Scrub-a-dub-dub, I'm slipping in the tub

By now, I'm sure we've all tried our fair share of body scrubs. Some are almost liquid in consistency while others feel like clay earth. Either way, when you use a body scrub, you can slip and cause damage to yourself or your shower if you're not careful.

So what about the DIY body scrub? Have you tried making your own body scrubs at home, dear readers? It's sure cheaper than buying a store-bought scrub. Have you seen the price of Fresh's Brown Sugar Scrub lately? What do they put in it? Diamonds? Gold? Bald eagle feathers?

Theoretically, you can control the sugar/salt to oil ratio if you make the scrub yourself. This alone should pique your interest, right?

But here's the rub (pun intended): I've made more than a few body scrubs over the years and I've yet to find the perfect proportions for my liking. No matter what I do, it's either too slushy or too hard. I can never find the perfect balance.

BUT, that all may change soon, ladies. Because up until a few days ago, I never, ever thought to add one vital ingredient to my DIY scrubs. I'm going to hold you in suspense while I talk about what I have used, so keep reading.

In the past I've used various combinations of the following items:

brown sugar
white sugar
table salt
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
jojoba oil
almond oil
coffee grounds
green tea
chamomile tea
various essential oils (just a drop or two)
Vitamin E oil (always, ALWAYS add some Vit E to your scrub as a natural preservative)

The very first concoction I ever made turned my tub into a slip-and-slide. Waaaaaay too much EVOO. The next mixture left tiny cuts all over my legs (do NOT use coarse sea salt, my friends). And after that, I actually became more obsessed with finding the cutest container for my body scrub and less concerned with the actual scrub. So I really don't remember why those formulas failed, but they must have failed because I never made them again.

But those days are in the past because I'm now going to reveal the new secret ingredient that surely will make all DIY scrubs simply dreamy: SHOWER GEL! Ta-dah! That's what was missing all along! A squirt or two of your favorite shower gel/bath cream/bubble bath to the mix and that oil slick problem is solved. Plus, you will actually get clean while you moisturize and exfoliate.

Adding shower gel to a homemade body scrub is the best way to replicate a foaming sugar scrub, as they're called these days. Seriously, foaming sugar scrubs are all over the place now and they can get pretty pricey. So let's all give this a try and report back! Chances are, you have everything you need in your kitchen and bathroom. All that you must find now is the cute container. But please don't obsess over that or you'll never make the scrub. Trust me.