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Epsom salt scrub has so many amazing benefits for your face & body - including acne relief!
DIY Lavender Epsom Salt Scrub for Face & Body
I love making my own scrubs for several reasons:
- The items are usually already in your home
- MUCH cheaper than fancy store bought scrubs
- You can control the ingredients & their quality
- It's SO easy to do
Bonus reason: I just enjoy DIYing (can we make that a word even though it really doesn't make much sense?) everything! Like these bentonite clay deodorant bars - so FUN.
Benefits of Epsom Salts
If you don't always have Epsom salts in your house, I definitely recommend adding them to your shopping list frequently - or order it on Amazon. They are wonderful for many common ailments and issues you may face (read more benefits here). Just last week, actually, I bathed my dog in them several times to help relieve her dermatitis - my poor Jade has a grass pollen allergy! She's adorable though, isn't she?
Oops, sorry - so easy to get off track with that sweet pup around. 😉
Anyway!
Epsom salt is actually magnesium sulfate. Did you know that most of us (approximately 90%!) are deficient in magnesium? Magnesium deficiency can cause so many issues - including skin problems like acne.
Acne is basically the bane of my existence. It's something I've struggled with since puberty. If I get it under control, eat a clean diet, and then cheat a little or go outside of routine - it's back with a vengeance.
Taking a magnesium supplement, however, has seriously improved my skin. If I do have an acne breakout, it's less severe.
I decided to experiment with washing my face with water + Epsom salts and loved the results. Since I love making my own scrubs, epsom salt scrub only made sense to test out! And I seriously LOVE it.
This Lavender Epsom Salt Face & Body Scrub:
- Moisturizes
- Exfoliates
- Helps prevent/relieve acne
- Makes your skin soft
- May help relax tense muscles
Of course, Epsom salts are the star ingredient, but this body scrub also contains: Lavender, vitamin E oil, and argan oil.
Lavender is very calming, helping to reduce redness and inflammation. It also adds a lovely scent to the scrub. Vitamin E oil has many properties that are super beneficial for your skin (like reducing wrinkles). Argan oil is another beneficial oil for skin, and also helps to bring all of the ingredients together in cohesive "scrub form".
If you don't have argan oil, I recommend using another non-comedogenic oil like hemp seed oil or grapeseed oil - I find both at Whole Foods. A "non-comedogenic" oil is one that will not clog up your pores. Unfortunately, coconut oil is an oil that will clog your pores (learned that the hard way!)
To whip this up, you will simply grind the dried lavender (I used a spice grinder and just pulsed a few times) and then mix it in with the remaining ingredients. Simple as that!
How to Use Epsom Salt Scrub
This scrub will be beneficial to use on both your face & body - though my personal preference is just using it on my face to help prevent & relieve acne (and then using coffee scrub for my body!) If you have back or chest acne, this scrub may help relieve that as well.
Simply scoop a palmful of scrub at a time and massage into your skin in circular motions. I recommend using exfoliating with this scrub once or twice a week.
You can store it right on your countertop in an airtight container.
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Epsom salts
- 3 tablespoons argan oil*
- 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender - - ground slightly with mortal & pestle, spice grinder, or blender
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Store in airtight container.
- Use 1-2 times a week.
:-) says
To prevent scrubs from getting smelly, or deteriorating quickly...
Keep a jar in the fridge, take a scoop and bring only a single use amount into bath/shower in a plastic container.
OR, put the scrub into an ice cube tray and freeze. Each cube will be the right size for one full body use. Take one cube at a time and put in a sealed plastic container in your bathroom the night before. It won't go bad in that time and it'll be good temp by the time you want to use it.
Jesica says
Love this recipe. I have a pitty with allergies as well. I give him Benadryl in the summer when his allergies get bad. Maybe this would help =)
Thanks for the recipe!
Lulu says
Thank you for all those great ideas... Lulu
Husna says
Hiya.
Can’t wait to try this. I make scrubs too but find they start smelly musty within a few uses. How can I avoid this? And how long will this keep for please?
Karissa says
Keeping them in the fridge will allow them to last longer.
Selina says
Hi, I just made this scrub so going to use it in the morning. So excited!
Question about the Epsom salts. My dog also has a pollen grass allergy. Do you run a bath with the salts in it for your dog? Or do you use the scrub on her (I can’t imagine rinsing it off a dog’s coat being an easy feat!)
Many thanks!
Karissa says
Hi! I let it dissolve right in a bath.
Candy says
I live in south africa and argan oil is hellishly expensive as is vitamin a oil as it is only found in gelcapsule substitutes.. I have almond oil, rose water and glycerine and Epsom salts is there any of that I could use?
Karissa says
You can use any kind of oil that your face isn't sensitive to!
Valerie Elsasser says
How long will this keep?
Christy says
hi, I assume you rub this scrub on and then shower??
thanks...
I use epsom salts a lot, bath in them regularly, I buy them by the 25lb bag!
Kathleen mark says
Well this scrub looks interesting I so wanna try this. But Can I use Himalayan pink salt for this scrub instead of Epsom salt? Because I have Himalayan bath salt on hand and i use it in cooking I just love it and I have read so much about the benefits of Himalayan salt and even purchased a Himalayan salt lamp form ittefaqco recently.
Karissa says
Sure, that should work fine.
Juanita Stockwell-Carlson says
Thank you so much I an making all my Christmas Gifts this year and this will be perfect!
Josie Reynolds says
Can you use lavender essential oil instead of the seeds?
Karissa says
Sure.
Ashleigh says
awesome, can't wait to try this! My daughter and I have been having fun with DIY beauty products this past two months. 🙂