I’ve spend a ton of money over the years on expensive body lotions, creams and scrubs, but I never really found something that was good enough to stick to. I have of course found some good ones, but I’ve found them to be too expensive for daily use. First of all, scrubs are for scrubbing dead skin cells of and renewing the skin, and lotions/creams are for moisturizing afterwards, it’s not rocket science like alot of companys try to make us believe in commercials. I don’t mind spending money on something that gives me a good experience while using it, and a good result in the end.. but let’s face it, I’d rather spend my money on something more fun and flashy than dead skin cells!

The last couple of years I’ve been making my own body scrubs and using virgin (mmhhmm.. virgin!) coconut oil as moisturizer on my body, and my skin has never felt or looked nicer!

Let’s start with the lovely coconut oil:

You need a good cold pressed, virgin coconut oil for the best results, don’t get too cheap on this, and just remind yourself what you would spend on a cosmetic brand body lotion or cream. I get mine from an organic brand called ‘Urtekram’ we have here in DK, and it’s still under half price of what I would spend on creams or lotions, and lasts longer.

The good thing about coconut oil is that it’s very moisturizing and also anti bacterial so it works wonders on blemishes and scratches. For an oil, it absorbs quite quickly if you work it into the skin straight after the shower while the skin is nice and damp. I wait until after I’ve done my makeup and hair to put on clothes, and in that time my skin feels smooth and soft but not oily. If you get waxed like I do, the anti bacterial benefits are also brilliant because your skin is quite open and vunarable the first few days after a wax.

The body scrubs are also a very easy to make and a nice way to give yourself a good treat in the shower. The main thing is that you need something that scrubs (can for exsample be salt, sugar or coffee) and something that binds it (whatever oil you like, coconut, almond or even olive oil). You need 2 parts scrub and 1 part binder to make it work, and then you can pimp it with whatever kind og fragrance or herbs you like.

Here are the recipes for 2 of my personal faves:

Coffee/sugar scrub:

🔸 1 part ground coffee beans

🔸 1 part brown sugar

🔸 1 part coconut oil (coconut oil becomes liquid at 25 C, so you can heat it a tiny bit in a microwave or just work it till it becomes liquid)

 

Salt/lemon/rosemary scrub:

🔸 2 parts sea salt

🔸 1 part almond oil

🔸 Grated peel of one lemon and juice of half of it

🔸 A generous amount of chopped fresh rosmary

If it becomes too liquid you just add more salt till you are satisfied with the texture.

I make small batches so they keep fresh, and scrub every other day, except for up to a wax where I go all in every day, to prepare the skin and fight ingrown hairs. How much you need to scrub is individual and depends on your skin, if you get irritated or too red, then you should chill out a bit. Remember to moisturize afterwards.

If you have any other ideas for DIY skincare or other scrub ideas, please leave a comment, I would love to get some inspiration! ❤️