Salt scrubs are really easy to make. It's just a matter of experimenting to determine how much salt and how much oil you prefer. Ingredients can be found at grocery and health food stores, places like Wal-Mart, etc.
For salts, you can use epsom, sea or even table salt. The type of salt isn't what's important. The whole purpose of the salt scrub is exfoliation, so any salt will do. However, use small-grained salt as the larger grains would be a killer.
For oil, you can use any vegetable oil you can find ... olive, canola, soy, sunflower, etc. The more expensive oils, such as avocado and apricot, are good too, but aren't really worth it if you're buying from a health food store (mark up is unreal). If you can visit an international or Asian market, look for almond oil. You can generally find it a good price. This will be regular almond oil, not sweet almond, which is a further refined oil and more expensive. Regular almond oil is a heavy oil, much like olive.
Experiment with small amounts until you find the salt to oil ratio you like. Some people like it drippy with oil, some people prefer less oil. It's all a matter of preference. A good ratio to start with is 2 parts salt to 1 part oil. For experimenting, work with tablespoons as your measuring part. Each time you try a new ratio, test it out and see how you like it. Once you find the ratio you like, you're ready to add extras, which aren't necessary, but can be nice.
If you want to add scent, use only fragrance oils that are approved for bath & body use (not all are and using candle or potpourri fragrance in a bath product can cause serious injury), or use pure essential oils. Add the fragrance or essential oil by drops. Essential oils should be used at a maximum of 15 drops per ounce of oil. When it comes to scent, remember that one, it really isn't necessary for the scrubs, just a nice to have extra, and two, less is more.
Essential oils can be added for their benefits. For example, peppermint makes a refreshing foot scrub, rosemary is stimulating, lavender is great for general skin care, and grapefruit is good for devitalized skin. You can combine essential oils for their effects.
You can also add a bit of liquid or gel soap, usually added at about 1/2 part. It can help emulsify the scrub (hold it all together), but really isn't necessary. It also helps cut the slipperiness or greasiness of the oil a bit.
To use salt scrubs, gently rub a small amount on the area you wish to exfoliate. The larger the area, the more scrub you need. Rub until the oil is almost all absorbed and the salt starts to fall off your skin as you rub. Rinse to wash off any remaining salt, dry, and apply lotion, cream or oil. This method prevents the slippery tub mess, and allows your skin to absorb oil.
Precautions: Do not use salt scrubs on open wounds, areas that are irritated already, or on areas with acne (exfoliation like this is a big no-no for acne). Do not scrub too briskly ... remember that a salt scrub is abrasive! If irritation occurs, discontinue use immediately. Do not overuse fragrance or essential oils in your mix ... either can cause problems.
Store salt scrubs in a glass container if you use essential oils. Many essential oils will eat most plastics over time. Mix scrubs thoroughly before using, and pour or scoop out only what you need at one time. Put it in a plastic dish that you can take to the tub/shower. This will prevent injury that can be caused by glass breaking in the shower, plus pouring/scooping out what you need instead of sticking your fingers in it will help prevent contamination of the scrubs.
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For salts, you can use epsom, sea or even table salt. The type of salt isn't what's important. The whole purpose of the salt scrub is exfoliation, so any salt will do. However, use small-grained salt as the larger grains would be a killer.
For oil, you can use any vegetable oil you can find ... olive, canola, soy, sunflower, etc. The more expensive oils, such as avocado and apricot, are good too, but aren't really worth it if you're buying from a health food store (mark up is unreal). If you can visit an international or Asian market, look for almond oil. You can generally find it a good price. This will be regular almond oil, not sweet almond, which is a further refined oil and more expensive. Regular almond oil is a heavy oil, much like olive.
Experiment with small amounts until you find the salt to oil ratio you like. Some people like it drippy with oil, some people prefer less oil. It's all a matter of preference. A good ratio to start with is 2 parts salt to 1 part oil. For experimenting, work with tablespoons as your measuring part. Each time you try a new ratio, test it out and see how you like it. Once you find the ratio you like, you're ready to add extras, which aren't necessary, but can be nice.
If you want to add scent, use only fragrance oils that are approved for bath & body use (not all are and using candle or potpourri fragrance in a bath product can cause serious injury), or use pure essential oils. Add the fragrance or essential oil by drops. Essential oils should be used at a maximum of 15 drops per ounce of oil. When it comes to scent, remember that one, it really isn't necessary for the scrubs, just a nice to have extra, and two, less is more.
Essential oils can be added for their benefits. For example, peppermint makes a refreshing foot scrub, rosemary is stimulating, lavender is great for general skin care, and grapefruit is good for devitalized skin. You can combine essential oils for their effects.
You can also add a bit of liquid or gel soap, usually added at about 1/2 part. It can help emulsify the scrub (hold it all together), but really isn't necessary. It also helps cut the slipperiness or greasiness of the oil a bit.
To use salt scrubs, gently rub a small amount on the area you wish to exfoliate. The larger the area, the more scrub you need. Rub until the oil is almost all absorbed and the salt starts to fall off your skin as you rub. Rinse to wash off any remaining salt, dry, and apply lotion, cream or oil. This method prevents the slippery tub mess, and allows your skin to absorb oil.
Precautions: Do not use salt scrubs on open wounds, areas that are irritated already, or on areas with acne (exfoliation like this is a big no-no for acne). Do not scrub too briskly ... remember that a salt scrub is abrasive! If irritation occurs, discontinue use immediately. Do not overuse fragrance or essential oils in your mix ... either can cause problems.
Store salt scrubs in a glass container if you use essential oils. Many essential oils will eat most plastics over time. Mix scrubs thoroughly before using, and pour or scoop out only what you need at one time. Put it in a plastic dish that you can take to the tub/shower. This will prevent injury that can be caused by glass breaking in the shower, plus pouring/scooping out what you need instead of sticking your fingers in it will help prevent contamination of the scrubs.
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