In search of something to tame unruly eye-brows I went back to Shopper’s Drugmart one day. I perused the “natural” cosmetic counter, peering at the ingredients list of face washes, moisturizers and acne creams. What constitutes “natural” ingredients? I wondered. Surely a case can be made that petroleum is natural because it was derived from the earth at one point. However, when it comes to cosmetics, for me, at least (and call me demanding), I believe that what goes on your body should also be safe to go in your body. After all, that’s where it will eventually end up; our skin is a giant sponge. Alas, even the “natural” products at most commercial drug stores and even many health food stores don’t fit that criteria (i.e.: being edible). Many of them still contain additives and preservatives. Many of them even contain harmful chemicals. And, of course, slapping the word “natural” on the product, despite being cheaper to make, automatically justifies a 90% price increase. Save yourselves.

I’ve recently gotten into scrubs. No, not the comfy kind they wear at the hospital, but those are awesome too. I’m talking about the granular pastes that scrub your skin clean. They are one part exfoliant, one part moisturizing oil and every part delicious (does that even make sense?). The easiest way to make them is with olive oil (edible) and sugar (also edible, but don’t, it’s better to put it on your skin, your intestines will thank you). They make great gifts and I’ve become attached to this recipe for myself. It smells delicious (like cookie dough) and gives skin a smooth, silky soft texture. It’s perfect for dull, dry winter skin.

Vanilla Spice Sugar Scrub:

Ingredients: 

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup olive oil (or another light-weight oil like apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil, jajoba oil, etc.)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

1 tsp vitamin E oil (optional)

1 small glass jar (about 250-350 ml)

Directions: 

Mix ingredients together and add to the glass jar. Make sure the brown sugar is free of clumps and the olive oil is distributed evenly throughout the dry ingredients. In the shower, massage the scrub over your skin in small circles. Rinse off with water. After your shower, towel dry by patting skin so that you don’t rub off the excess oil. Enjoy your smooth, moisturized skin until the next shower!