Diatomaceous Earth
It really is just silica powder, but people claim all kinds of health benefits to using this fine powder for all kinds of things. First off, if you are ingesting it or making beauty products, make sure to use FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth. Food grade DE is NOT the same as the DE used in your pool filter. Food Grade Diatomaceous earth is used in gardens, food additives, drink mixes, pain pills, prescription drugs, and even vitamins. Chances are, if you so much as take a multi vitamin or drink tap water, you have ingested DE. Food grade DE is less abrasive than non-food grade, plus it has been purified.
We are not chatting about eating DE right now though. Let’s talk about exfoliating. I have dry skin and need gentle exfoliation quite often. salt and sugar scrubs work well, but are too abrasive for daily use, so I like something a bit finer. If it moisturizes too, then great!
So here you go:
1/2 tablespoon liquefied coconut oil
2 tablespoons diatomaceous earth
Mix into a paste. Be sure not to inhale the DE as any fine powder can irritate your lungs.
Apply the paste to your face, neck and chest and anywhere you wish to scrub and move your fingers in a circular motion. Don’t worry, the DE is much softer and more gentle than most exfoliates. Leave the paste in place for a couple minutes, then rinse off.
While the DE buffed away dead skin cells, the coconut oil moisturizes dry skin. You could also use other oils, but I always have coconut oil, so I go for it.
Come Winter, I will likely move to w twice weekly sugar scrub, but the DE scrub is nice in Summer.
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Can a large batch of DE face scrub be made up and if so, how long will it keep? Thanks
Hmmm. well, the DE should be fine. It is more about the other ingredients. Coconut oil and shea butter can eventually go rancid. You will likely know it by the smell. It will last a little longer if you use citrus essential oils and tea tree oil, but it won’t last indefinitely since the oils eventually separate and get gummy. In my experience most of the natural bath and body stuff lasts a good year before it starts getting funky, so long as it is stored in a relatively dark, cool place, like a room temp cabinet.
I find that adding some Vitamin E oil will prolong the scrub. It slows down the coconut oil (or any carrier oil) from becoming rancid. However, it is not an anti-microbial or anti-fungal. Adding some honey is supposedly supposed to help with this.
I just made a facial scrub with coconut oil. The results were great. My face feels awesome and I can visibly tell my skin was fresh and clean.