Salt Rub Recipe

As you may have noticed I don’t make salt scrubs to sell since sugar is gentler and I don’t have to worry about customers exfoliating with too much pressure.  Too much exfoliation goes beyond removing the dead skin from the surface – it often removes some of the healthy skin that you just exposed.  However, winter’s temperatures makes us bundle up and we don’t spot areas on our bodies that need a little TLC until it’s really noticeable, like dry elbows that suddenly catch on your thermal shirt when you try to put on.  *grin*

I thought that you might like an easy recipe that you can mix up in just moments and it goes a long way.  I ran across this recipe written by Lauren Cox in her EcoBeauty book, but honestly I change stuff in it every time.  *laugh*  I love that you can always change things to suit your needs and this is a really versatile recipe.  Her recipe calls for 2 cups of kosher salt, 1 cup of almond oil, and 2 to 3 drops of essential oil (optional).  I am really sensitive, so I use fine dead sea salts, but whatever kind you like is fine except really coarse salt, like rock salt or large grain dead sea salt that resembles small rocks.  I love to switch the salt for Epsom Salt, too, which isn’t really a salt (it’s actually magnesium sulfate), but has so many anti-inflammatory properties (totally random here, but don’t you hate when a word doesn’t have a set rule of hyphen or no hyphen?  When I worked in a neurology office all of the literature spelled it as “antiinflammatory”, but almost everywhere else it has a hyphen, so I am always going back and forth…anyway lol).  Almond Oil is usually really called Sweet Almond Oil and you can find it at health stores, some craft stores like Hobby Lobby (although they’re pretty small usually), and even our favorite Walmart started selling it near the vitamins.  Essential Oils (EOs) are getting easier and easier to get hold of now, so when you’re not having to buy a lot of them to use in stuff to sell, you can totally get away with a small bottle from Hobby Lobby or your health food store.  I like to use Peppermint EO as a pick-me-up, but sometimes I even use an FO like chocolate when I’m more into pleasing all of my senses.  *smile*

Stir everything together into a thick paste and put it in a clean jar with a tight lid.  This mixture can be kept in a cool and dry spot for a month or two.  (The time depends on what you put in it since some things spoil faster.  Thankfully mine have never gotten moldy or anything, but it gets a really weird, dusty smell that’s hard to describe when it turns.  Basically if it doesn’t smell like it did when you made it, toss it!)  You use it just like a sugar scrub, so take a handful and massage it into your skin when you’re in the shower.  I wouldn’t want to sit in the mixture with a bunch of dead skin it took off, so I don’t advise a bath, but that’s me.  The author recommends to start at your feet, but I can tell you from personal experience that you really shouldn’t do that!  First off, when you start at the bottom you’re less likely to work all of the way up.  It’s one of those odd human nature things.  Second, scrubbing your feet in the shower with anything that has an oil in it is seriously dangerous.  I love Lauren Cox’s recipes, but that instruction makes me freak out.  *grin*  Anyway, do your feet when you’re sitting all comfy and can remain seated until they’re dry or covered, pretty please.  Back to the instructions…massage it into your body and rinse really well with warm water.  It has a tendency to cling like sand in your shorts after being at the beach, so take your time.  *laugh*  One key thing that she writes is to not use soap afterward, because it will remove the oil and the moisturizing benefits.  When you run your hand over your skin it’ll have a silky and “coated” feeling, and the water will bead up on the surface due to the oil.  It seems totally counterproductive, but this protective barrier actually keeps moisture in your skin and makes it look healthier.

Although you can massage it over your general body (no face or delicate zones), I personally only use salt scrub on the really dry zones that need the extra umph.  I use a sugar scrub for the large zones.  Please keep in mind when you use a salt scrub to use really light pressure.  Most people are really uncoordinated when using just the ring finger and pinky, so those are the two fingers I use when I massage salts.  I look like a freak, but no one sees, so who cares?!  *grin*  Play with the recipe too!  Some days I scoop a bit out into a bowl and stir in some dark cocoa powder to it, and use that mixture.  I love adding a bit of honey to it too.  If you ever want some ideas for what might be a beneficial additive just take a look at the “Natural Benefits” page of my website or get hold of me.  I love to talk with customers, especially about benefits.

I hope you enjoy trying this out and find the perfect blend for you.  If you ever have trouble getting hold of the ingredients, don’t hesitate to contact me.  I’m help you get what you’re looking for.  Happy pampering!!