A Boost for Your Skin
I was recently asked how to make a natural exfoliating face scrub. This was not something I had done before and I was up for the challenge. Whenever I experiment with new recipes, I always test them out on myself first.
After experimenting quite a bit and trying different scrubs on my own face, I settled on a favourite that contains only three ingredients – coconut oil, sugar, and lemon essential oil. Coconut oil may sound a bit too greasy for your face, but I find that using the scrub right before a shower and then rinsing it off in the shower, leaves my skin feeling soft and supple but not greasy. The benefits of coconut oil are immeasurable. It keeps skin smooth to the touch and helps it to retain its moisture content. It also has strong disinfectant and antimicrobial properties. Additionally, it contains Vitamin E which is incredibly nourishing for the skin. The sugar, of course, is an exfoliant. I recommend using berry sugar rather than regular granulated sugar. You don’t need to scrub very hard, just lightly on your face. The heavy hitter in this little recipe is the lemon essential oil. It is calming, astringent, detoxifying, and antifungal, to name only a few of its powerful properties. The number one thing that I love about this scrub is that it reduces the redness and blotchiness in my face.
The recipe is below. Give it a try yourself!
~Sue
Lemon Coconut Oil Face Scrub
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup sugar
30 drops lemon essential oil
Place coconut oil in a microwavable measuring cup or bowl and microwave for about 30-45 seconds to soften. Then mix in sugar and lemon oil. The mixture should be more on the sugary side, so add a bit more sugar if it seems too oily to you. I store mine in small mason jars. This scrub does not need to be refrigerated.
Enjoy!
dragon time
I’m pretty sure that a lot of you, women, can totally relate to when it comes to our “favourite” time of the month how crazy we can get…
I love chocolate and once I get to a week or less before my PMS, you can bet that there won’t be any chocolate left in my sight. I have never had a regular cycle and usually the first two days are accompanied by cramps in my lower abdomen and lower back. I used to take Advil for the pain otherwise I wouldn’t be able to get through the first two days.
But since I’ve switched to essential oils, I knew that I want some natural support in this area as well. Last month I’ve finally got my hands on Dragon Time. The first time I smelled it, I have to confess that I wasn’t impressed at all. The thing is, I don’t like the smell of black licorice and the scent reminded me of it a lot. BUT, I was left with a choice – I will take the Advil for the pain (which I hated to do) or I will get over the smell and use the oil. Of course I went the natural way. And to my surprise, the smell of this oil hasn’t bothered me at all while I put it on myself.
Yesterday the first day came again and I went and applied the Dragon time right away. I was so surprised that the pain was gone within 10-15 minutes. I applied the oil before going to bed once again and for the first time in months, I wasn’t awaken by a pms pain at night. I slept through the whole night absolutely pain free. I made a little roll on to take to work with me and I applied the mix one more time during the day on my lower abdomen and lower back. I was really happy to get through the day without the cramps.
My roll on: 10 or so drops of Dragon Time in a 10ml amber roll-on glass bottle and topped with carrier oil (I use V6 from Young Living). The 15ml bottle of Dragon Time blend will last for many months to come since I used only 10 drops for my roll-on mix.
Here is a little info about Dragon Time from the Essential Oils Desk Reference Book:
- this blend relieves PMS symptoms and menstrual discomforts, including cramping and irregular periods. It helps balance emotions, alleviating mood swings and headaches caused by hormonal imbalance.
- Ingredients: fennel, clary sage, marjoram, lavender, yarrow, jasmine
From now on, I will carry this little gem in my purse to have it on hand when needed. And let’s be honest, the name of this oil is just so spot on!
So the next time, ladies, when you feel like you are about to change into three-headed dragon, just grab this bottle and roll it on.
~ Gabi
