Sea Salt & Sunshine Recipe from Jana Blankenship

Dry skin is a nightmare for so many of us during the fall and winter months. Luckily, Jana Blankenship, founder of Captain Blankenship products and author of Wild Beauty: Wisdom & Recipes for Natural Self-Care, has the recipe for smooth, hydrated cold weather skin. 

Sea Salt & Sunshine Scrub Recipe 

YIELD: 8 OUNCES

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup fine sea salt, or mix of fine and medium grain
• 1⁄4 cup coconut oil, or more as desired
• 1⁄2 teaspoon vitamin E
• 20 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 10 drops lemongrass essential oil
• Optional: 1 tablespoon shea butter

 

ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT

8-ounce glass jar with lid

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix ingredients together in bowl with spoon. (If coconut oil is hard, you can melt quickly and add to mixture once cool. If you want to add shea butter for even more nourishment, do the same thing.)

Once mixed, with spoon, scoop scrub into jar with lid.

Use once or twice weekly or as desired; by rubbing salt with dry, clean fingers in circular motion all over body and feet.

Rinse well.

If stored out of direct sunlight, will keep for up to a year (if water is kept out of jar).

DIY Try: DIY Chocolate Coconut Sugar Hand Scrub from Celebrity Manicurist and Owner of As U Wish Nail Salon, Skyy Hadley

This sweet and tasty scrub is perfect to revive dry hands and feet! The cocoa in this scrub is rich in antioxidants which are very beneficial to your skin. Skin is very absorbent and will draw the antioxidants from the cocoa, helping to battle free radical damage that makes it look dehydrated and dull.    

Ingredients:

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil (in solid form)
1/3 cup almond oil
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
a few drops of coconut extract or essential oil

Directions:

Add all ingredients together in a large bowl and mix until combined. Make sure to mix enough so there are no chunks remaining. To use the scrub, simply rub it all over your hands and feet and let sit for about 5 minutes. Rinse it off using warm water and follow up with a hydrating moisturizer such as Josie Maran’s Whipped Argan Oil Intensive Hand Cream! 

 Also always apply a cuticle oil to keep nails looking fresh. I like to use Lauren B.’s Nail and Cuticle Balm because it’s so easy to use and doesn’t leave my nails oily!

October Faves

1. Compeed, $8.99, Walgreens.com 

Do any of you get that heel-shoe situation where you heels rub against the back of your shoes, causing blisters and irritation? Compeed is the solution for this annoying issue. The clear strips stick to the back of you heel and serve as a buffer between you and your shoe. 

     2. LAVANILA Laboratories The Healthy Sport Luxe Deodorant in Vanilla Breeze, $16,               Lavanilla.com 

Deodorant is one of those things that I need but I can not stand. Since I started wearing it as a kid, it has just been a painful journey of irritation. However, the Healthy Sport Luxe Deodorant from Lavanila is different. It smells AMAZING and is aluminum free. What surprised me about the deodorant was that, although it is a natural alternative to traditional brands, it held me all day. No wonder it is an Allure "Best of Beauty" Award winner. 

        3. Mango Butter Hand & Body Scrub, $12.99, NubianHeritage.com 

I can not live without my scrubs, and I have to say that I have found a favorite in the Nubian Heritage Mango Butter Hand & Body Scrub. It is a sugar-based scrub, not a salt scrub, so I find that it is softer but it still exfoliates. It includes all types of skin goodies, including Shea Butter, Mango Seed Oil, and Jojoba Oil. It also smells like candy! This scrub is a winter essential!