Sugar Body Scrub

It's getting toward late November and thoroughly feels like winter here in DC. For me, that means my skin gets super dry! It kind of feels like someone squeezed all of the moisture out of my skin the moment the air starts to get dry. Beautiful image, I know.

I've made this sugar body scrub a couple of times before, but this winter it really sunk in how easy, cheap, and effective this is. Plus, it is all natural, so you don't have to worry about what chemicals might be in it, and there's less waste because you can reuse the canister. Earlier this winter, I bought a body scrub at the drug store, and I think paid almost $10, and it was just okay. This will cost you only the cost of sugar and olive oil (or another carrier oil), and, in my opinion, is much more effective than store-bought scrubs. The secret seems to be that sugar is a really effective exfoliant, and olive oil seems to coat your skin and keeps moisture in. 

I haven't used this as a facial scrub - that could be too oily for a lot of people, but it's great for arms and legs. Also, I think it's probably best to use in the shower so that you can wash off any extra oil so that your arms/legs aren't too greasy.

Sugar Body Scrub
2 C sugar
1 C carrier oil (this can be olive oil, grape seed oil, or coconut oil*)
optional: 6-8 drops of essential oil (I like peppermint or lavender)
canister (such as a plastic jar with a lid or a Mason jar)

Add sugar to canister first, and then add carrier oil while stirring. Add carrier oil until scrub reaches desired consistency. Add essential oil drops if you want the scrub to be scented.

*if using coconut oil, melt in the microwave for 30 seconds or until it becomes liquid

Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines

I've been on a major blog hiatus lately. I've been wanting to get back into it, and have half a dozen half-written posts and ideas. All of which I hope to get to soon, and I'm planning to start updating more regularly again. I'm thinking of trying out some new types of posts (travel posts, more restaurant reviews.... since after doing this for about three years, I need to shake things up a little). So stay tuned for that!

In the meantime, though, I wanted to write a quick note about typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. As everyone has seen in the news, this was a devastating storm that has affected thousands of people. I want to write a separate post about the storm and its potential relationship to climate change, but first just wanted to quickly share a list of charities recommended by colleagues in the Philippines for donations.

For my job in DC, I work with a project that is based in Manila in the Philippines, and traveled to Manila earlier this year to work with them. While our project team members are alright, several of them having missing family members. They shared the list of charities below as a recommendation of where to donate. You have probably heard of at least the Red Cross already, but it's nice to have a recommendation to narrow down the list of organizations out there.

The photos are from my trip to the Philippines this past February; a bit of Manila and then at the beach at Boracay. Such a beautiful country.

As this NPR article explains, it's better to send money than stuff. So if you were interested in donating to relief efforts, consider one of these organizations:

Save the Children
Catholic Church relief
Philippines Red Cross