Scrubalicious!

By Anna Dvorak

Health-conscious, whole foods eating label-reader. Sound like you? Skin care product "hot buttons" aware, shop in the Health and Beauty aisle of the Wedge, and hope for the best when it comes to knowing all of the ingredients on the label. Also sound familiar? How about allergies? Many of us have food sensitivities or skin allergies that can manifest as skin irritations—making label reading essential, but also confusing. What do you do when you really want a skin product that fits YOUR needs?

My answer? Get in the kitchen and whip up a batch of your own creams, lotions, soaks, and gentle exfoliating scrubs! Wonderful body and bath products can be concocted easily and quickly, with ingredients straight out of the aisles of the Wedge. It doesn't take a chemistry lab to mix them properly, and it doesn't take mystery ingredients to make them feel wonderful on your skin. Waxes, oils, plant butters and gels, plus natural exfoliants from the earth including clays, salts, sugar or seeds can be combined to create the most decadent and nourishing skin treats in your own kitchen.

Let me show you how to do this in my classes offered in the Wedge classroom. I'll show you options for ingredient substitutions so that you can feel comfortable experimenting with your own combinations for truly custom skin care. Choose the plant oils and butters for the most nutritive properties to fit your skin needs. Combine them with essential oils and you have options for making your body products smell wonderful and provide therapeutic benefits. Blend your lotions and creams with flower hydrosols (steam-distillates), which have all of the beneficial properties of essential oils in a much milder form, for skin hydration and healing. The best part of all this? Your lotion and potion "lab" will only be steps away from your private test "lab"—your bathroom!

Classes are offered throughout the spring in the Wedge classroom. Look for classes on making products for chemically sensitive individuals, making healing salves and balms to soothe rough gardener's hands, Mother's Day body care gift making classes to pamper mom—or yourself—and making lightweight lotion and natural bug repellents for summer.