Natural Self Beauty at Home

Amid the COVID-19 quarantine many of us are turning our attention to home hacks in a bid to maintain our skin or indulge in some self-love at such an isolating time.  I know through personal experience trying to log onto some large brand websites to place an online order is at best frustrating and more often than not virtually (no pun intended 😉) impossible!

 

So I hope you welcome my series of formulas and recipes to benefit your skin and give you a home made pamper session or two.

 

Moisturising Avocado and Lime Body Scrub Formula

 
This is especially good for eczema prone skin.

Enjoy your time in the shower by exfoliating and moisturizing with this summery zingy body scrub recipe.  It will slough away dead skin and the action of exfoliating will invigorate your body.  After you’ve rinsed off your body will be silky smooth, moisturised and your ready to get on with your day.

 

Emollients or moisturisers are extremely important to rehydrate dry, allergy prone skin. By penetrating between the skin cells, a good emollient helps to substitute for the lack of the skin’s own lipids, reducing dryness, moisture loss, and access by infection-causing organisms.

Commonly prescribed emollients, including aqueous cream, are based on petroleum derivatives like paraffin wax, mineral oil and petroleum jelly which tend to clog the skin pores because the molecules are too large to be absorbed.
 
Bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, are one of the most important triggers of eczema (they are found on over 90% of eczematous skin and 5% of normal skin). Staphylococcus aureus can activate the immune system around them, which manifests as an irritation on the skin.  The skin’s lipids (fatty substances) that hold skin cells together, tend to be less abundant with eczema and dermatitis. This can be due to unusually low production by the skin cells, but may also be due to excess removal of lipids through repeated use of harsh soap and detergents. It is therefore very important to avoid cleansing products that may further dry and irritate the skin.
 

Ingredients List

2g    Fresh Mint leaves
3g    Lime juice
5g    Avocado Oil
9g    Coconut Oil
16g  Rice Bran Oil
65g  Castor Sugar

Some of you may be lucky enough to have some mint growing in your garden or kitchen shelf in a pot but if not it’s easy enough to pick up at a local supermarket.  So begin by finely chopping the mint leaves and add to the jar or pot you’re going to use for your zingy fresh scrub.  Then using the back of a spoon crush the mint leaves inside the jar.   

 

Then add the lime juice and oils.  Mix thoroughly.  The Coconut Oil may be semi solid but as it has a low melting point, as you begin stirring and mixing the ingredients you should see a noticeable softening in the coconut oil which will combine well with the other oils. If however your mixing this on a not so warm day warm the coconut oil up gently by placing the jar or pot in a shallow bowl of fairly warm water.  Lastly add the sugar, combine well and your fresh summery lime scented body scrub is ready to use.

 

Avocado Oil has a rich, thick dark green or gold green appearance – depending on whether you use the unrefined or refined oil.  It’s rich in phytosterols, lecithin and vitamin E, all great for skin.  Coconut Oil is well known for its beneficial effects on skin and I’ve used Rice Bran Oil for it’s conditioning and softening properties.  While you can substitute Caster Sugar for Granulated, I tend to find a more gentle exfoliation during this particularly sunny spring season is more soothing and effective for skin.

             

It’s important to note that as this recipe calls for fresh ingredients, it should be used within 24 hours.  If not used immediately after being made, you should store it in the fridge until you need it.  But again this should be no longer than 24 hours.