Easy Rosemary Body Scrub Recipe - for Dry Skin

My skin tends to dry out over the winter, especially my feet and knees. To help combat the flakes, I make a rosemary body scrub that uses a mild sugar abrasive and light oil moisturizer. This is pretty easy since rosemary is one of my go to herbs for cosmetic and medicinal applications. I maintain a couple of shrubs indoors over the winter, one of which started life as a tabletop Christmas tree. The aroma is fresh and reminiscent of the outdoors -- woodsy with a hint of camphor -- the big brother of mild mint.

This scrub is effective and easy to make, and includes the added benefit of moisturizing as it exfoliates. As I do here, I like to use avocado oil as a base ingredient in most of my homemade skincare preparations because it contains skin loving monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E. Both help reduce the skin damage caused by free radicals.  It's also a natural sunscreen. Using avocado oil will make your skin feel velvety smooth -- and you can't ask much more than that. You've probably noticed many high end cosmetics use it in small amounts. Lose the big names and marketing costs, and you can make your own preparations for a fraction of the price and still use wonderful ingredients.

In a pinch, you can substitute olive oil as a convenient and less expensive option, though. Actually, my grandmother kept a small bottle of olive oil next to the kitchen sink. She'd put a drop inside her rubber gloves, giving herself a moisturizing treatment every time she hand washed pots and pesky dishes. Her hands always looked beautiful. Give it a try with either olive oil or avocado oil.

I use a rounded teaspoonful of the mixture at a time, and apply it in a circular motion for about 30 seconds per problem area (like my heels).  I usually perform this little chore after a shower while sitting on the side of the tub. I always rinse and wipe the tub afterward to remove any lingering sugar crystals or oily residue.

Rosemary Body Scrub Recipe

• 1 cup of white, granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup avocado or olive oil
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• *1/3 cup fresh, finely chopped rosemary needles You can substitute 1/4 cup dry needles or 12 drops rosemary essential oil. 
• 1 tbsp. baking soda

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Apply as needed to warm skin. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Refrigerate the mixture between applications.


*Rosemary oil will provide better aroma, but using fresh or dried needles will increase the abrasive effectiveness of the mixture and impart a little more of the herb's natural freight of anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antiseptic properties. Your choice.

Avoid using rosemary body scrub on broken skin because the lemon juice in the mixture will sting.

Photo courtesy of  Flickr user: Steffany   https://www.flickr.com/photos/steffanyf/3555798984/in/photolist