Pamper Me!

Need a great, inexpensive, easy-to-make gift? Thanks to my sister, Meredith (who will be sharing a make-over project here later this month), I have a great idea to share: Homemade Sugar Scrub.

What you need:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar (cheap is fine)
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus a wee bit more
• zest from a piece of citrus fruit

This is so easy and so wonderful!

Steps:

1. In a pretty glass bowl (just because the pictures are prettier), mix sugar and 1/4 cup olive oil. The consistency should be a little like lumpy, cold Cream of Wheat. It will hold together in a ball but will crumble apart when rubbed. If it is too crumbly, add a wee bit more olive oil.
2. Zest a piece of citrus fruit. I used a micro-planer because my sister told me to, and I am compliant. (A zester or fine grater really will work, too.) One lemon and one lime, an orange, or a grapefruit is all you need. This adds a delicious smell, a little color, and probably plays a crucial role in the exfoliating properties of the scrub. Not really. But it does smell good. (Hint: If you want a manly version, add a tiny bit of an essential oil–maybe vanilla or peppermint–instead of the zest. This will smell good, but it isn’t nearly as much fun as using a micro-plane.)
3. Mix the zest into the sugar and oil mixture.
4. Put the sugar scrub in cute little canning jars. Mine came from Target, but grocery stores carry them, too. Wide-mouth jars are easier to fill, and one recipe will fill one pint sized jar. Or two, if you fill just a little over half.
5. Tie a ribbon, add a simple tag, and there you have it. A simple, useful gift for everyone. Especially the girly types.

Give these for:

• Bridal shower party favors
• Thank you gifts
• Teenager gifts
• Hostess gifts
• Christmas

Instructions for use:

1. Dampen hands (or feet, elbows, knees, etc.)
2. Scoop a rounded tablespoon of scrub and rub thoroughly for a minute or so.
3. Apply one pump of gentle liquid soap and rub another minute.
4. Rinse completely.
5. Moisturize with a small dot of Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Unscented Hand Cream.
6. Ask everyone, even strangers on the street, to touch your hands and remark on their softness.

*Caveat: Do not use the Sugar Scrub and then attempt to play a basketball game. My daughter discovered that soft hands and sweat make holding onto a basketball really difficult.

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