Cocoa-Mint DIY Lip Scrub Recipe (And Self Care Tips for Your Busy Lifestyle)
My simple cocoa-mint DIY lip scrub recipe not only nourishes your lips in a deliciously minty way, it is also a wonderful way that we can harness our creativity for self care and nurture our emotional health and well-being in just five minutes.
In these modern times, we often take on multiple roles throughout our lives. Often these roles overlap at the same time, leaving us overwhelmed and overextended. By taking just a few minutes out of each day to practice self care, even with a simple homemade lip scrub, we are better equipped to handle stressors in our lives.
What is self care?
We hear a lot about self care. That is, taking the time out to do something for yourself that benefits your physical or emotional health in some way. However, it’s easy to forget that we need to practice self care on a regular basis. When we have too much on our plate, and not enough time to get everything done, taking care of ourselves falls to the wayside.
Self care shouldn’t feel like a chore. Instead, it should be a simple exercise to help ground you. By making the time to practice self care exercises on a regular basis, the hope is that they’ll, in turn, become healthy habits. So not only are you carving out a little extra time for yourself each day, you’re also taking actions that lead to better emotional health. After all, self care isn’t self indulgence. It’s an act of survival.
What are some easy ways to practice self care?
Here is a list of my favorite ways to take time out for myself. Working these self care ideas into your busy lifestyle can really make all the difference in your life. Therefore, I recommend starting with just one or two, then working more in as you can.
1. Drink an extra glass of water everyday.
Easy, right? Most of us don’t drink enough water. And if you’re chugging coffee in the mornings to get going, you actually need to drink double the amount of water to counteract the caffeine. The simple act of drinking more water not only helps with digestion, it also combats fatigue and can help prevent acne.
2. Get up and move!
When work gets overwhelming, take a mini break. Get out of that ever so uncomfortable office chair and take a spin! (Or spin in your office chair even!).
I’ve found that something as simple as standing up and doing a Cinderella like spin, your arm circling down so you can magically don a ball gown, will lift your mood and give you a little chuckle. Likewise, if you can get away with dancing to a single song, go for it! Sneaking in just a little exercise can help to reduce stress. It also leads to better sleep. Here’s a another awesome fun way to get some steps in every day.
3. Don’t skimp on sleep.
Our bodies need sleep to stay healthy and keep us on top of our game. I promise the world won’t go spiraling into the sun if you don’t finish every single thing on your to do list by the end of the day.
So if you’re exhausted, take a nap. Also be sure you’re getting an adequate amount of sleep every night. A good night’s rest helps to improve memory, spur creativity, sharpen attention and lower stress levels so you can, in turn, be more productive. If you have trouble getting a good night’s rest, you’ll find some great tips for getting a restful night’s sleep here.
4. Crank the music on your car ride to and from work – and sing along!
Belting out to your favorite playlist when you’re alone in the car is fabulous for relieving built up stress and tension. I mean, there’s just something about being able to scream (sing) at the top of your lungs to help you get over a bad day.
5. Reward yourself at least once week for all of your hard work with a little treat.
Instead of saving the things you love for special occasions, make the occasion special to brighten your mood. Spoil yourself with your favorite Korean face mask. Or buy yourself that pretty party worthy cake pop. Pick up a bouquet of your favorite flowers. Do something you wish your ex would have done for you, but never did.
6. Clean and organize your living space.
If you’re a type A personality like I am, cleaning off your desk or organizing your pantry will help to clear your head, reduce stress and ground you. I find that this helps me when I’m having trouble starting on a new project or task for work.
7. Unwind with a relaxing bubble bath at the end of a hard day.
Or buy a fun new nail polish color and give yourself a mani-pedi! This extra bit of attention is a great way to meditate without realizing you’re meditating. Especially if you’re one of those people that has trouble sitting still for more than five minutes (I’m raising my hand on this one too!). These homemade lavender and chamomile bath bombs are the perfect way to relax in the bath.
8. Learn to say no.
Your time is already stretched. Adding on another task as a favor to someone else will only make things harder and more stressful. It’s impossible to take care of your own needs, if you’re drowning in obligations to other people.
Your friends and family will understand and you’ll feel empowered by taking back a little piece of time for yourself that you would ordinarily give away.
9. Eat healthier.
Start replacing processed foods with raw foods rich in nutrients. Processed foods contain preservatives that can be unhealthy when they start to consume your eating habits. Not only do they offer fewer nutrients your body needs, they can also contribute to stress and anxiety.
Learn more about how to prevent binge eating.
10. Take a break from social media.
Social media has become a large part of daily life. Unfortunately, the content is not always desirable. Politics and negative news stories can easily bring you down, and the comments can be even worse than the posts themselves. In addition, reading about how happy your friends and family are can often lead to feeling that our own lives are inadequate.
Rather than scrolling through facebook or instagram, take that ten minutes to walk around the block instead. Studies have shown that a simple walk outdoors can boost serotonin levels in the brain more than antidepressant medications.
11. Use your chores as a way to interact with people outside of your day to day life.
Instead of a chaotic trip to the grocery store after work, visit the farmer’s market on your day off instead. Not only will the walk reduce stress, but it will give you the chance to interact on a personal level with the people you’re buying from. It’s also an easy way to shop healthier and support people in your community.
12. Try aromatherapy.
Certain essential oils, such as lavender, can help to promote calm and relaxation. While other essential oils, such as lemongrass, can help relieve stress. I personally LOVE peppermint essential oil in my diy lip scrub recipe and many other diy beauty products.
Elizabeth’s Note: Ready to learn more about essential oils? Start my FREE SUPER SIMPLE 9-STEP EMAIL COURSE to start learning – without all the stress! I focus on the absolute essentials (pun totally intended, haha) and keep everything simple. That way you can learn what you need without information overload! Start my free course now.
13. Create something with your hands.
There’s a certain satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment when you make something with your hands. Creativity not only makes us happy, it can also help us overcome trauma and manage negative emotions.
DIY Lip Scrub: A simple 5-minute self care project
If you’d like to create something, but aren’t sure where to start, why not give my natural DIY lip scrub recipe a try? Making something simple, such a lip scrub, is an easy self care exercise. And it only takes five minutes of your time.
Not only will it give you a feeling of accomplishment, the end product also allows you to take that one extra minute a day to focus just on you. Or more specifically, your lips!
I love this cocoa-mint DIY lip scrub recipe for a number of reasons. Not only is it easy to make, it’s also a great project that you create with your friends or family without having to make a huge time commitment. Of course, there’s also the added benefit of having smooth, healthy looking lips! Especially if you are prone to chapped lips in the winter, or if you live in a particularly dry climate.
By the way, this Cocoa-Mint DIY lip scrub would pair perfectly with chocolate mint body butter recipe, peppermint foaming sugar scrub recipe, chocolate mint foaming salt scrub, and chocolate mint lip balm recipe as a gift or as a complete self care package! You could also add these Foot Scrub Cubes with Menthol Crystals.
Cocoa-Mint DIY Lip Scrub Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
.75 oz. unrefined cocoa butter
.75 oz. virgin coconut oil or fractionated coconut oil
.25 oz. emulsifying wax
4.5 oz. granulated sugar
1 mL (or about 20 drops) peppermint essential oil
DIRECTIONS:
You will need a digital kitchen scale to craft my cocoa-mint DIY lip scrub recipe.
STEP #1:
Using a digital scale, weigh out the cocoa butter, coconut oil and emulsifying wax. (If you live in a hot climate, use virgin coconut oil. Otherwise, for cooler climates, use fractionated coconut oil.)
STEP #2:
Combine these ingredients in a double boiler and heat the ingredients on the stovetop over medium-low heat until melted.
STEP #3:
Remove the melted butter, oil and wax from heat. Then add the peppermint essential oil to the mixture and stir to combine.
STEP #4:
Using a separate container weigh out the sugar. Then pour the sugar into the liquid ingredients. Then use a fork to mix the lip scrub until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
STEP #5:
Spoon your cocoa-mint natural lip scrub into a container or containers of your choice. Allow to cool, then screw on the lid(s) to your container(s).
To use your natural DIY lip scrub, simply massage a small amount of the scrub onto damp lips in the shower as part of your daily self care routine.
How do you practice self care each day? Do you make DIY lip scrub to nourish your lips? I’d love for you to share your experiences in the comments!
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Source: https://livingthenourishedlife.com/cocoa-mint-diy-lip-scrub-recipe-and-self-care-tips/
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