by Snow Vandemore

Created on: July 31, 2008

Natural Facial Scrub Exfoliant Recipes You Can Make At Home

Rejuvenate a "tired" complexion, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, firm sagging skin, even out skin tone, moisturize and hydrate dry skin - these are all benefits of a regular facial exfoliation regimen. Creating your own natural, unique and effective facial exfoliants is a snap - the hardest part will be deciding which recipe to try first!

To begin, you'll need a small mixing bowl and sturdy mixing spoon. Have a clean, empty glass jar or plastic container on hand to store any leftover product - choose a 4-ounce container with a tight-fitting lid (you'll finally have an opportunity to use some of those empty yogurt or cottage cheese containers you've been saving - they are ideal for this project.)

That's all there is to it - so let's begin!

ORANGE JULIUS VITAMIN C FACIAL EXFOLIANT

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sea salt or other coarse salt
Juice from half an orange, strained

Thoroughly mix the salt with the orange juice, being careful not to crush the salt granules.

Benefits: Exfoliate dead skin cells, tones sagging skin, rejuvenates complexion.

HONEY BEE MOISTURIZING FACIAL SCRUB

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plain yogurt or buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon honey

Mix together the sugar and yogurt or buttermilk. Slowly incorporate enough honey to make a smooth paste.

Benefits: Sluffs dead skin cells, cleanses and moisturizes, anti-bacterial.

SUNNY CITRUS EXFOLIATING SCRUB

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 lemon or orange

Mix together the honey and granulated sugar. Add just enough of the lemon or orange juice to create a thick paste.

Benefits: Hydration, anti-bacterial, moisturizing, exfoliation, tightens and tones sagging skin.

OH-SO-KISSABLE SKIN SOFTENING SCRUB

2 tablespoons cornmeal
1-2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Mix together the cornmeal and buttermilk. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a thick paste is achieved.

Benefits: Gentle exfoliation, moisturizes and hydrates dry skin.

EASY-DOES-IT CLEANSING SCRUB

Ingredients:

8 tablets aspirin (325 mgs size)
Water

Place aspirin into a plastic zip bag and seal. Using a rolling pin or meat tenderizing mallet, crush the tablets into a fine dust. Mix with just enough water to form a thin paste.

Benefits: Removes dead skin cells, conditions.

EXPERIMENT WITH OTHER INGREDIENTS

Once you've tried a couple of these exfoliating scrubs, you'll be tempted to create your own signature formulas. Here are some additional ingredients you can substitute into any of the above recipes to make one-of-a-kind exfoliants designed specifically for your individual skin type and preferences:

Yogurt: Buttermilk, mayonnaise, mashed avocado, grated cucumber, aloe vera gel, lightly-beaten egg whites

Sugar: Crushed almond or walnut shell (make sure you are not allergic,) sea salt, cornmeal, ground oatmeal, ground coffee, crushed green tea leaves, coarsely ground flax seed.

Olive Oil: Soybean oil, wheat germ oil

Water: Rosewater, cooled green tea, cooled black coffee

APPLYING EXFOLIANTS AND SCRUBS

Always start with a clean face before applying the exfoliant. Apply the mixture gently to your face with your fingertips, in an even, circular motion for one to two minutes. Rinse completely with lukewarm water, then follow up with a cool water rinse.

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