How to: Rose Exfoliating Hand & Body Scrub

This luscious looking concoction is a simple exfoliating scrub with all natural rose you can make in a matter of minutes with a few simple tools.

Not only is it easy to make, but it's absolutely fall-in-love-with-your-own-products fabulous to use.

The star ingredients: your own handcrafted rose exfoliant and your own rose-infused oils. Are you ready to get busy with this?

Hands, Feet, and Body

I originally intended this as a scrub to soothe and smooth hands and feet, but after trying it out (and falling head over heels), it was tested as a body scrub.

All the emulsified scrubs I have been fooling around over the past several months paled by comparison after a single use. To be fair, that might just be because I was ready to switch up my routine, but it became an instant hit and I've already been through several batches.

Whether you use this scrub for hands, feet or body, you might want to double up the batch portion if you know someone who might enjoy a personalized handcrafted gift made by you.

About the Dry Ingredients

I've chosen Himalayan Pink Salt (fine) (INCI: Sodium Chloride)  because it is a great exfoliant that brings a little extra action to the mix with it's many nutrients and minerals. Apart from the fact that I'm a sucker for the fabulous pink color, salt does you the favor of dissolving as you use it – a nice detail if you're not crazy about doing a lot of after-bath cleanup.

You can replace this salt with fine salt, dead sea salt or any other combination of salts you like. Most important is using fine grain salt. Coarse or flaked salt risks scratching the skin which kind of defeats the purpose of an exfoliant. You don't want to be emerging from your bath with painful scratches all over.

Epsom salts (INCI: Magnesium sulfate) are a lovely addition to a scrub (or bath salts in general).

About the Wet Ingredients

The rose infused sweet almond oil  (INCI: Prunus amygdalus dulcis) is a lovely, all-round skin soothing ingredient that can be used as a stand-alone massage oil, as part of a face serum, in a body oil, as the oil phase in a lotion, or anywhere else you use oil in your cosmetics (and yes, it will 'withstand' being heated for use in an emulsion). Learn how to make your own rose infused oil in the links below.

The rose infused castor oil (INCI: Ricinus Comminus) is a great addition to a scrub. Contrary to most other oils, castor oil has a very slow absorption rate, and because it more readily sits on the surface of the skin, it's great for a cleanser of any type. It is also well tolerated. If you want to make a rose-infused oil, find a link below.

The turkey red oil (INCI: Sulfated Castor Oil) mixes well with water and helps emulsify the scrub helping it rinse away without leaving an oily film.

Let's Make a Scrub

This amount will make a single jar that holds about 150 ml / 5 fl oz.

LisaLise’s Exfoliating Rose Body Scrub

Ingredient	Grams	Ounces
Himalayan Pink Salt (fine)	70.0	2.47
Epsom Salts	20.0	0.71
Rose Exfoliating Paste	15.0	0.53
Rose Infused Sweet Almond Oil	40.0	1.4
Rose Infused Castor Oil	10.0	0.35
Sulfated Castor Oil (Turkey Red Oil)	20.0	0.71

Method

1. Weigh ingredients
2. Place all ingredients in a bowl
3. Mix ingredients
4. Transfer to container
5. Store dry at room temperature.

A Note About Storage

There is no added preservative as this formula does not contain any water. You will therefore need to keep the contents free of moisture during storage and use.

I use a large-ish wood spoon to scoop out a portion for each use, then carry the spoon to the shower.

Adding Preservative

If you want to add a preservative (so you can be a bit more relaxed about how you store and use the product), you'll need to add a broad spectrum preservative as this is a product designed for use in a wet environment.

There are loads of possibilities and just as many preferences when it comes to preserving a scrub. Use the manufacturer recommended amount (for many preservatives, this is around 0.8% - 1% although some natural 'no-preservative-preservatives' will call for up to 4%).

If you happen to be a member of Formulators Kitchen or the Facebook group 'Natural Cosmetic Formulating', there is a 60-page guide to natural preservatives for members in the shared resources / files section.

To Use

Hand (or foot) scrub

Scoop out about a teaspoon full, and scrub hands and wrists. Rinse.

Body scrub 

Scoop out about a tablespoon full and bring to shower. Wet skin, then scrub legs, arms and torso with mixture. Rinse off.


Have fun!

Do Tell

Have you ever made an exfoliating scrub with your own exfoliant and infused oils? Which herbs and oils did you use?

More on This Blog About the Ingredients in this Product

How to make a Rose Exfoliating Paste
How to Make a Rose Infused Oil 
Salt and Skincare
Salt and Balm (links on this article to more scientific stuff about salt for skincare)