handmade vanilla brown sugar scrub

There are many of these recipes floating around the web, but I recently made a batch to give as gifts so I thought I would share my method with you.

This recipe will fill four half-pint jars. I found these nice wide-mouth Ball jars at walmart with the canning equipment.

Mix together one and a half {1 1/2} cups of white sugar and one and a half {1 1/2} cups of dark brown sugar. Light brown sugar works just as well. I also added a couple of table spoons of course sea salt for more exfoliation.

I also added the 'caviar' from one vanilla bean. It is for the fragrance and not necessary. But boy, does it smell yummy!

Spoon about two cups of the sugar/salt/vanilla bean mixture back into the measuring cup and pack it down. Then pour extra virgin olive oil over the top. You want it to soak through about half the mixture with a little left on top.

Mix up the ingredients in the measuring cup and pour into the bowl with the other sugar/salt/vanilla mixture. Add about four or five tablespoons of pure vanilla extract {not the fake stuff}.

Spoon the mixture into your jar and pack it down some - mostly just so it gets into the corners of the jar. Then add one tablespoon of vanilla extract to the top of the mixture. It will seep into the mixture, but it pretty much insures that you will smell vanilla when you open it up.

Now go hop in the shower and give it a try! You can use it anywhere, but it will leave an oily film on your skin since it's made with olive oil. Just wash up with your body wash or facial cleanser to get that off. If you scoop it out with your fingers, it's recommended that you refrigerate it between uses. If you'd rather leave it in your bathroom just use a popsicle stick or spoon to scoop it out. :)

Here is a list of ingredients needed:
1 1/2 cups of white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, dark or light
2-3 tablespoons of coarse sea salt
1/2 cup of olive oil {approximately}
10 tablespoons of pure vanilla extract
1 whole vanilla bean {optional}

Next I want to try a citrus salt scrub! Vanilla or lemon scented things are my favorite! What is your favorite fragrance?

xoxo, christa