I don’t really miss a whole lot about my former life of the last 3+ years but there are a few things that I find myself wishing I still had… The house I lived in was great and despite first hating living in town so close to neighbors, I had grown to really, really love it. But I try to remember that it did have some problems that had to be handled through the landlord which was never, ever fun. But, gosh, that house. I LOVE that house. I MISS that house. My life IN that house, not so much, but I’m glad that I can separate those things and still have such love for that great space.
One of the other things about my recent past that I miss is the food. I’ve noticed that even just 5 months away from the Rio Grande Valley and my mouth can’t handle the heat of spicy foods that it had gotten used to from years of it. There are these chips from Mexico that I really, really like and I was so excited to find them in a gas station near my parents’ house. I showed my mom, super pleased with my find and straight up first chip a chompin’ I had tears in my eyes and I was holding my mouth open all funny saying how they hadn’t always been so darn hot. But I think they were. I think I was just used to it. And while I don’t miss the spice, I do miss the snacks. Gosh. There are restaurants that serve nothing but snacks in the RGV and I really miss those fun little shops! And dude I haven’t had a decent taco in months (but in all honesty, I should try here in Houston a bit harder :)
I also miss being so close to the beach. That great house that I loved had a great location right off of a turnpike that meant getting to South Padre Island was, like, a 30-minute drive. Shebang! Right? That’s awesome and probably one of the only reasons I hung on living in the valley for so long. Don’t get me wrong, I was also there out of a totally stupid brand of loyalty, too but we’re done dwelling on that :)
But guess what guys? I get to go to the beach in just a few short weeks! And not just to a beach town where I’ll stay inland and hit up the sand once a day for a while… NOPE a HOUSE ON THE BEACH where I can open the windows and hear the surf while I sleep for 8 nights. How amazing is that? Even living so near a fabulous beach, I only slept on South Padre one single time last year for my birthday. And now I get EIGHT NIGHTS. And not in a noisy hotel where the windows don’t open on the beach, but in a house on the beach with all of the freedom that will afford. Huzzah! As the Great British Bakers would say, “I’m chuffed”.
But that many days on the beach means lots of bathing suit time and I’m not exactly beach-ready if you know what I mean? One of the biggest issues in life, in general, are my hairy legs. I HATE SHAVING MY LEGS. I hate it, hate it, HATE IT but I’ll DO it because I hate having hairy legs even more. But on vacation sharing 2 bathrooms with 4, sometimes 5 other people, things will get hairy. Haha, in more than one way :) Because I know from recent family vacationing experience, everybody needs in the bathroom at the same dang time. And if you think you’re going to have a nice, long shower with enough time to actually shave your legs when sharing a house, well you’re my ex. Because he was the only one that would take his sweet ass time in the bathroom when there were so many other people needing to use it. But I’m definitely gonna want to have hair-free legs in a bathing suit so I’ve started epilating my legs over the last month to get beach-ready.
I don’t know if you have ever epilated your legs but it freaking hurts. Or at least it does at first. I’m kind of an old pro and I just get ‘er done anymore. In fact, this is the epilator I usein case you’re in the market for one. I’m on my THIRD Philips Satinelle Epilator. And it’s my third because I’ve lost 2. Not because it doesn’t last because I think it will if I could just keep up with the dang thing :)
But the thing about epilating is you have to exfoliate, too, or you have rough, bumpy skin and areas where the skin is kind of over the hair so that your little machine cannot neatly pluck it out. And so, with a good several weeks of epilating and not fantastic results, I decided to make my own exfoliating sand scrub using some beach sand (how apropos, right?) because the macadamia business I got from the store was NOT doing well enough. And we’re down to WEEKS here to get my legs tamed and ready for vacay. So, without further ado…
Let’s make some seriously moisturizing, totally anti-inflammatory and lusciously foaming DIY beach sand scrub.
For this project you will need:
- Beach Sand
- Oil (I have used Sweet Almond Oil and Straight Up Olive Oil)
- Eucalyptus Essential Oil
- Sweet Essential Orange Oil
- Body Wash Base
First of all I totally get that not everybody has a beach nearby (I no longer do) or maybe you’re not going to be going on a beach vacation anytime soon. NO SWEAT. You can purchase sandonline or just about anywhere (be warned the link I’m linking to is a VERY small bag) or you can grab sand at the craft store. Look in the naturals section near seashells and whatnot for more natural sand rather than in the kid crafts section where they’re colored and totally unnatural.
Also, if you find something called “unity sand” at Michael’s just know you’re getting something that looks natural but is scented with who knows the heck what. I guess it’s a wedding thing? Don’t get that kind.
Don’t sweat buying a jumbo bag of sand from the hardware store, or anything… we’re going to whip up this foaming sand scrub in small batches using only quarter a cup at a time. Which leads me to the first actual step in this tutorial…
Put quarter a cup of sand into a small bowl :)
Next, add your choice of essential oils. I usedEucalyptus Essential Oil because it’s a good anti-inflammatory and it is anti-bacterial which is great for skin. I also like using it because I get nasty summer allergies. Like, I don’t have any clue what the heck is going on but in the shower, this stuff opens up my sinuses like a dream. And then I’ve got buttery soft elbows, knees, and feet and I can actually breathe. Talk about double duty!!!
For this recipe, I used a LOT of eucalyptus oil, about 30 drops. I like to add an additional 30 drops of sweet orange oil. I think the two pair well together scent-wise and though eucalyptus on its own is fairly low on my list of fave scents, adding sweet orange oil makes this combination one of my absolute favorites for any kind of DIY scrub. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of your choice of oil likeSweet Almond Oil and Straight Up Olive Oil. I have used both and, in all honesty, my favorite is a little extra-virgin olive oil straight out of the pantry. It’ makes my skin so soft and smooth and just flippin’ great feeling in a sand scrub. No lie.
Mix your sand with the oils until everything is well incorporated. You want sand that is damp and will hold together when squeezed without any excess liquid oozing out. What you want is not super greasy, greasy. If it is really oily add a bit of sand until you get something that holds together like a snowball when pinched. Does that make sense? Let’s hope so!
Now let’s add 1 tablespoon of body wash base to our sand and oil mixture and gently fold it into the sand mixture. Don’t stir!
FYI, I got my body wash base from Hobby Lobby with a 40% off coupon but you can also buy something similar online at Amazon. If you’d like to make your own handsoaps or body washes, I’d get a tub from HL because it’s cheaper that way.
Also, FYI, these are the two different textures you get with stirring (on the left) vs. folding in (on the right). They both work okay, but the version on the right looks a heck of a lot prettier and seems to foam up a lot better. And when I’m down for foaming scrubs, y’all that business better lather right on up and FOAM, amIright? :)
Pour your business into a shower safe container and use as needed. Since this is a small batch, you’ll use it up in 4-6 showers depending on how heavily you use it. When my feet get a bit rough in the summer with regular flip flop usage, I’ll use it every few days and it makes them feel so soft and lovely!
And just FYI, that right on up there is NOT a shower safe container. It’s glass and it’s pretty for pictures but if you drop it in the shower and, heaven forbid, it breaks you’re in your bare feet trying to see clear glass on the floor of the tub or shower and it’s flat out a nightmare. I’d suggest purchasing a few plastic containers with screw-on lids from the soap-making section at your craft store for actual use.
Whether you’re at the beach and looking for a fun sand project OR if you’re looking for a fab beach body, look no further than this fantastic foaming DIY sand scrub!
