homemade facial scrub & deodorant

I've been using these recipes for facial scrub and deodorant and I'm totally hooked! My skin is very sensitive and I have a couple of contact allergies so simple, gentle, natural ingredients are important to me.

The facial scrub was inspired my Rosemary Gladstar's book, Family Herbal. I modified her recipe for cleansing grains, just making simpler and perfect for a calming, soothing, scrub!

I make the facial scrub in a small food processor with just three ingredients... oatmeal, almonds, and lavender flowers. You don't really have to measure it, but a mix of about 1/3 cups of oatmeal, a handful of almonds (raw & unsalted), and 1 tablespoon of lavender seems to have a good balance. Process the ingredients until they are evenly ground, but still nice and gritty.

I store my scrub in a spice jar on the bathroom shelf, which is convenient for shaking out a little at a time. To use the scrub, put a little in the palm of your hand and mix with a few drops of water. Dampen your face a bit and gently rub in the scrub. I like to use it for at least a full minute, sometimes longer. The oats really start to soften and make your skin feel wonderful. Just google "oatmeal and skin" for a bunch of information on the benefits of oats.

I found the deodorant recipe here, and it had me at the words "coconut oil"! Coconut oil is so rich and good for the skin, I love it love it love it. Before trying this recipe, I was using a homemade deodorant powder but wasn't happy with the way it sat on my skin and seemed to wear off. This recipe fixes that problem by adding the coconut oil - otherwise, it is pretty much the same. Coconut oil is genius.

To make the deodorant, mix 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder and 1/4 cup of baking soda in a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of room temperature coconut oil and about 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (I used sweet orange oil in this batch, it smells great!). Stir it vigorously with a fork to mix it all together. When it is all mixed and creamy, store it in a lidded container at room temperature. To use, scoop out a little bit and rub it onto your skin. Coconut oil melts right into your skin, it's amazing!

Let me know if you give either of these recipes a try!