Making Orange Peel Powder

I don't know what was wrong with me… I must have been dangerously close to contracting scurvy over winter break because before I knew what I was doing, I was eating oranges like crazy! I think I ate my way through 3 bags of navel oranges in about 2 weeks. Crazy, right?

Well, in my craziness over that delicious citrus, I decided to start drying my orange peels and save them for soap additives! Want to give it a go too? Excellent! Grab a fresh orange and listen up!

What you will need:
-Oranges (yummm)
-A drying surface
-A coffee grinder
-A storage container

1. So, first start off by peeling your orange and eating all of the sweet, juicy goodness inside! (Bonus: You're fighting scurvy! Arr!)
2. Next, clean your orange peel with soap and water and scrape away the white pith underneath the peel.
3. Set your clean peels out to dry. You can either let them dry naturally in the open air or place them on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.
4. Once the peels are completely dry (which should be 1-2 weeks in the open air), place them in a coffee grinder or food processor and blend to a powder.
5. Store your orange peel powder in an airtight container! 

Orange peel powder is an excellent additive in beauty products! You can add it to handmade soap to create texture and color, add it to clay face masks to provide exfoliation, or add it to bath water as an excellent citrus bath tea!