Sometimes I drag myself into a well known high street store that sells body butters/soap etc.  I always know when I’m just a couple of streets away from the store as I start smelling the perfume.   

Anyway, one of the products they sell is a scrubby bar.  It is a hard bar that has exfoliators in to slough off the dead skin cells.  Its about £4.50-ish for a small bar.  They are really easy to make so here is my recipe.  I’ve given it in percentages so you can make a bar to the size of your container.

scrubby-bars.jpg

75% Cocoa butter
25% Shea butter 
Exfoliants – Aduki beans and ground almonds.  I like to use quite a lot of these but you can just keep adding until you are happy with the texture.
Essential oil of choice

Warm the cocoa butter in a pan until melted, turn off the heat and add the shea butter.  The residual warmth in the pan should melt the shea butter.

Mix together the warm butters and leave to cool.  You will notice the colour of the butters changing and getting lighter. 

When the butters are cool but not yet set, start adding the exfoliants.  Continue until you feel happy with the ‘scrubiness’ of the mixture.  I find a good way of testing is to scoop a small teaspoon up and gently rub onto the back of my hand.

When you have a scrubiness you are happy with, set the pan aside and let it cool down even more.  You want it to be almost set.  Keep giving the mix a good stir to stop the exfoliants settling at the bottom.

Once the butters are about to set again, give them a final stir and pour the mix into your containers. I use old plastic yoghurt pots or dairy product pots, the list is endless, you’ll soon find yourself buying yoghurt for its unusual designed pot!

The reason for leaving the pouring until the last minute is that you don’t want the exfoliants settling into the bottom of your scrubby bar.  However if you find them still setting once you have poured them, just give a careful stir with a teaspoon.

These bars are a dual purpose product as they moisturise as well as exfoliate the body.

Use them in the shower, once the scrubby bits have been washed away you will be left with a film of nourishing body butter on your skin.  This sinks into the skin leaving it soft and comfortable. 

You will notice a much lighter bar in the picture.  This is a plain body butter bar with no scrubby bits in.  I love to use these on holiday as they are much easier to carry than a load of bottles of aftersun.  These bars are made the same way as the scrubby bars but using only the butters.  They make a lovely soothing moisturiser.

Perfect for giving as presents.  Why not make up a hamper of homemade beauty goodies to give to a special person…. its mothers day in a month!