Organic Salt Scrub

With the toxins and chemicals laden body scrub tossed out of the bathroom, I'm taking matters into my own hand and making my own organic salt scrub. Not only is it easy to whip up, you can customize the scent according to your preference. Here's what you need:

• Sweet Almond Oil
• Fine grained Salt -- I use Himalayan Rock Salt but natural sea salt or even Epsom Salt is good too. Just make sure the grain isn't too big or you'll tear your skin
• Essential oils -- Here's where you can get creative and combine the bespoke aromatic treat of your preference. I've picked Lavender, Bergamot and Geranium 

Now here's a general rule of thumbs when it comes to how much of each of the above to use. The sweet almond oil to salt ration is 1:2, and for every ounce (about 30ml) of sweet almond oil, I add about 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. Also, make sure you use good essential oil and not the low grade ones made for diffusing.

Start with blending in the oil and stirring it with a glass rod or wooden stick. I added 15 drops of Lavender, 10 drops of Bergamot and 5 drops of Geranium in about 60ml of oil. If you're new to blending oils, go slowly and drop by drop. Stir and blend well, take a whiff to see if you've got what you want before adding more.

Once the oil is done, add in the salt, mix well and Viola! Home made salt scrub! If you have very dry and sensitive skin, you can use brown sugar instead of salt as it's a little more gentle. I put a small tub at my shower and use it once or twice a week by applying it on damp skin before rinsing it off. Because I don't really love having the oily after feel especially in the tropics, I usually follow through with a tiny amount of body wash. However, in cold country, I'll just rinse off and pat dry.

The fun part is very much the mixing and blending! Whipping up home made body scrubs is totally addictive!