I've been making this sugar scrub recipe since I was in junior high school, back when we made things at home out of necessity and not just because it was trendy.
Geez, I feel like I'm aging myself.
This time of year rolls around and I quickly get nostalgic. I'm reminded of my days growing up in Washington, picking apples off of my neighbor's trees to mash into my sugar scrub recipe and dole out to my friends around Christmas.
Now, living in San Diego, apple-picking is a more concerted effort. We approach the orchards in Julian just after a rain. The fruit is clean and the air smells like cold stone.
Several varieties are grown where we visit, all without pesticides. They're sweetest straight off the tree.
Sugar Scrub Recipe
1 average-sized apple, minced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup castile soap
Mix all ingredients in a jelly jar and seal tightly, shaking to combine each time you use it.
A lot of sugar scrub recipes use coconut oil as their moistening agent, but that stuff is a sticky mess that I can never get off my bathroom floor. I love coconut oil for many, many things…just not for greasing up my bathtub. Castile soap is where it's at.
I discovered that it served as the perfect binder for my sugar scrub recipe. It keeps the recipe moist without melting the sugar crystals. The ingredients do tend to separate, with the sugar falling to the bottom and the apple pieces floating to the top, but it's beautiful and mixes back together easily.
This sugar scrub recipe has an extra-strong apple scent that takes me back to those days in the Washington orchards. Apple is particularly excellent for battling blemished skin, but it can be a tad bit drying so it's a good idea to moisturize after you use this scrub.
Pin this sugar scrub recipe for later and give it as a gift this season. It would be perfect for showing your appreciation to a special teacher!
What do you get nostalgic about this season?