Coconut rose body scrub

Difficulty: Beginners
Time: 15 min
Yields: 2 pots of about 125 ml each

Not to toot my own horn, but I love, love, love this scrub! The combination of the Himalayan pink salt, coconut oil and rose petals leaves my skin feeling so smooth and clean, and yet also extremely soft and moisturised. And I love that I can use this and not have to worry about having to moisturise afterwards. Like most mums, I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the bathroom! I’m really amazed (and grateful) at how effective scrubs are and how simple and quick they are to make. I never used to use scrubs until I made the coffee scrub earlier this year, and now I can’t live shower without them!

Salt scrubs work by exfoliate your skin by removing the dead skin cells from the outer layer. This leaves your skin smooth, but without added oils, your skin would also feel tight and dry. Think of after swimming in the sea. The salt draws the moisture out of your skin. The coconut oil in the scrub will moisturise your skin, while the salt exfoliates, and the combination of the two is why your skin will feel so soft after using.

ONE: Combine the Himalayan pink salt, one tablespoon of glycerin, and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a bowl and mix well. If the coconut oil is hard, melt it for a couple of seconds in the microwave. The glycerin is added to help emulsify the scrub when you rub it on your skin and make it more effective.

TWO: Add 5 drops of your favourite rose fragrance or essential oil and give it another good stir. I used Rose Anatolia oil, which smells absolutely divine!

THREE: Sprinkle through some rose petals for decoration and fragrance. Both the salt and the glycerin will help preserve the colour, so unlike in soap, where the rose petals turn brown, these will keep their colour!

Scoop the mixture in a nice decorative pot and place the lid on. Because it will be used in the shower, look for a plastic or glass pot without a metal lid, or something that will not rust.

Regarding preservatives or the lack of it, both the salt and the glycerin are considered preservatives and will prevent mould and fungi, despite water coming in contact with it.