This weekend, we went on a staycation at this beautiful home in Ubud. I had this idea that I’d create a spa experience for myself while I’m there.
On the day that we were heading off – I wake up extra early, just to make a fresh batch of Spring Chocolate Beauty Bliss Balls to bring with me…
It’s 6:30am, my kids are still in bed – and I’m blending lavender and chocolate together and smiling with anticipation.
I roll them up, give myself a high-five…
… and then I forget to bring them.
Two days later of hiking and swimming and eating – we’re back home. Going on a staycation was a genius idea. But, you know how it is after a trip, you come home feeling like… wait, I’m not ready for real life just yet.
And then I see it. This jar of chocolate balls – sitting on my kitchen table. It smells fresh, like a chocolate brownie that was baked in a flower shop.
And I’m running up the stairs to scrub with it! So, yes – this is that recipe, that genius thing you do for yourself… and then a few days later you just want to give yourself a big hug for having done it!
Whole Food Skincare for Springtime
Doesn’t Spring chocolate sound perfect right now? A lot of the ways that I get inspiration for my skin care recipes, is by the same foods and ingredients that I love eating. I saw a chocolate bar once that had lemon zest and edible flowers – and I thought – this would make really good skincare!
Not to be confused with actual food – this version is a dense, creamy body scrub – that leaves your skin deliciously soft! What I love about it too, is that it makes the most convenient (aka: easy to enjoy) skin food: you make it once, and it lasts well over a month!
And when scrub with it in the shower – it just melts right onto your skin, gently exfoliates and leaves you feeling like new! Bright, happy and spring-like.
The lavender buds take this recipe straight into Spring! It smells incredible. It’s is a cleansing herb, great for all skin types! It’s like a tonic for your skin that helps to heal and improve your skin all-around.
You can easily find lavender online, or have a look in the tea section of your supermarket. Even if it’s a blend, like lavender + something else… as long as you enjoy the scent, go for it!
We’re also using cacao butter for this recipe because not only is it deeply moisturising, but it also hardens and helps the balls to keep their shape. Look for cacao butter in your local baking supply shop.
Or, if coconut oil stays solid in room temperature where you live (as in, you don’t live in the tropics) then that will work in place of the cacao butter.
I’ve been playing with this recipe a lot! And I figured out that adding oats give this scrub a creaminess that feels really good. Plus, oats are incredibly soothing for your skin as well.
It’s so simple to put together. Let’s get rolling!
Spring Chocolate Beauty Bliss Balls
- 2 tbsp cocoa butter
- 1 tbsp tbsp oil (coconut, almond, olive…)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp dried lavender buds, ground into powder
- 1/2 cup sea salt, or pink himalayan
- 1/4 cup ground oat flour
- Start by preparing the oils. Melt the cacao butter over a very gentle heat, it’s best to use a double boiler to preserve the properties, and then also mix in the oil. Let the oils cool down, I like to speed it up in the fridge.
- If you don’t have oat flour, simply blitz rolled oats in the blender. Add the lavender buds too until everything is ground down into a flour.
- Then get yourself a big bowl, I think it’s always best to blend things in big bowls. Add in the ground oats, lavender and cacao powder through a fine sieve so it’s powdery soft and well combined. And then blend in the salt.
A quick note: When you choose the salt, go with extra fine. I even blitz it again at home, so that’s it extra gentle.
- By now the cacao butter and oil blend should be cooled down. If you want to add essential oils, add them in now. For this recipe, I recommend lavender! Then, very slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, one tablespoon at a time.
- Get your hands in. Massage and knead and continue adding drops of oil until it comes together into a play dough like consistency. Or, if you’ve ever made energy balls, it’s almost the same!
- Roll the dough, into balls, and dust them with cacao powder. Store the balls in the fridge for 15 minutes to harden and then you can keep them in an airtight container in your bathroom cabinet, or in your fridge. They travel well, and make really fun gifts!
- To use: Once or twice a week, take out one Beauty Bliss Ball and bring it to the shower. Wet your skin and then turn off the water. Massage the ball gently onto your skin, it will begin to melt as it scrubs.
- Storage: Keep them in an airtight container, like a jar. They don’t need to be refrigerated, but I like to keep them there for extra freshness. Will last for one month.
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Heads up!
I can’t wait for you to try this recipe! My Beauty Bliss Balls are just one of the brand-new recipes I’ve created for my online skincare workshops, SIMPLIFY Skin.
As a special gift for you, use the coupon SPRING10 at checkout for a 10% discount* on anything in the store. It really is the perfect way to brighten up your day and your skin.
Go and check out the new Spring edition of SIMPLIFY Skin now »
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- *valid till 31 May 2017, one per customer