Candy Cane Shower Scrub

With Halloween already over and Thanksgiving coming up tomorrow, Christmas is right around the corner! Like I mentioned in my last post, I love to use seasonal foods in my body products. This doesn't just apply to produce, though. My latest shower scrub uses one of the holiday season's most popular treats- Candy Canes! I love this scrub. It may sound cheesy, but the warm smell of peppermint instantly puts me in the holiday spirit and brings me back to those fond Christmas memories which we all know so well. This Candy Cane Shower Scrub leaves your skin feeling silky smooth, and also makes a wonderful holiday gift- just pour into a pretty air-tight canister and tie a bow and gift tag around the top! Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered candy canes (or 8 round peppermint candies)
3 tablespoons ground candy canes, for texture (not too big of pieces, or else they'll be sharp!)
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla powder OR seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoons vegetable glycerin
2 teaspoons grapeseed oil (any light oil, like olive, will work)
30 drops grapefruit seed extract OR 1 tablespoon citric acid
2 drops peppermint extract

Method

Combine sugar, powdered and ground candy canes, sea salt and vanilla. Stir in glycerin, oil, grapefruit seed extract (or citric acid) and peppermint extract. Add more oil if desired. Pour mixture into air-tight container. To use: briskly massage a handful of scrub into damp skin. Rinse.

Cranberry Orange Shower Scrub

 Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I couldn't be more excited! I love the whole holiday season. The cooling air, the short days, fires in the fireplace, and especially the wonderful foods of the season. Not only do I like to include seasonal ingredients in my dishes, but also in my homemade body products. What a wonderful way to utilize these different ingredients and bring the magic of the holidays into different parts of your day!

Since my mom makes homemade cranberry sauce every Thanksgiving, she has bags and bags of cranberries in her fridge. So I decided to make a shower scrub using cranberries and another popular holiday fruit: Oranges. This scrub does wonders for your skin. The sugar and salt slough off dead cells and makes your skin silky smooth. Cranberries are packed with antioxidants which protect the skin, especially from harsh winter weather. Oranges also contain antioxidants as well as Vitamin C, an amazing nutrient for the skin. (Learn about Vitamin C's skin benefits here)

This scrub looks good enough to eat and will make your skin sweetly soft and radiant!

Ingredients

1/3 cup fresh cranberries
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Use a food processor and puree cranberries and water. Combine puree with sugars, orange juice, salt and vanilla. To use, massage into damp skin while in shower, then rinse. Store scrub in refrigerator in an air-tight container.