Sugar Cookie Scrub!

A mother's day present taken from class blog - 

http://myreggiolifestyle.blogspot.jp/

 This was one of my favourite crafts with the kids!

...And it was certainly the best smelling one too!

When we made Chai tea last month, the class could not get enough of the cinammon!
With this in mind, I knew this was the perfect activity for their Mother's Day present!

We call it Cookie Sugar Scrub and it can be used on the hands, face, feet and body. it is one hundred percent edible too but as it is all sugar, it might not be the best thing to do!

They all had a blast mixing it all and filling the jars!



Ingredients - 

1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oil (we used pure olive oil)
1 tsbp cinammon
1 tsbp nutmeg
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Au naturel - air freshener!

OK, time to share the recipe as it has worked so well and is so yummy and divine and....natural! Happiness!

Stewing in vodka!

Blinging up the bottles!

Take the zest of some lemons (I didn't even use that many) and add to some vodka (again, there wasn't much left....!) and let it sit in an airtight container and stew for a few days.

After that, simply add water to the mix, choose some oils and serve it up in something pretty!



It's the best air freshener ever!

(Scents so far include, lime, lemongrass, rosemary and a mix with lavender and marjoram!)

Note - this could work as an anti mozzie repellent if you add citronella oil!!!

(The mix I made just a few days earlier with the bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice and water with essential oil failed. The lemon juice goes off to quickly if it isn't preserved with alcohol and it was no longer freshening the air. It did make for a good laundry detergent for some smelly shoes, mind!)

Au naturel

So, I had to update the little note book I had for writing down my ideas. Actually, Elbi devoured it, but in hindsight it was far too small.

Olive oil page

Home made body scrubs page

reusing coffee grounds

This self-sufficiency / natural turn in our lives takes a lot of time, (even if not a lot of ingredients!) and my book needed the upgrade.

Top favourites for the house and avoiding palm oil as well as many chemicals include, olive oil, vinegar, lemons and bicarbonate of soda and that is one house cleaned, refreshed and ready for action! There is a lot to learn and remember, but writing it all done helps!

It does take time to prepare things...if only I could eliminate the days I have to work....

This morning, I actually tried to make air freshener - just lemon juice, water, bicarbonate of soda and some nice smelly oils. It's really watery when you spray, but, it's great!!

I also have some lemon zest soaking in vodka - that too will make an air freshener in just a few days...or just lemon vodka....!!!

Left - green tea, vinegar, tea tree oil toner
Right - Olive oil
Centre - Lush hair cream/conditioner

Oh, and I have given up making my own shampoo...it was too tricky for someone in a hurry. I decided to stick to all things Lush. They are even eliminating palm oil from their products, so you know it's a company you can rely on! Must not forget the fact that it smells divine!!!

Scrubs

So, in Bali, we had a bottle of olive oil going spare. I think we cooked just the once, but it was so much easier (and cheaper) to eat out, so we had some ingredients to spare.

I did not want this oil to go to waste. I was convinced that we could do something better with it than throw it down the sink.

So, I started googling like crazy!

I found many options.

Olive oil makes for a great conditioner for the scalp. You can simply massage it in for 5 or 10 minutes and then leave it to do its work. You should wear a shower cap to a) style it out and b) (most importantly) not get anything covered with oil.

Now, here is where it gets exciting.

Olive oil and sugar together form a great body (and face, according to some) scrub.

Olive oil & Sugar

I use it on my lips. It scrubs, but it's gentle enough not to make your lips sore or go bright red.

It is great for the body too (especially the legs). The oil hydrates the skin and the sugar gently exfoliates, leaving a very polished feel. Not only is it cheap, but it is simply divine. You can add essential oils too for that extra scent.

Honey, lemon & sugar

Another lovely body scrub is the very simple mix of honey, lemon juice (fresh, of course! Orange also works well.) and sugar, once again.

This is lovely and smells great in the morning; the citrus is vibrant, the honey is soothing and the sugar, well, scrubs.

You need good pots!