Besides being a delicious alternative to butter, ghee has many health benefits written about for thousands of years. It is even considered safe for lactose-intolerant because the milk solids and unhealthy cholesterol are cooked out. Regarded as holy in Indian culture, the absolute physical essence of the sacred cow, ghee is used as lighting fuel for temples. Since our bodies are our temples, why don’t we ignite the flame and make some ghee? Beyond cooking with it, let’s do a brown sugar scrub since festival season is coming up and we want to be soft and silky for those long hours in the desert, right?

Start with the best butter you can find, organic grass-fed if possible. Cook one pound (4 sticks) over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. You will hear crackling, see foaming and smell a pleasantly nutty aroma.

Skim the foam and strain into a pint jar through fine mesh metal sieve, or through a cheesecloth to trap the milk solids. Allow to cool. The ghee will solidify slightly and keep for up to a year at room temperature. No need for refrigeration, but you may if you prefer. Remember you have evaporated the water and strained out the dairy solids, and these are the two elements that would cause rancidity. What you have collected is a pure oil. Use for cooking and flavoring as usual.

And now for the fun part! Let’s make a body scrub that will smell like baked cookies and leave your skin soft with no need for lotion. You may be thinking… butterfat on my skin? YOU CRAZY! I was introduced to ghee as skincare during an Ayurvedic spa in Sri Lanka. Not only was ghee used to massage our faces, but they even prepared an eye treatment, where we submerged our opened eyes in ghee for 10 minutes. The treatments were moisturizing and revitalizing, and I encourage you to try it out!

Mix 1/4 cup sugar to 3/4 cup (cooled) ghee, half a vanilla bean, scraped, and 2 tablespoons of honey. Keep in a sealed container. In the shower, rub the scrub into your skin, paying attention to those elbows, knees and heels. If the oil feels too greasy, use a touch of soap but I promise, after you towel off, the right amount will absorbed by your skin. If the idea of ghee on your body is too much, feel free to use coconut or almond oil. The fragrance won’t be the same but the effect will.

This scrub is a great gift idea as well!

Live Well And Sup Good!

*This post was originally published on suppingood.com. For more from Suppin’ Good, click here!