Happiness #23 : Beauty-ful Returns
Well I'm back... I know not many of you missed me because I know that there are not that many of you actually there. However, for what it's worth.... IT WASN'T MY FAULT!! I WAS SUPER BUSY WITH - absolutely nothing. Actually I have no excuse for my month long hiatus, and since this blog serves more for self gratification than for an audience, I guess I should be apologizing to myself...Today, I decided I would ease back into the writing again with something simple and something that represents a passion of mine- DIY. Now, anybody who periodically browses the craft stores and craft websites that exist all over the world can understand how amazing it is to create something that is completely new and unique and even better than something you can buy. So if there are any of you DIY-ers out there, here is a little gift for you:
I call this wonderful concoction the Dirty Scrub.
Here is a little back story. I know dermatologists say not to use exfoliating scrubs as they may be too harsh for your face. Well I say, POOP on dermatologists. I know my skin as I have known it since the pubescent acne epidemic of 1999- when I start breaking out there are four main possible causes: 1) hormones; 2) clogged pores from makeup; 3) clogged pores from dead skin cells; and 4) change in climate/environment. Notice that 50% of my problems occur from clogged pores a.k.a. the devil. The majority of instances where something drastic happened to my skin by way of clogged pores revolved around times I stopped using my absolute, go-to, take-everywhere exfoliant St. Ives Apricot Scrub. Who knows what I'm talking about?? Can I get a what-what!? RIGHT?!
There is only one thing my crafty self can say to St. Ives. SUCK IT! Because there's a new bad-boy in town :P ok ok, too much? I'll get down to the good stuff now:
What do you get when you combine oatmeal, coffee, cayenne pepper, and salt to your daily skin cleansing regimen? A serious all-in-one scrub that does so many things, your face is guaranteed to look more glowy in three days.... well at least my brother's did!
Here's some hearsay:
Benefits of Oatmeal:
"An excellent multi-purpose skin care treatment, oatmeal helps to relieve dryness, restoring natural moisture balance to aid in healing minor irritations due to the many causes and sources of skin sensitivities."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/404128
Benefits of Coffee:
"Reduces appearance of cellulite... Protects against signs of aging... Soothes irritation and redness..." And smells so darn freakin' good!
Article Source: http://www.livestrong.com/
Benefits of Cayenne Pepper:
"Cayenne actually can raise the body temperature a bit, as it stimulates circulation and blood flow to the skin... You can use cayenne peppers topically as a pain-relieving muscle rub and joint liniment. The source of the heat is capsaicin, the fiery phenolic resin found in most hot peppers. Capsaicin causes nerve endings to release a chemical known as substance P. Substance P transmits pain signals from the body back to the brain."
Article Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/
Benefits of Salt:
Just one question- where is salt NOT beneficial?! I think enough said.
So how can you too achieve this scrub of wonders? This dirty, Dirty Scrub?
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 cup oatmeal ground very fine in a processor
1 cup sugar (white sugar for bigger grain, brown sugar for softer grain)
1 cup salt
1/2 cup ground coffee beans
1/4 cup instant coffee ground to powder in a processor
3 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup of oil (I used grapeseed oil, but you can use any oil from baby oil to almond oil to olive oil, etc.)
***you may not need all of the oil depending on the ingredients you use. Be careful you don't you too much oil because you don't want the oily feeling to overwhelm the squeaky clean feeling of sloughing off dead cells and unclogging pores while you exfoliate! I didn't need to use the whole quarter cup of oil.***
Transfer to a cute little jar with a lid to prevent drying out.
Place next to your sink and use as necessary!
Don't forget to rinse the oil off with facewash after using the scrub.
Go ahead, try it. The smell will leave you feeling wide awake and the scrub will leave you looking ready to take on the universe!
You know your skin better than I do so I encourage you to experiment with different ingredients! And don't forget to let me know what you come up with!
Article Source: http://www.livestrong.com/
Benefits of Cayenne Pepper:
"Cayenne actually can raise the body temperature a bit, as it stimulates circulation and blood flow to the skin... You can use cayenne peppers topically as a pain-relieving muscle rub and joint liniment. The source of the heat is capsaicin, the fiery phenolic resin found in most hot peppers. Capsaicin causes nerve endings to release a chemical known as substance P. Substance P transmits pain signals from the body back to the brain."
Article Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/
Benefits of Salt:
Just one question- where is salt NOT beneficial?! I think enough said.
So how can you too achieve this scrub of wonders? This dirty, Dirty Scrub?
Mix together in a large bowl:
1 cup oatmeal ground very fine in a processor
1 cup sugar (white sugar for bigger grain, brown sugar for softer grain)
1 cup salt
1/2 cup ground coffee beans
1/4 cup instant coffee ground to powder in a processor
3 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 cup of oil (I used grapeseed oil, but you can use any oil from baby oil to almond oil to olive oil, etc.)
***you may not need all of the oil depending on the ingredients you use. Be careful you don't you too much oil because you don't want the oily feeling to overwhelm the squeaky clean feeling of sloughing off dead cells and unclogging pores while you exfoliate! I didn't need to use the whole quarter cup of oil.***
Transfer to a cute little jar with a lid to prevent drying out.
Place next to your sink and use as necessary!
Don't forget to rinse the oil off with facewash after using the scrub.
Go ahead, try it. The smell will leave you feeling wide awake and the scrub will leave you looking ready to take on the universe!
 |
| and voila! |
You know your skin better than I do so I encourage you to experiment with different ingredients! And don't forget to let me know what you come up with!
