumsy and tend to get little papercuts or nicks and dings on my hands throughout a day's work. I am but a humble labourer, and my day job really roughs my hands up. How, people ask me, do I keep them ever-so-soft and hydrated? Oh, I've got all sorts of little secrets. ;) Here is one:

1 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet almond oil
A few drops of Vitamin E
A couple of drips of Optiphen - a paraben-free preservative
Fragrance oil of your choice - I like using a bit of Pumpkin and Vanilla, and then I call the whole thing "Sugar & Spice Scrub" - mmmmm!

This one is so easy: mix all together and enjoy! I press the mix into 3oz jars - though the jars I like the most for this have been discontinued (shown in the picture), and I am switching out as of today to bigger, 8oz jars.

I wouldn't use this much more than once a week or so, it's quite a rigorous exfoliation. Give your hands a good scrub, then gently rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a clean towel. Let your hands rest for about ten minutes before topping off with a moisturizer.

Now, my next little secret, it's a bit more difficult, but really not that bad: Whipped Shea.

7 parts Shea Butter
2 parts Pistachio Butter
2 parts Jojoba Oil
A few drops Vitamin E
A few drops Liquid Silk
A few drops Glycerin
2 parts DryFlo (Modified Corn Starch)
A couple drops of Optiphen
Barely any fragrance oil

What you want to do with this stuff is to get it aerated. You'll need a good mixer - better if you have a whisk attachment. Put your butters and oils together in a metal bowl, blend them together, then put the bowl into the freezer for about five minutes. Take it out, then beat it for two minutes or so with the blender. Keep an eye on it, and make sure it all gets mixed well. Put the bowl back into the freezer for five more minutes. Take out and start beating it again, this time, drizzling the glycerin into the mix, the optiphen, and then slowly adding the DryFlo. The DryFlo helps cut back on the greasiness of the product. Keep in mind, this is a heavy moisturizer, so you're never going to quite get it to "lotion" consistency. That's not the point of this awesome stuff! You can add your fragrance oil at this point (or none, but I like to gently cover the nutty smell of the pistachio just a little bit, otherwise it has an "odd" smell). Once you've got all the ingredients in the bowl, start to really beat the stuff - turn up the speed a bit, and get it all. Six or seven minutes should get it all aerated nicely. Alright, you know what's coming: bung it back into the freezer again for five more minutes. Take it back out and whip it a little more. Two more minutes should finish it up.

Now you have a nice, fluffy bowl of moisturizer. I spoon it into 2oz white jars then finish it off with a little flourish - it almost looks edible. Ugh. Why do I make such delicious looking products? Anyway, just a little of this stuff goes a very long way. This is the moisturizer you want to use on your elbows, knees, knuckles, any rough spots. I find it better to use a little at the end of the day, or whenever you're ready to rest and relax. It's also a lovely moisturizer to spread thinly on your hands, pop on a pair of cotton gloves and go to bed.

Next post: cuticle cream, and whipped lip gloss!