SUGAR!

Earlier this year I was diagnosed as a pre-dabetic (insulin resistant)...and have had to adjust my choices in foods.  I'm a carbs girl...I love breads and sweets, I would say it's in my genes.  It might also have something to do with the family bakery that we had when I was growing up.  It's not that I can't have sugar, but I do have to watch my carb intake...which can be a sad day when I just want another piece of dessert.  This post has nothing to do with something you can eat, but rather something that's a little more friendly to the hips and tired hands after a long day.  This post may not involve baking or cooking, but it was made in my kitchen and after you try it, you'll be hooked!

When doing one of my many searches on Pinterest, I came across a great use for sugar that doesn't involve putting it in food...hand scrubs!  When we were on vacation this last summer, we had lunch at a restaurant who had put some hand scrub in their women's restroom.  One of my step-daughters and I gave it a little try when washing our hands and that's when it happened...love <3  Since then, I've thought about that scrub and wondered if I'd ever find anything like it again AND I have!!!

I found 4 basic hand scrubs that took a lot of the same ingredients and most of them natural and things you can probably find in your pantry right now.

Brown Sugar Hand Scrub                Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub

  brown sugar                                       sugar

  extra virgin olive oil                             extra virgin olive oil

   honey                                                lemon extract

                                                            yellow food coloring

Peppermint Hand Scrub                  Pomegranate Hand Scrub

   sugar                                                sugar

   hypoallergenic baby oil                      Dawn with Olay Beauty Hand Renewal

   corn syrup                                                       (pomegranate splash scent)

   peppermint extract

To find the recipes, click on the title of the scrub.

My step-daughters were good sports to stir, smell, and test the scrubs as they were being made.  These scrubs would make great gifts this holiday season.  I got my jars from Walmart for $2.  The dollar store had some for $1, but they were larger and had screw top lids (that wasn't quite what I was looking for, so for me the Walmart ones worked best).

I didn't follow the recipes exactly (go figure).  I filled the jar with sugar and then dumped it in a bowl to add the remaining ingredients.  Once everything was stirred and added to the jar, we had to make a little more of each to top off the jars.

Sugar isn't just for your desserts anymore, it's for that rough, dry skin that needs a good polishing.  A special thanks to The Idea Room, By Stephanie Lynn, and Homemade Mamas for some excellent ideas!

Happy...scrubbing!