Whipped Shea Butter Sugar Scrub

I have yet another bath recipe for you and this is definitely my favorite so far! I know it is a bit of a deviation to talk about bath products on a cooking blog however... I use recipes and I am always barefoot in my kitchen when I make them so I have decided that they still count!

This sugar scrub has only a handful of ingredients and was really quick to put together. Even better, applying it feels like slathering vanilla frosting all over your body and who wouldn't love that?!

Here you go:

Whipped Shea Butter Sugar Scrub

1/2 cup pure Shea Butter
1/3 cup oil (almond oil, jojoba oil, olive oil, etc. - I used almond oil)
1/8 tsp vitamin E oil (optional, but it will prolong the shelf life)
1 tsp corn starch (optional, but it will make it feel slightly less greasy)
fragrance
1/2 - 1 cup sugar (other choices might include salt, finely ground nuts or even coffee grounds)

- Place the shea butter in a mixing bowl and begin to beat with mixer until the butter is creamy (think whipped cream cheese). Be patient! This took about 5 minutes for the friction from the beaters to soften the shea butter.
- Gradually add the carrier oil a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. This is important or the butter will get lumpy.
- If you are adding vitamin E oil, do that next and then mix.
- If using, add the corn starch and fragrance next.
- Slowly mix in sugar until you achieve the desired consistency.
- Spoon into jars and then dash off to the shower to try your new creation!

A few other notes...
* Since I have become slightly obsessed with this stuff, I went ahead and purchased a few essential oils to use as fragrance. The shea butter and oil will not have any fragrance so if you want it to smell nice, you will need to add something. I heard somewhere that cooking extracts (like vanilla or almond or lemon) can be used for fragrance, but I don't know if that is true. If you use an essential oil, start with 1/4 teaspoon and then increase if you want it stronger.
* This has a wonderful consistency. Unlike the body butter I made, this stays creamy, even when stored in the freezing cold bathroom in my basement!
* You could definitely try this out as a regular lotion/cream by following all the instructions but leaving the sugar out!

Here's to smooth, silky skin in the dead of winter!

Happy Bathing!