Treat Yo Self | Peppermint Brown Sugar Body Scrub

I don’t know about you, but it’s very rare that I look out for ol’ number one (that would be me). I run around like a lunatic trying to make sure everyone else is happy, but I totally fail at taking a second to take care of myself.

I decided this should probably change. When I’m all stressed and neurotic, I’m not my best self. I’m a yelling, short-tempered mess. But if I take just a few minutes every now and then to treat myself, it’s like a breath of fresh air.

So, inspired both by my stress and Parks and Rec, I give unto thee a brand spanking new series: Treat Yo Self. Only, unlike the TV characters, my treats are going to be inexpensive indulgences that don’t give me hives about my bank account.

For this first post, I turned to the biggest divas and treaters of themselves I know: my daughters. My ladies live and breathe by treat yo self rules. They now believe that all baths should include epsom salt, coconut oil, and peppermint essential oil—at the very least. When they’re feeling extra extravagant there are scrubs, masks and colored water (Ellie is not a fan of bubbles in the tub so they generally skip those).

One night I was sitting by the tub, watching them soak up all that luxury when I had a thought: why don’t I do that? We’ve been making our own scrubs and masks for a while now (a great kit to get girls started is the SmartLabs All Natural Spa Lab. My sister got it for Sam for her birthday one year and we’ve used it over and over and over again) and I know that it’s simple and cheap. Plus, it doesn’t take long to slather a scrub on as a little pick me up.

This is one of the simplest DIYs ever. All you have to do is measure out your ingredients, stir them in a medium-sized bowl and transfer it to whatever jar you’d like to keep it in. We put ours in a half pint mason jar because I have an endless supply.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/3 cup almond oil (you could also use olive oil or coconut oil or any oil really)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tspn peppermint essential oil

*Note: you might want to test it on a small patch of skin at first. The girls and I have super sensitive skin and have never had an issue, but some people may be irritated by peppermint oil.

If peppermint isn’t your thing, feel free to use whatever scent strikes your fancy—or leave the scent out all together. We happen to like the smell of peppermint. Apparently there are a lot of health benefits associated with it, but I just happen to find it energizing and refreshing. If you can’t stand the smell, you might want to try lavender or even lemon. The possibilities are endless!

Follow this scrub up with my DIY coconut butter and you might not want to leave your bathroom ever again. 😉 The scrub helps to get rid of rough, dry skin while simultaneously leaving your skin silky smooth thanks to the oil. Add the body butter and your skin will feel like a baby’s butt (it just won’t be as stinky).

We added some washi tape, pink yarn and a pink heart stamp on the top to make it even fancier—because pretty packaging makes everything feel more luxurious, doesn’t it? We just made sure our beautifying didn’t interfere with opening and closing the jar. That way we don’t have to remove it and it looks nice and pretty sitting on our sink (fancy points are major for seven year olds).

Now, my friends. Go forth and Treat. Yo. Self.

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