Make a Spearmint & Blackberry Seed Foot Scrub

Tucked away in the town of Chelsea, just at the brim of Gatineau Park, you’ll find the largest outdoor nature spa in North America. They put on a Aufguss (German for infusion) ritual where essential oils and snowballs are placed over hot stones. Within seconds a deliciously scented hot steam envelops the sauna.

Although nothing quite compares to the ritual I just described, this Spearmint & Blackberry Seed Foot Scrub brings a piece of the spa to your home. No fancy sauna required! Download a Leonard Cohen playlist, light some candles and let the scent of spearmint take over your bathroom.

Why I love this scrub:

• The salt and seeds remove dead skin and encourage cell regeneration.

• The oils, wax and butter soften and protect the skin.

• The spearmint packs in many skin cleansing benefits.

Let's get started!

The ingredients

Spearmint infused sunflower oil

I infused dry spearmint in sunflower oil over the course of a week and gently shook the bottle a couple of times a day. I stained out the herbs and stored the oil to use for this formulation. Spearmint is a great addition to this scrub because it has antioxidant, antibacterial and antimicrobial benefits.

Exfoliants

Since it’s blackberry season, I decided to try something different and use blackberry seeds as an exfoliant. The seeds are a by-product from the jam and juicing industry that would have otherwise gone to waste. How cool is that! I also included some espom salt to help relieve muscle soreness and stress.

Essential oils

I chose to include spearmint essential oil to heighten the beneficial properties and scent of the infused oil. I also added some lavender essential oil for its relaxation benefits.

Also in this formulation:

• Beeswax

• Shea butter

• Vitamin E

• Coconut oil

The measurements

For a 2 oz jar, you will need:

• Shea butter 45.7 g

• Blackberry seeds 3.3 g

• Beeswax 3 g

• Epsom salt 3 g

• Coconut oil 3 g

• Spearmint infused sunflower oil 1.2 g

• Vitamin E 0.3 g

• Spearmint essential oil 0.3 g

• Lavender essential oil 0.2

The steps

1. Using a water bath, melt the shea butter, beeswax and coconut oil in a glass beaker. Stir until melted.

2. When this blend has melted, remove the beaker from the water bath.

3. Add the infused sunflower oil and vitamin E to a separate beaker and warm it using the water bath.

4. Remove the infused sunflower oil from the water bath and pour the contents into the shea butter mixture.

5. Stir until slightly cooled and add the essential oils.

6. Continue to stir and when the glass rod begins to leave a trace, mix in the blackberry seeds and epsom salt.

7. Pour the product in a jar and cool in the fridge overnight.

Don't forget to do a patch test to rule out any sensitivities and avoid introducing water into the product by using dry hands or a spoon to remove it from the packaging.

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know what you think on Instagram!