Mmmm... Lemonsugar!

I was finally able to take my shower tonight.  We got the water working... And I had my Lemonsugar Scrub already made and in the shower from earlier.  I was astonished at just how amazing it made my skin feel and I just need to tell you about it right now!  Lol... Here's the recipe:

Lemonsugar Scrub Recipe
I need to give credit where it is deserved.  I got this recipe off GroupRecipes.com.  I did alter it a little bit though.  You need 

• Lemon Juice (Can be fresh or store bought.  I used store bought.)
• White or Brown Sugar (I used brown sugar, which, after thinking about it, I feel like that is a bit more moisturizing than white... but white might be more exfoliating.  I won't know this for sure until I try it though!)
• Olive Oil (Or any other oil.  Some others to consider are Almond Oil or Jojoba Oil)

Okay, so the original recipe said about 2 tablespoons each lemon juice and sugar.  In my batch, I really didn't like those proportions.  I started with 2 teaspoons and 2 teaspoons sugar, but this was just too watery.  It might have been different with white sugar though.  I like my scrubs dry, but you might like them liquidy.  So just play with it until you find a consistency that you like.  Once you have that settled, just add a small amount of Olive Oil.  I used about a dime-sized amount.  But then you just mix it up and it's ready to use!

Once you get in the shower, you can use this scrub anywhere on your body... even your face (which was my main purpose for making it!).  I had enough to do most of my body, but I concentrated on my face since I needed to exfoliate hardcore.  But then I just let it sit in for a minute.  What you'll notice is that your body will start absorbing nutrients, the sugar will start to dissolve (and the sugar has more benefits than just exfoliation).  Once you rinse it off, your skin is so amazingly smooth and soft.  This is probably something I'm going to do once a week, because I liked it that much.

So What is this doing for your skin exactly?  Besides exfoliation, obviously...
Olive Oil - I found out that Olive Oil has at least 4 antioxidants.  These are great for your skin and your body, because they fight off free radicals.  Quick Chemistry Lesson:  Free Radicals are just unstable atoms, and all atoms strive to become stable.  In order for the atom to do so, it steals an electron from one of YOUR atoms, making that atom unstable.  It's an ongoing process.  Antioxidants can stop this process because they can give up one of their electrons to the previous free radical.  What you need to know is that free radicals cause tissue damage (on a very small scale) and antioxidants can stop and reverse this tissue damage.  They believe Vitamin E is the most efficient of the antioxidants.  If you don't remember, Olive Oil is very abundant in Vitamin E.  I also just found out that Olive Oil contains Linoleic Acid, which helps in moisture retention.  On a larger scale, Olive Oil moisturizes the skin and soothes it from irritation.  Neat stuff!

Lemon Juice- Lemon Juice is a citrus fruit... and citric acid is a great gentle exfoliator.  While the sugar is buffing away dead skins cells, the citric acid is eating through what's left.  This will help halt the production of acne (because your pores are clean!).  Also, lemon juice will soothe any redness and break up hyper-pigmentation, or scarring.  Finally, Lemons are high in Vitamin C, which has anti-aging properties.  Because of this, it will do a really good job at repairing your skin, making it tighter and smoother.  Right as I was getting in the shower, it hit me.... Lemon Juice is an acid and I tend to pop my zits, this is going to burn.  But the citric acid is gentle enough that I felt no burning what-so-ever.  Just don't get it in your eyes...

Sugar- The difference between brown sugar and white sugar is that brown sugar has molasses added to it.  Brown sugar for your skin is also more gentle for your skin.  So, if your skin is sensitive, this is probably what you'll want to use.  Brown Sugar is also high in Vitamin B6, and a deficiency in Vitamin B6 can result in skin problems, such as acne.  You'll probably get most of this vitamin from ingesting it, but you can also get it by absorbing it through your skin.  And then you have the exfoliation properties of brown sugar, which is the entire reason you're making this scrub!

A Couple Sidenotes
I don't know the exact shelf life of this scrub, although because of the acid... I would think that you could at least keep it for a couple days in the fridge.  I don't think I would recommend keeping it past a week though, without a preservative.  Also, the sugar is going to sink to the bottom as it sits, so you'll just want to mix it up again before you use it.  I just used my finger to do this.  If you are going to use this for more than one application, I would recommend that you sanitize whatever you're keeping it in.  You can do this by placing it in boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Like I've mentioned before... you don't want to mess with bacteria... especially when that is what you're fighting off!

Sources
The Daily Green: Olive Oil Benefits
Health Check Systems: Understand Free Radicals and Antioxidants
Lemon-Info.com: Is Lemon Juice Good for Skin?

ACV Toner Update!!
I've used my toner twice now.  Once earlier before I could shower, and then I used it again after showering.  My biggest worry was that it was going to stain my skin because it turned out such a bright pink/red color.  This isn't an issue at all.  It actually ended up brightening my skin!  I mentioned earlier that I have a bad habit of popping my zits, which means that the vinegar stings a little when it goes over these areas.  It doesn't hurt though.  It's like using one of those astringent pads, like the oxy pads.  This doesn't bother me.  But if it would for you, just use less vinegar.  I was actually surprised by the amount of dirt, for lack of a better term, that it removed from my skin.  I think it removed more than even my store bought toner!  Another option is to use a spray bottle to spritz on your face.  In case you haven't noticed yet, this toner is made with Apple Cider Vinegar and if you've ever smelled ACV, it doesn't smell pretty.  I was hoping that because I was using a fruity green tea, the scent would be neutralized... but this wasn't the case.  The smell doesn't last long though.  If it bothers you, just use less ACV.  I don't recommend using an essential oil for this.  From what I've been able to find on preservatives, every time you mix water and oil, you're creating a breeding ground for bacteria.  But otherwise, you should be able to keep this in a cool place for quite awhile.  Use your best judgement.

There's More...
I went ahead and posted this ending with my review of the toner and then I remembered what last thing I wanted to add to this.  But then I got distracted by researching natural preservatives.  This is something that I've been really curious about because I would love to make my own cleansers, but am too afraid to do so, because I don't want to use something that has to stay in the fridge all the time.  (I'll forget to take it to the shower with me.)  Well, I discovered that while there is no "natural" preservatives, antioxidants can slow down bacterial/fungal growth!  How awesome is that?!  So, not only do antioxidants repair your skin, but they're also keeping shelf life on your homemade products!   The more antioxidants, the merrier... But the best, is Vitamin E (Another point for Olive Oil!!).  

Source:  Suite101.com: Natural Preservatives

Check Out This Hair Removal Method
Okay... So we've got tweezing, shaving, waxing, sugaring, depilatories, electrolysis, laser hair removal....Wow, we must really hate body hair to have this many ways of removing it!  Well, I've got one more for you, that's less known:  Threading.  I first learned about threading in the mall.  Yes, it sounds kind of weird.  But in the mall that I usually shop at, there is a business that specializes in threading and waxing.  Essentially, you can using it all over the body, but the most common area is your eyebrows.  This is also a pretty simple area to do on your own.  I've only ever had my eyebrows waxed once.  I wish I could do it more because I have such bushy eyebrows.  It's really such a pain to tweeze them.  Well first, I learned the glory of trimming my eyebrow hair.  But then I just thread the rest and use tweezers to get the stray hairs that I have trouble picking up by the thread.  This is also pretty eco-friendly compared to waxing, because all you use is a piece of sewing thread.  Awesome.  Now, I'm not going to try to explain to you through a blog entry on how to thread your eyebrows.  I don't think you would ever understand.  I learned how to do it by watching youtube videos.  So, I'm just going to post one on here.  I recommend you do your own research, because it took me quite a few videos before I really understood how to do it... but I think this one is a good start.  Please remember, this is not me nor is it my video.