While I realize almost everyone else is diving head first into fall, I’m spending the month of September on the Texas coast, soaking up every last drop of summer. I’ve been sitting on the beach, grounding my feet in the sand, going on short walks with my dogs along the sea, and getting free doses of Vitamin D. These are all very simple things, but my spirit has been thriving. The sea, sand, and sun are truly so healing, and I’ve been feeling at peace and full of joy.
I thought I would share some of my favorite beach-themed DIYs as a farewell to summer time. Here are three recipes to treat your feet, skin, and hair.
Beach Sand Foot Scrub
Ingredients
1 cup of clean, dry sand
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (give or take depending on how coarse you like your scrub)
5-10 drops of lemon essential oil
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl, and transfer to a mason jar for keeping.
Is there anything better than using the sand as a natural exfoliant? This is seriously the easiest scrub to make if you’re visiting or live near a beach. You can always substitute salts or sugar, but I opted for the sand to connect completely with Mother Earth 🙂
Post-Sun Healing Spray:
Ingredients
1/2 a spray bottle of Aloe Vera Gel (I LOVE this brand)
10-15 drops of lavender essential oil
Pour the aloe vera gel into a spray bottle while adding in drops of lavender essential oil. Shake, refrigerate, and spray on skin after coming in from the sun. I prefer this aloe vera gel because it’s not too gel-like and can be easily used in a spray bottle without getting clogged. There are no additives – just pure, organic aloe. The lavender essential oil is especially great for burns, and is often used on the skin for its many healing properties.
Sometimes sunburns can be inevitable when spending a lot of time outside. While there are probably many great DIY sunscreens out there, I have been using an organic sunscreen by Coola. I also cover-up and wear hats, but after the first full day in the sun, I came back a little pink. My nose, shoulders, and upper back needed some extra post-sun love, so I combined two simple ingredients and used after I showered. I reapplied twice the next day, and my skin was no longer pink! This is a great little spray to hydrate and nourish the skin, even if you never get a sunburn.
Sea Salt Beach Hair Spray:
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups of warm water
3 teaspoons of sea salt
2 teaspoons of coconut oil (melted)
3 teaspoons of aloe vera gel
5 drops lavender* essential oil
5 drops peppermint* essential oil
Mix them all up in a spray bottle, shake, and spray.
*You can substitute your favorite essential oil, but I have found these two work well for my hair. Lavender is one of the most universal essential oils (you’ll see it in many of my DIY recipes) and seems to work well for all hair types. Both peppermint and lavender have mood-lifting scents, and while the lavender can help restore weak, damaged hair (it’s a great oil to use after being in the sun), the peppermint can help stimulate hair growth. To double as a hair lightening spray for sun kissed highlights, you can use lemon essential oil instead.
My hair is flat. It’s fairly thick, but very fine, so that means limited texture. While I don’t quite have lustful mermaid waves, I love this spray for a quick post-shower “I did nothing to my hair but it looks so cute and beachy” look. I’ve been using it after rinsing, and it really does give my hair a nice I-just-took-a-dip-in-the-sea texturize. Is it okay to have summer hair all year round?
