Many years ago I had found this facial scrub at The Body Shop. I don’t exactly remember the name of it, but the thing I did remember was that the one and only ingredient was azuki beans (also sometimes called adzuki beans). A search of their site brings up this new version of the scrub that also contains Sodium Chloride, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate and a variety of other chemical ingredients and fragrances. It sells for $22 for a 4.4oz container.
Azuki Beans
I want to say, the much smaller container I had, was about $15. I loved this scrub. But one day it was gone from The Body Shop and then, next I knew, The Body Shop was gone from the malls. Ever since it has been brewing in my head that it should be easy enough to find some beans and grind them into a powder to have this scrub once again.
azuki beans in the grinder
I did some Google work and found that this is a popular scrub in Japan. Women have been using it for years. During a trip today to Chinatown I found a bag of organic azuki beans. For $2.29 I got a 15 oz jar that is half full. There’s nearly an entire bag of beans still in my pantry.
ground up azuki ready for the jar
To make the scrub all you do is take the beans and put them in either a blender, food processor or if you have an extra coffee grinder, you can use that. I just happened to have an extra coffee grinder that I haven’t used yet, it was sparkly clean. I ground the beans up about a 1/4 cup at a time until it was a powder. Kind of a corn meal consistency. I transferred the powder to glass jar.
To use the scrub just place about a dime size amount into the palm of your hand, add a bit of water until it becomes a paste and then scrub your face. If you buy organic beans you’ll be sure there are no added chemicals. I’m so excited to start using this scrub. I found some mentions that you can also use this as a mask, by adding a bit more water and letting it dry on your face before washing it off. I will have to try that.
Do you have any natural beauty products you make or like to use? Any suggestions for someone with very oily skin? I’d love to hear what you do.
