Homemade Microdermabrasion Scrub

It's so hard to find a good microdermabrasion scrub that doesn't cost a ridiculous amount. I found a great one by St. Ives once, but it has since been discontinued. My skin looked so good while I was using it. I've been researching treatments for acne and dark spots, and sugar and salt scrubs seem to be a good alternative. Lucky for me, the recipe is pretty simple.

Combine one cup of sugar, half a cup extra virgin olive oil and one teaspoon of lemon juice.

Add several drops of essential oils, such as lavender or citrus. Add one tablespoon of baking soda, which will soften the skin.

I'm using tea tree oil for the essential oil. I couldn't find anything pretty like lavender or citrus. I found coconut, but I don't know about coconut oil being beneficial to the skin.

I added the vanilla and cinnamon mainly in an attempt to improve the smells. It still smells pretty weird. Not bad, though.

Finished product. I wish I had gotten some food coloring so it can be pretty. Oh well. It's probably best to keep it as natural as possible.

Here is a great site listing the benefits of sugar scrubs. I chose sugar over salt because sugar produces glycolic acid, which is a common treatment for acne scars. Yes, I'm still fighting them. You might think they don't show up because I'm brown, but they do. I chose tea tree oil because it's supposed to kill bacteria on the skin and treat acne as well as benzoyl peroxide but without the side effects. Unfortunately, it's also supposed to work more slowly. I'm still using benzoyl peroxide, so I guess I'll have the benefits of both. I hope I will.

After using the scrub, I'm thinking it would be better to go for an oil-free version next time. My skin is oily enough on its own, and it felt really oily after I rinsed my face. I hardly scrubbed at all, and it was almost painful. This will definitely take some getting used to. I know this can be used on the whole body, so I'm betting it'll work wonders for my feet and my itchy legs. They could use some scrubbing.