Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Author's Note: Dear readers, Thank you for making the Candy Cane Sugar Scrub the most popular Natural Beauty Workshop recipe ever! I am thrilled with the success of this recipe, and have truly enjoyed sharing it with you all.

Due to its success, we've added the Candy Cane Sugar Scrub Craft Kit to our line of New Body Care Craft Kits at FromNatureWithLove.com. Happy Holidays and Happy Crafting, from all of us, here at FromNatureWithLove.com!

Since scrubs are one of my all time favorite bath and body products, I've decided to feature a new scrub recipe every month on The Natural Beauty Workshop. Every month I will share a different recipe using some of our favorite natural and complimentary ingredients. I'm looking forward to the challenge of creating new and interesting scrubs on a regular basis.

The first scrub of this series was inspired by one of the season's sweetest mascots, the candy cane. Creamy Shealoe Butter has been scented with peppermint and mixed into white sugar. Red Jojoba Wax Beads give this recipe an added flair of color! Shealoe Butter is a wonderful base for scrubs. It adds a thick texture, an even consistency, and it rinses away without any additional emulsifier.

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

1/2 cup Shealoe Butter*
10 tablespoons Granulated White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Red Jojoba Wax Beads
2 teaspoons White or Pale Yellow Beeswax
1/2 teaspoon of Peppermint Essential Oil** or Fragrance Oil

Directions

To create a duo-colored scrub, like the one pictured, you'll need two small mixing bowls. Add 5 Tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. In a double boiler, melt 1 teaspoon of white beeswax completely.

Next, add 1/4 cup of Shealoe Butter to the double boiler and turn the burner off. Be careful to warm the Shealoe Butter very gently. Overheating Shealoe Butter can cause it to separate. When it has melted completely, stir the butter and wax mixture into one of the bowls of sugar.

Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of fragrance or essential oil to the bowl and stir. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Red Jojoba Wax beads and mix well. Pour the mixture into a resealable bag. Repeat this process with the second bowl of sugar, this time, leaving the Red Jojoba Wax Beads out of the mixture.

To make the piping easier, refrigerate the bags of scrub for ten-fifteen minutes. When the scrub is ready, roll one bag's contents into the corner of the bag and cut the corner. Just like piping icing onto a cake, pipe your scrub onto the walls of a clear jar. This may take some practice, but even if you're lines aren't perfectly straight, it should create a lovely effect. Repeat this step with the second color of scrub. When the walls are covered, pipe the remaining scrub into the center of the jar in whatever style you prefer.

This scrub can also be made in one color. This is a little easier, but it still looks lovely. Instead of mixing two separate bowls, as described above, simply mix all of your ingredients in one bowl and spoon into a clear jar!

Packaging, Usage & Preservation

A natural or synthetic preservative may be added to this recipe at your own discretion. For information on preservatives, please visit our informational library. Without a preservative, this product should be used up as soon as possible, ideally within 3 weeks. If it not preserved, or if it is preserved with a natural agent, please handle this product with care. Keep the jar closed and in a cool, dry area. Do not bring the jar into the shower or bath. Instead, use a clean spoon or popsicle stick to scoop single portions into a paper or plastic cup.

This beautiful scrub looks great in a clear container. Try a PET jar to show it off!

Directions

There are many scrubbing techniques out there, but this is one I am particularly fond of. Step into the shower and before turning the water on, scrub your body all over! (Of course, avoiding very sensitive areas or broken skin.) When you are thoroughly scrubbed, turn the shower on and rinse. When the shower is over, make sure to moisturize your skin with a body oil, cream, or lotion.

*This scrub yields about 4 ounces of scrub. However, you may lose some product in the piping bags. To ensure that you make enough to completely fill a jar, you may want to add 1-2 extra tablespoons of Shealoe Butter to this recipe.

**Peppermint Essential Oil should not be used around babies and small children.

Source: http://www.naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/scrub_of_the_month/page/2/