I love sugar!!!

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you may be surprised to see this as an opening statement; however, if you’ve known me for any significant amount of time, you’ll know it’s true.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved candy! Make no mistake, my mother did NOT provide me with an endless supply of candy, when I was growing up, but whenever I got some, I would dance as if it were my birthday. I also liked ice cream, cookies, cakes, and other desserts—anything SWEET!

While eating too much processed sugar can exacerbate health issues such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, and provoke acne breakouts, this post is about the healthful benefits of natural sugars. Sugar can have a wonderful nourishing effect on your skin, when used topically. Sugar naturally helps to draw and retain moisture to your skin. Not only sugar, but honey, agave, maple syrup, and even stevia can have great benefits for your skin.

Granulated sugars, when combined with the correct oils, make a perfect scrub which will exfoliate skin, block toxins, and help retain skin’s moisture. Depending on the added oils, the scrub may also provide disinfecting, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-septic, and anti-fungal benefits.

Honey, by itself, on your lips, provides natural shine and moisture retention (if you can keep yourself from licking it off!) It also has anti-bacterial and anti-septic qualities, which may be why it is sometimes added to hair and skin care products. Honey has been known to be full of antioxidants and produce collagen. Both of these qualities are attributed to anti-aging.

Similar to honey, maple syrup also has antioxidant qualities, and can fight wrinkles, dryness, redness, and inflammation.

Agave is known to be an ancient natural cure for skin ailments. In addition to having anti-aging qualities, it has been said to have wound-healing properties.

Stevia, a more recently popular plant-based sweetener, is also good for topical skin care. The water-like substance that can be extracted from stevia inhibits the growth of bacteria which can cause acne. It can also soften skin, reduce irritation, and reduce wrinkles.

Several years ago—probably close to 15 or 20—I discovered salt scrubs, at a popular nationwide chain that specialized in body products. I loved the feel of the grainy salt, as it exfoliated my skin, the sweet and sometimes intoxicating fragrance (though some irritated my sinuses), and the smooth sheen that the oils left behind. It left my skin so moist that I didn’t have to use lotion. The only problem was that it would sometimes sting, if I had a small cut or scratch. Around the same time, I started going to a new manicurist, who used sugar scrubs during her manicure and pedicure process. I asked her where she got them and she explained to me that she had made them. She described this cement-mixer-type machine that she had bought, and how she used larger grains of sugar—such as raw sugar. DING! The bell and lightbulb came on in my head—I can make my own scrub!

I had already started learning about the relaxing and healing qualities of some essential oils through a friend who was a massage therapist, and had purchased a few favorites like lemongrass, lavender, and rose. I started experimenting with various quantities and grains of sugars, as well as quantities of carrier and essential oils, and finally settled on a perfect blend for my sugar scrub.

Some of you may have already experienced it, but if you haven’t, and you’d like to purchase some of my signature Lemongrass Sugar Scrub, drop me a line at heritagenaturalistas@gmail.com.

Sweet Indulgence

Outdoors

Summer of 2001