Homemade Lip Scrub

So this may seem like a blog more appropriate for Beauty Tuesday, but seeing how this project was totally DIY, I decided it would qualify.

In the winter, my lips are ugly. They chap, they crack, they peel, they bleed-- no bueno. I try to use chapstick every night (and I've tried every kind: medicated, natural, hypoallergenic, vegan, you name it), but nothing helps much. Recently, I saw a lip scrub in a beauty magazine. It seemed like it might do the trick. But when I researched it, the price was too high and the ingredients didn't really look like anything I'd want to be near (or accidentally IN) my mouth.

So, I decided to make one. I know that scrubs are essentially salt or sugar, some kind of base oil, and usually a blend of essential oils or fragrances for scent. Using this basic model, I constructed a yummy, effective, and wholly natural lip scrub made from ingredients I had in my kitchen.

Here's the recipe:

1) 1/2 cup of sugar (salt sounded pretty gross!)
I used 1/4 cup of raw turbinado sugar and 1/4 cup of regular white sugar because I like the two different sizes of crystals.

2) 2 Tbsp of Coconut Oil, melted
I decided to use coconut oil because it's a great moisturizer, and it tastes good! I tried my beloved olive oil on my first run, and it was too thin and did not pass the taste test very well.

Because coconut oil has a high freezing temperature (just around 76 degrees F, or room temperature), it's usually solid. To mix the ingredients, I needed to melt it, so I just stuck the 2 Tbsp in the microwave for 30 seconds.

3) 1/4 tsp of natural vanilla extract

I knew I didn't want to use essential oils because they usually taste bad, so I raided my spice cabinet to see what was up, and found... ta-da!... the perfect fix: vanilla! It gives the scrub a rich smell and yummy flavor. You could use other flavor extracts too, but some of the citrus and mint ones might be a little drying.

I mixed everything up and put it in an old herb/tea tin I had lying around -- you want a nice consistency: not too oily, but moist and spreadable. 

And voila! A simple, cheap, quick recipe to luxuriate your lips!

I slapped a cute label on the tin (I got the template for free here from Etsy) and I use my scrub every night-- and try not to eat it! Just get a little finger-full, rub on your lips for a moment, rinse, pat dry, and follow with your favorite lip moisturizer.

PS- the coconut oil will naturally harden a bit (returning to its usual solid state), so you'll notice a little change in consistency, but as soon as you spread it on your lips it's all the same! Happy DIY-ing!