Raise your hand if your one step shy of  soaking neck deep in a tub full of Ponds cold dream, buying out the majority share of the Olay company, and doing anything within your power to rid yourself of the snowflake and one-size-too-small-dry feeling skin that have plagued us with this blessed changing of the seasons…no? Just me then?

Well, do a two for one this season – because I’m bringing you a DIY remedy to slough off the old and bring on the new – skin, that is with brown sugar scrub!  All without having to to dole out $15 a jar for scrubs that smell like a perfumeria that was imploded.

And you just know that if your ashy skin need this – you friends and their skin does, too. Hero of the Ashies, you are!

Beka and I got addicted to the sugar scrubs while we were in college, but realized on the college budget – that was dedicated more to beer drinking than spa products – we needed to savor the scrubs we had. Now I know better and I can scrub #allthethings and not send my bank account in panic attacks that render it shaking back and forth in the corner. There, there bank account. I have bigger plans for you. Like, this. Christmas wish? Too much? Well, that’s what Santa is for.

Start with sourcing all the mason jars, jam jars, or 8 ounce jars you can – clean of course – and pour each of them ¾ the way full with Raw Brown Sugar. Course is best here folks.

Now, pick out a vanilla bean and half it down the middle, then scape out all the little bean goodness that remains. Stir that into the sugar until it’s fairly well mixed.

Then, because you’re a rebel,  go ahead and toss the bean in there too – for good measure and that rebel feeling. It’s not only uber rustic, but the oil will leach out of remnants of the essence from the bean and make this scrub incredibly luxurious.

For an 8 ounce jar I use ½ a vanilla bean, for 4 ounce jar ¼ bean. You can, of course, vary it depending on your level of obsession with vanilla.

Then we’re ready for the oil. I used Safflower oil for this – it’s cheap, feels great and does just as amazing of job as higher price olive oil, or grapeseed oil would. Pick your favorite and go to town – I’m just notoriously cheap. Well, most days.

Pour it over the sugar and vanilla bean – let it soak in and keep pouring it over until the sugar is saturated and the oil rests comfortably over the sugar. I like to leave enough oil in there so you can actually see the oil sitting on top of the sugar. It’s like, science. Or something.

If vanilla isn’t your thing – and I judge you not – switch it up with a citrusy note of lemon and lime. Zest 1 lemon and 1 lime, lathering, rinsing and repeating the same process you would if you were making a vanilla scrub.

Or feel the freedom bestowed upon you to gather up your favorite essential oil and drop a few drops in there instead. Lavender? Pine? Orange? Caradmom with a hint of nutmeg? You know you’re smell-drooling right now. Don’t even lie.

It’s so easy it almost feels like cheating. But your friends never have to know how simple it is – just let them revel in the softy skin winter-be-gone glory of it all. And *hint* from me to you – scrub your legs to high heaven with this, and then use the oil to shave your legs. Angels will sing and world peace will be solved and you won’t get those embarassing runs in your hose from ashy and prickly legs…don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Just call me Victoria. Or not. I like Megan, thanks.

And to make sure your newly sloughed appendages stay non-ashy and always smell like something you want to eat – check out Ms. Bev’s handy dandy DIY Scented Lotion tutorial – this woman just gits eet, yo.

Happy gifting!