Heavenly Homemade Sugar Scrubs

Lets be honest moms, 5 minutes is about all the time was have to indulge, right? I take my 5 minutes in the morning and use my sugar scrub in the shower a few times a week.  

I have loved sugar scrub and sea salt scrub for years but have bought it very sparingly in the past due to the price in the stores. 

About a year ago I discovered homemade sugar scrub on Pintrest. 
I gave it a try and not only did I fall in love with it, I love it MORE than the store bought stuff. 

There are so many great things about it. 
~The ability to chose any sugar granule type and size. 
~Use any scent.
~Very inexpensive.
~Whip up a batch in a matter of minutes.
~Great as gifts for friends and family.

There is so much more but my favorite is that it leaves my skin softer than a babies bottom and I feel like i've just had a mini spa treatment!!!


Here are my 3 favorite recipes for sugar scrub. 

My favorite energizing summer scrub:

Ingredients

• 1 cup fine sea salt (course if you like a rougher scrub)
• 1 cup Sugar (raw or granulated)
• Orange essential oil or Orange extract
• 1/3 cup coconut Oil (add more or less if needed to achieve desired texture)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl combine the sugar and salt.
2. Add Coconut Oil and orange extract.  Stir until well blended. (this will require some mushing around if the oil is in a more solid state, if you want you can slightly heat is just enough to make it runny, then it will be easier to mix. Careful, it gets hot fast!)
3. You should try for a texture similar to damp sand.
4. Store covered in a tight container. (I recommend plastic container if you are keeping it in the shower.)

Inspired by the recipe at:
http://www.deliciouslyorganized.com/2011/07/diy-summer-scrub.html

My favorite scrub to use in the fall:

Pumpkin Brown Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

• 1 cups Brown Sugar
• 1 cup White Sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup coconut Oil (add more or less if needed to achieve desired texture)

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl combine the sugars and spices.
2. Add Coconut Oil and stir until well blended. (this will require some mushing around if the oil is in a more solid state, if you want you can slightly heat is just enough to make it runny, then it will be easier to mix. Careful, it gets hot fast!)
3. You may add more if your scrub is too dry.
4. You should try for a texture similar to damp sand.
5. Cover in a tight container. (I recommend plastic container if you are keeping it in the shower.)

Adapted from the recipe at: http://www.theidearoom.net/tag/pumpkin-spice-sugar-scrubs

My favorite winter time scrub:

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

Red food coloring

Peppermint extract (you can use essential oil too, found at a local craft store, but a few drops of extract do the same thing and is much less expensive!)

Directions

Mix sugar and coconut oil until it resembles the consistency of damp sand.

Separate the mixture into two bowls

In one bowl add a drop or two of red food coloring and mix throughly until it is a nice pink color.

In the other bowl add several drops of peppermint extract and mix thoroughly.

Layer pink and white layers into a plastic jar. 

If you go to the original site you can get the free labels pictured above to put on the jar!

http://www.couponsandfreebiesmom.com/2013/11/homemade-peppermint-sugar-scrub.html

Product Review: Eye Creams

This week as I was putting on and taking off my make up I was thinking how much I love my current eye creams. My new morning eye product was recommended to me by a friend and I am so glad I took her advice. It is currently one of my favorite products!

 

Garnier Skin Renew Eye Roller

I am unfortunately one of those people that no matter how long or how well I sleep, I wake up with really puffy eyes. Makeup can cover dark circles, but no amount of makeup that I have found can cover puffy eyes. This little roller and the "magic" liquid inside bring down that puffiness to almost un-noticeable!  I use this on an almost daily basis. It feels so cool and refreshing going on and really does work wonders. Sometimes after a long day I will give myself a few extra minutes to give my face a good scrub or maybe a mask (a time and luxury that doesn't happen often) and will use this too because it just feels so great. Thumbs up and high recommendations for this. Best part off all this is available at your local store. No need to go to a specialty makeup store for this. Wal-Mart carries it for around $10. :-) 

 

 

Here are some reviews on the other eye creams I have tried:

 

Bare Minerals Firming Eye Cream

I love Bare Mineral products and have rarely been disappointed in the results. However, this is one of the few things that didn't work for me. It was a nice cream, went on smoothly, didn't' leave a greasy feel, but it didn't do anything noticeable for me. :-(

Organics GinZing Eye Cream
This one I was so psyched about. I did all the research and read tons of customer reviews. I had a gift card so I allowed  myself to splurge and spend the extra $ on this one.... Wasn't happy. After 2 months of use and being half way though the jar I saw no results. It smelled good and thats about all it had going for it in positives. If you applied it too thickly it left a chalky residue and I hadn't noticed any results. I usually use a products all the way through to give them a chance to work (unless I have a sever reaction to it).... but am tossing this one out and going back to the old stuff.  :-(

 

Bare Minerals Renew and Rehydrate Eye Cream

This is the "old stuff" I just referred to above. I tried this about 3 years ago and this is probably equal with Garnier Skin Renew eye roller. I used this on an almost nightly basis and could really see the difference. What really hit home with me was when ran out and went a week without it. Suddenly I noticed they my eyes seemed more wrinkled and puffy and all around less youthful. Using this stuff on a daily basis really did make my under-eyes look much better. From now on this stays in constant supply in my home! :-)

 

Summer piggy toes

What do you do to make and keep you feet ready for summer? 

I have long struggled with keeping my feet sandal ready. I have seen many pins on Pinterest dedicated to soft feet. I will even confess to trying to Listerine foot soak, twice.

 (It didn't work for me) 

I soak with Epsom salt, use a pumice stone, foot lotions, etc. 

I would love to know what you do to keep your feet soft and smooth all summer!

Leave a comment, post a link, let's share!

New "bloginnings"

Ever have one of those moments and wonder, "is there anyone out there who has days like this too?" or maybe its a really great moment and you think "I should totally tell someone about this!"

I have moments like that all the time. After some encouragement from friends and family I have decided to start a blog.  

I specifically chose the name "Tidbits for Everyday" because there are so many little tidbits of life I would like to share. My life is full of so many sources of inspiration. First and foremost I am a mom to my daughter and I (lovingly) give many hours a day to thinking about her and caring for her. But in addition to a mom, I am a wife, I work full time in at a school, I am a sister, daughter, friend, crafter, scrapbooker, gardener, reader, cook, bill payer, family calendar organizer, and the list goes on....



I am also always looking for new tech ideas. The best apps for my gadgets and kids gadgets, I am always interested in keeping up on health food but at the same time making sure that it practical enough for a budgeted family and easy enough for a working mom to make a night. Sometimes I indulge in the not so healthy but really yummy foods too. I try to keep an eye on the  beauty world. Trying to stay stylish and beautiful is a must for a mom, not for the people around her as must as it is just for a good self esteem boost. 

Come join  my adventure!  I want this to be a shared experienced where moms, women, and people of all ages can share great ideas and talk about the daily things that make our lives so lively!