Serious exfoliation.

Besides making stuff, being outdoors is probably the closest thing to heaven for me.  Let me be more specific.  Not just "outdoors." I feel like that implies sitting on my patio, sipping iced coffee, taking in our neighborhood scenery (which I DO enjoy, very much).  I'm talking so-far-away-from-civilization-cell-service-is-laughable-showers-are-laughable-get-used-to-dirt-under-your-fingernails-and-embarrassingly-greasy-hair kind of outdoors.

I realize that in writing that last sentence, I'm not championing my "heaven" very well.  Like most things in life, there are trade-offs.  For instance, no cell service and no showers yield things like this (all these pictures were taken at Isle Royale National Park):

Still not convinced?  Well, here's what I see:  a Creation that words cannot recreate.  Even these pictures are poor knock-offs of the real thing.  When I try to tell people what being in a wild place is like, why it's worth it, I know I will never adequately relate the sense of overwhelming, breathtaking awe and fierce joy I feel in those places.  And that doesn't even include the striking sense of accomplishment and camaraderie that hiking through the wilderness generates.  Backpacking tested my mettle in some serious ways, and, as cliche as this sounds, I found out a lot about myself and the wonderful people travelling with me.  It's one of those things you have to experience for yourself. And I highly suggest trying it at least once.

So, what other benefits are to be had from hard work, grime, and no cell service?  A renewed appreciation for civilization, my friends.  On Isle Royale, our post-backpacking tradition includes drinking True Moo chocolate milk and eating potato chips purchased from the small outpost store in Rock Harbor.  And they. Are. Delicious.  Unfortunately, showers cost $10 for seven minutes of hot water, which to some people might seem worth it.  However, we figured we went without for four days, we could probably go for another eight hours (although, it makes for an interesting olfactory experience on the car ride home).  

As much as I love backpacking, it does feel soooooo good to get clean!  So, here's where the DIY comes in to play today.  I decided that after our trip, a little exfoliation was in order.  I found a recipe for a sugar scrub and decided to try it out (click here for the source of the recipe).  

Here's what you'll need:

1. White sugar
2. Brown sugar
3. Olive oil
4. Essential oil/vanilla extract/soap scent (soap scent purchased at Michael's)
5. A small jar (canning jar purchase at Walmart)
6. Mixing spoon/whisk

Directions:

1.  In a separate bowl (not in your small jar - I used the jar right away and it was hard to mix together and NOT make a huge mess), mix together your white sugar and brown sugar.  Specific amounts will vary, depending on how big your jar is.  I used a small canning jar, and used six heaping tablespoons of white sugar, and about 7 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar.

2.  After the sugar is mixed evenly together, slowly add the olive oil.  Let the olive oil seep to the bottom, using a spoon to help speed the process along.

3.  Keep adding the olive oil until the mixture reaches the consistency you want.  I opted for a thick, smooth mixture (see below pictures for consistency).  If your mixture ends up being too soupy, simply add more sugar in even amounts.

4.  So, at this point, your sugar scrub smells pretty weird.  You have several options to correct this (and I have yet to experiment with all of them).  You could use essential oil, soap scent (which I purchased at Michael's), or vanilla extract.  A few notes on the vanilla extract: not an awesome choice.  It didn't really overpower the olive oil smell.  I used an almond-honey soap scent instead (bottle pictured above).  A little goes a long way, since the scent is concentrated.  I used just a few drops.  Still not my fave, but until I try out some essential oil, it will have to do.  I also considered using Palmer's Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil (or baby oil?) instead of olive oil and a scent, but I figured for my first attempt, I'd stick with the original recipe. 

5.  After you have made your sugar scrub smell wonderful, go ahead and make it look pretty (ESPECIALLY if you're giving this as a gift)!  This is just something I had laying around (extra fabric scrap square turned into a lid cover and a fabric rosette, tied with hemp).  I would probably play around more with labeling.  

6.  Using your scrub:  Use a dollop where you require the most exfoliation and gently rub onto skin (I would avoid your face, though.  And, I hate to have to put this disclaimer on here, but avoid the, er, more sensitive areas of your body...get my drift?).  After you're satisfied, rinse the scrub off and gently towel dry.

WARNING:  Using this in the shower can be really tricky.  The oil makes the shower floor super slippery - please be careful!

After-thoughts:

As I was doing this project, I had a few revelations (some of which I've already included in the directions part, but I'll sum them up here).  Firstly, I'm having second thoughts about using olive oil on my skin.  Is it going to make my skin break out because it's, well, uber-oily?  I'm thinking perhaps I should use the Palmer's oil instead next time, but we'll see.  Also, I'm not really all that pleased with the style of the jar (shape, lid design, and size).  I will also put a bit more thought into label design and the visual appeal of the jar if I'm giving it as a gift.

So, there you have it!  I'll keep you updated with observations (aka, if my body turns into a splendid display of pimply perfection, due to the olive oil), and with the changes I'm considering for next time.

Here's to glowing skin and DIY ingenuity!  Happy pampering!