Scrub Yourself Silly

Who doesn't love the tingly feeling of freshly scrubbed skin? Ladies (and some forward-thinking gentlemen) stock up on all manner of cleansers and scrubs in order to achieve the timeless glow of smooth skin. And while your body scrub touts its lavender scent, its diamond powder, its traces of aloe vera or its rich shea butter, these aren't the things giving your skin its baby-soft feeling.

It's the fact that the top level of your epidermis is being scraped off, bit by bit, with the help of the scrub. So leave your Aqua di Parmo and Philosophy jars behind, because (most likely) you have all the ingredients to scrub yourself silly right at home; if not, find them down the street at .

Your first must-have is oil; it can be almond oil, sesame oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, and, of course, olive oil. The choice is yours. I use olive oil, and it works very nicely.

Your second must-have is something grainy: coffee grounds, salt, granulated white sugar, or brown sugar. I like brown sugar the best, because it smells amazing and has a really rich feeling, but coffee grounds are good, too, as they help in brightening the skin. Salt is the most abrasive of these choices, so those with sensitive skin might want to stay away from it.

Your third must-have is scent, because you want it to be scent-sational, right? Add bits of flower petals if you want to go floral (your neighbor won't mind) or vanilla extract if you want to smell like a cookie (I do). For a citrus scent, add in shavings the skin of a lemon, lime, orange or grapefruit. Remember, this is your body scrub, so put what you want in it.

Now that you've assembled your favorite ingredients, it's time to mix them all together. Find a cute little jar (or a baggy, as the case may be), and strive to tailor the size of your creation to your chosen container.

Now comes the mixing.

This isn't rocket science, ladies (and again, forward-thinking gentlemen); you just mix until you get desired consistency, which, as the brains behind Oodora skincare line, expalins should be the consistency of "thick, wet sand."

No need to measure. Start with your grainy element. Pour your brown sugar (or what have you) into a large bowl, and next, add your oil until you get the thick, wet, slushy sand feeling (better that it be more oily than grainy, though, if you had accidentally veer toward one extreme).

Work it out until you get your desired consistency, and then add your scent elements, and voila! Your very own body scrub, on the house.

Be warned, however: don't use it on your face! The oil that hydrates your body will reek havoc on your pores and cause a breakout! But use it on everything else, for silky limbs, smooth tummies, and vibrant backs!