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7. DIY Body Scrubs Straight from the Kitchen

Sometimes it’s going back to the basics that makes all the difference. Exfoliating your skin can be one of them. Easy to make and fun to use, here are some homemade DIY scrubs with ingredients direct from your kitchen!

Exfoliation with scrubs is an essential part of skin care on face and body. It helps to remove dead skin cells - making the skin clearer, brighter and smoother. The best way to go about exfoliating is whipping up your very own handmade scrub! Using daily ingredients from the kitchen, these are some of the best exfoliating scrubs you can easily make at home for a healthier skin:

• The best body scrub is the age-old “ubtan” made at home with wheat bran (choker), gram flour (besan), curd or cream of milk (malai) and a pinch of turmeric (haldi). All these can be mixed together and applied on the body, about 20 minutes before bathing. Wash off the ingredients while bathing, scrubbing gently with water to clear away the dead cells and make the skin clean, soft and smooth.

• Take one cup sesame seeds (til), half cup dried mint leaves and mix with one cup curd, 2 tablespoons honey and a little turmeric. Crush the sesame seeds coarsely and powder the dried mint leaves. Mix them with the other ingredients. Sesame seeds actually have sun protective properties and also soothe sun-damaged skin. It helps to remove tan and produce an even colour tone. Mint has a stimulating effect and adds a glow to the skin, while curd and honey moisturize and soften the skin. Rub gently on the skin. Leave on for a few minutes and then wash off with water.

• Make a powder of 2 cups green tea leaves and mix it with 2 cups aloe vera gel. Apply all over the body and leave on for a few minutes. Then rub gently with circular movements and wash off with water. This can be applied on the face too.

• Take one cup olive oil and mix with half cup Epsom salts and half cup sugar. Add a little grated lemon rind. Apply on the body and rub gently before bath. Wash off. Keep remaining body scrub in the fridge in an airtight jar.

• Ripe papaya has a cleansing action and contains an enzyme called papain, which helps to remove dead skin cells and brighten the skin. Add enough oats and curd to papaya to make a paste. Apply on the arms and rub gently on the skin, washing off with water.

• Take one cup of ground dry orange and lemon peels, one cup each oat and ground almonds. Add olive oil and rose water to make a paste. Apply on the arms and legs and rub gently with circular movements. Then wash off with water.

• Granulated sugar can be excellent as a scrub, especially for the hands. Take 2 tablespoons sunflower oil and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Mix together till it becomes a paste. Apply and rub into the skin of your hands. Rinse off after 15 minutes.

Disclaimer: The article is authored by Shahnaz Husain. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not represent those of GlobalSpa.