Slough Off the Old, in With the New You

Cathy Calfchild
Jan/Feb 18 Essential Herbal Magazine

Winter has a terrible way of making our skin suffer so, from wind burn to dehydration, lack of vitamin D.  Not to mention all the covering up one must do that doesn't allow our skin to just breathe, no wonder after the winter season our skin is looking a little worse for wear. 
It's nice to include a simple facial scrub that is gentle enough you can use it daily or a couple times a week as needed. Very easy to do with few ingredients and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes. Since this scrub is completely natural with no preservatives you must keep it in the fridge and use up within a week. It is for this reason we only make small batches. If you need to use it up, it can also double as a scrub on rough parts of the body as well.

Honey Nut facial scrub.
1 tsp dried lavender buds
1 tbsp raw peanuts
2 tbsp raw honey

If you have a nut allergy you can replace the nuts with soybeans or even powdered peach or avocado pit. It is best to use raw because of the natural oils contained within the nut that will be released once you purée the nuts and add benefit to your scrub.

- Powder lavender buds and set aside.  Powder raw nuts in a coffee grinder until you get a smooth consistency.  Any nuts can be used.
- Combine two together until you get a powdery mealy kind of texture. Kind of like when combining shortbread and it's crumbly but can hold together when you clump it together.
- Add two tbsp of raw honey as it will have healthy properties not boiled off in the heating process of pasteurization.  Combine all together until it forms a nice thick paste.  Keep in a small glass jar covered.

- When applying to the face it's important to remember that adding fingers to the container introduces pathogens and contaminates the scrub, so it's always best to take a clean teaspoon and take a level amount onto your hand and disperse it all around your cheeks, chin, nose temples and forehead. Avoid eye area.
-You might also find that this scrub drags a little from the honey, so what I do is add a touch of warm water to the tips of my fingers, you only need to moisten them a little bit and then rub the scrub in circular motions all around  your face for about 2 minutes. 
- Wash off using a warm cloth as it's very easy to remove and since the ingredients are powdered, it won't clog your drain.
- If you find your skin needs more oils, then add half a teaspoon of grapeseed oil and thst should also take care of the dragging issue and you won't need to moisten your fingertips.   I wouldn't put a high end oil in this as it is a wash off product and those expensive oils would be best as a leave on serum instead.
Happy scrubbing.

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