The Lowly Calamansi

I love calamansi! This unpretentious tiny citrus fruit is packed with nutrients and super rich in vitamin C. It is indigenous to the country, cultivated by farmers and housewives alike, and sold very cheap in the market. And yes, often regarded as common and unimportant. For me, calamansi is a special fruit. It has so many uses. It makes a great thirst-quenching drink when freshly squeezed in water, mixed with honey and lots of ice. It also adds zest to an otherwise ordinary dish. It goes well with soy sauce as dip for fried fish, it makes any vegetable or seaweed salad extra tangy and it is a perfect ingredient for beef or pork marinades. Not to forget, it gives some nice flavor to your ordinary iced tea and even to hot green tea. And yes, you can eat the fruit when ripe, just suck the fruit and enjoy its sweet and sour taste.

Almost ripe, the pulp is already turning into a beautiful orange

 

 A glass of water with one or two calamansi taken first thing in the morning is good for cleansing the body.  Its effect is alkalizing and it's not acidic at all. According to some literature, drinking calamansi water can also contribute to weight loss as it flushes out body toxins. I drink this concoction every morning not to lose weight but primarily to cleanse my system and I have been doing this for a long time now.

But, not only is the lowly calamansi good to eat or to drink, it is also very good for the skin when applied topically. It is a powerful skin lightening agent because of its acid content. It is also a cheap and effective way to treat pimples, lighten the face, neck, underarms, knees and groins. When bathing, a calamansi water makes your skin smooth and your hair shiny when used as your final rinse. And my favorite of all, it’s perfect to mix with brown sugar and honey as body scrub.

 

Yep, I have calamansi tree in my backyard and it is growing beautifully,
 bearing fruits enough for the family :)

 
I am very fond of using natural products, calamansi is as natural as you can get, and it's not only effective and comes with many health benefits, it's very cheap too, and it is available anywhere, anytime.

D-I-Y Body Scrub

When you personally do stuff usually done by professionals, you're DIY'ing. Meaning, you're Doing It Yourself. Doing stuff yourself has pros and cons. Let's start with the Pros:

1. No one tells you how to do things, you do them your way
2. You're sure that the materials you are using are of quality (if that's the objective of your DIY'ing)
3.  You can do stuff for less - meaning, DIY'ing is inexpensive compared to finished products in the market or to services done in professional shops

The Cons:
1. You'll have to do everything yourself
2. It can be laborious and tiring
3. It takes time

There are stuff that I leave to the experts but there are others that I prefer to do myself. For one, I don't go to the spa for a good body scrub. I do it myself and I concoct my own scrub. For my hair, I go to a professional hair specialist on special occasions but on regular days, I treat my hair myself.

For my body scrub, here are the ingredients I use (these can be found in your kitchen, sweetie)

1. 1 tbsp. ground coffee (I use Batangas coffee)
2. Honey (I use CEM, Palawan honey)
3. 2 pcs. kalamansi (Philippine lemon)
4. A few drops of Australian Emu Oil (optional, but this helps a lot to moisturize the skin)

Very affordable honey from Palawan, 
you can find this at any SM Grocery Store

I just mix all these ingredients and voila! I only mix a small amount, just enough for my need. This means, I am using not stored or store-bought, but fresh scrub! I scrub once a week. But for days in between, I just use my fabric body scrubber.

My own coffee body scrub

I do take care of my skin not only because I want it to stay healthy. I take care of it for a very good reason. I take care of it because I have chicken skin condition (keratosis pilaris - got this when I was pregnant with my twins, and no, it's not contagious) and in order to prevent it from spreading, I need to exfoliate and moisturize my skin regularly. 

Oh, I must not forget to mention that freshly-made coffee scrub leaves your bathroom smelling good, too!

So there you have it, have fun concocting your own body scrub, it's more satisfying doing it yourself and it's wayyyy cheaper compared to what you pay for in spas and salons.

Good luck!