“You smell… edible.” He said. Now that’s what we’d all like to hear when we step out of the shower, isn’t it? Knowing that I’m scrumptious, desirable, and alluring is downright sexy and empowering.

This Cinnamon Vanilla Spice Body Scrub not only smells delicious, it really is edible! And I use it on my skin instead of soap.

Why? Because a few years ago I had an epiphany. I decided I wouldn’t put anything on my skin that I wouldn’t also eat.

Your skin is your first line of defense.

Did you know that your skin can absorb 70% of all the oils, toxins, and chemicals you slather on it? According to research done in the UK, the average woman absorbs 5 lbs of toxic chemicals through her skin each year!

I didn’t want to be that woman anymore. I wanted to take care of my skin.

With this Cinnamon Vanilla Spice Body Scrub, you can luxuriate in homemade, organic, beautiful skin-care, too!

You can pamper yourself.

Or better yet, pamper your friends & family! It really would make a lovely gift.

Cinnamon Vanilla Spice Body Scrub

This recipe is taken from one of my new favorite e-books, DIY Organic Beauty Recipes.

The author of this beautiful e-book is a friend of mine, Heather Dessinger. In this photo of us, she’s the lovely lady smiling brightly on the right.

Heather blogs at Mommypotamus. If you haven’t read her stuff, you should! She’s smart and funny and engaging. And she takes the most stunning photos of her family that always touch your heart and make you smile.

She also poured countless hours into testing, testing, and testing homemade recipes for skincare until she found the ones that really worked. She compiled all these recipes into a fabulous new e-book called DIY Organic Beauty Recipes.

About the scrub, Heather writes:

You’ll love everything about this scrub: The ease of making it, the aroma of warm vanilla in a steamy shower, and of course the smooth, polished skin! As a bonus, sugar contains naturally occurring glycolic acid which dissolves old, dead skin and makes your task that much easier. Enjoy!

Now, without further ado, the recipe.

Cinnamon Vanilla Spice Body Scrub Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons sweet almond or apricot kernel oil*

2 tablespoons jojoba oil (or substitute extra sweet almond/apricot oil)*

1 teaspoon vanilla extract**

1 teaspoon Vitamin E (optional)

To Make

1. Place brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

2. In a separate bowl blend oils, vanilla extract and optional vitamin E.

3. Pour oil mixture into sugar mixture and mix thoroughly. Spoon into an airtight container and store out of direct sunlight.

To Use

Scoop a tablespoon of the scrub into damp hands and rub them together. Apply to body and scrub in a circular motion until most of the crystals dissolve, focusing on rough areas such as elbows, knees, and heels. Rinse and repeat if desired. Follow with moisturizer.

Shelf Life

If only sweet almond/apricot oil are used, up to 6 months. If the other more stable jojoba oil is incorporated, up to 1 year

Notes

This scrub is not appropriate for delicate facial skin.

* If you’re wanting to use what’s already in your pantry, olive oil can be used. However, the fragrance can overpower the vanilla/cinnamon scent of the scrub.

** Make sure your extract contains alcohol. Alcohol-free extract will make the mixture vulnerable to spoilage.

Why give this as a gift?

A. It’s handmade.

B. It’s consumable.

C. It’s indulgent.

Think about it. Most of us have too much stuff cluttering up our lives anyway.

When you give a consumable present, you give a pleasant, memorable EXPERIENCE rather than something that will likely end up on a trash pile within a decade or two.

When that same present is handmade, it spells work and sacrifice on your part. So when your loved one experiences your gift they know they are LOVED.

When that hand-crafted experience is indulgent, well… all bets are off. People feel special. Unique. Valued.

Want even more luxurious handmade gift ideas?

Consider buying Heather’s DIY Organic Beauty Recipes.

It’s an e-book, so delivery is instant. You can buy it now and be reading it 10 minutes from now, then start on making your handmade gifts tomorrow!

It’s also packed full of more than 50 recipes for homemade beauty products like shampoo, deodorant, perfume, make up, and MORE. (And they really work!)

Plus, she even includes a few bonus videos to help you master the basic techniques involved in making some of these goodies.