Epsom salt or magnesium salts would be rough on their own, but the addition of a few other soothing ingredients creates a scrub that is both exfoliating and moisturizing with a cooling sensation to ease dry skin and irritation.
A liquid oil like almond or olive oil moisturizes skin, while the roughness of the magnesium exfoliates. This scrub is naturally unscented, though a variety of essential oils can be added for scent and additional skin benefits.
A pinch of cinnamon powder and a few drops of peppermint essential oil make a festive scrub, or rose petals and lavender oil make a floral version. Some other great combinations would be:
10 drops lavender essential oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 drops citrus essential oil and 5 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil and 5 drops rosemary essential oil
If you don’t want a salt/magnesium based scrub or are getting magnesium from other sources, sugar can also be used in place of the salt to make a simple sugar scrub with many custom options for scent and color.