Looking for smoother, fresher feeling skin? This Himalayan salt scrub DIY is easy, simple, and great for exfoliating away dead skin cells. Body scrubs like this are just one of the homemade beauty products that are a staple in my home!
Why Make a DIY Salt Scrub?
Just the act of rubbing the skin helps stimulate fluid flow, reduce cellulite, and improve your skin’s overall tone and health. Dry brushing is a great way to do this, but a Himalayan salt scrub DIY also stimulates the skin and provides even more benefits. Adding essential oils ups the benefits even further and adds a hearty dose of mood-boosting aromatherapy.
This recipe is great for a body scrub, but salt can be too harsh for sensitive skin on the face. If you’re looking for a good face scrub, try this anti-inflammatory cumin sugar scrub recipe.
The Best Salt for a Homemade Salt Scrub
Salt (like sugar) helps exfoliate dead skin and increase circulation, but unlike sugar scrubs, it can contain healthy minerals. Regular iodized table salt is stripped of vital nutrients, so it’s not my first choice. Here are some different types of healthy salt to use for a salt scrub recipe.
- Epsom salt is basically magnesium, and I love it in my homemade foot scrub.
- Dead sea salt is really high in minerals, especially magnesium. A 2005 study found major skin benefits from soaking in it!
- Pink salt, also known as Himalayan salt, has dozens of trace minerals in it.
- Real Salt is very similar in mineral content to Himalayan salt. Instead of being mined in Pakistan, though, it comes from Utah.
- Celtic sea salt has trace minerals and is also a healthy choice for a sea salt scrub.
While all of these are good choices, obviously I’ve opted for Himalayan salt for this particular recipe. You could substitute one of the other healthy salts if you prefer, though. Just make sure it’s finely ground.
Pink Himalayan Salt Benefits
Himalayan salt is my favorite natural salt to keep around because it’s so rich in minerals and trace elements, like calcium, magnesium, and iron. When consumed, it can help balance electrolyte and pH levels, strengthen bones, and support circulation, to name a few things. This salt scrub DIY nourishes skin with all of the minerals and trace elements of the salt.
Choosing a Carrier Oil
Most scrubs include a carrier oil of some kind to help the scrub glide over the skin. This recipe uses coconut oil for its amazing skin benefits and some lighter sweet almond oil to tone it down while still moisturizing. I’ve also included a small amount of castile soap to help cleanse the skin as you moisturize for a truly all-in-one scrub.
If you don’t have almond oil on hand, other options include olive oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, or fractionated coconut oil. Just make sure the oil you choose to replace the sweet almond oil with is liquid at room temperature.
Grapefruit Essential Oil Benefits
Grapefruit essential oil helps stimulate the lymphatic system and eliminate excess water weight. It also helps boost circulation and diminish the appearance of cellulite. One 2005 study found that just smelling grapefruit can boost metabolism and speed weight loss. It’s also high in limonene, which helps protect cells from free radical damage. It smells amazing in this DIY granite spray, too!
Some aromatherapists, including essential oil expert Tisserand, consider grapefruit to be phototoxic if used above 4%. This means it can cause sun sensitivity if left on. There shouldn’t be a concern here though, since the grapefruit is washed off and is at .5%.
Soothing Peppermint
Although more commonly used for digestion and to aid in clear breathing, peppermint oil with its menthol content also makes an invigorating salt scrub. Peppermint helps wake you up and increases energy. It can also help balance oil production for clearer skin. I like using it to help soothe headaches.
Since it’s a strong essential oil, make sure it’s properly diluted, and don’t use it on very young children. In this body scrub recipe, we’re only using a tiny fraction of a percent just for the scent.
Himalayan Salt Scrub DIY
Notes
Tips for Using
- Since this product is made with oil, be careful when using it in the shower as it can make the floor slippery.
Storage Tips
- Store in a cool, dry place at room temperature and apply with dry hands. This doesn’t need a preservative because it doesn’t contain water. Be careful not to introduce water to the homemade body scrub in the shower.
- You can also add some vitamin E to give the scrub an antioxidant boost and help prevent the oils from oxidizing if preferred.
Ever used a salt scrub? What are your favorite scents to use? Leave us a comment, and be sure to share this post with a friend!
This scrub sounds interesting. I use Himalayan salt in cooking so I am definitely going to try this scrub and will let you know the results. I have heard so much good about Himalayan salt even I have purchased Himalayan salt lamp as well.
Nice scrub recipe! I would surely try it. I love Himalayan salt!
Thanks for sharing this scrub recipe with us. Well I didn’t know about using Himalayan salt as scrub, though I have been using edible Himalayan salt in cooking for quite a long time now. This salt is really amazing and I am definitely going to try this as scrub as well and will definitely tell you the results. Recently I have also bought Himalayan salt lamps from ittefaqco. These lamps are also very good just like the edible salt.
Hi. Id like to make a big batch of this. Is it likely to go off if I dont use it within a certain amount of time.
I usually just make one batch at a time right before use.
Hi! I love this idea and bought all the ingredients for a DIY lady’s spa day at my place. However, when I made my “test” batch, it seems to smell a bit soapy. Everything I used is natural and unscented so I am not sure why I am getting a soapy smell. (I even double “smelled” the castile soap to make sure the soapy smell wasn’t coming from there.) I was really hoping to get a nice grapefruit and peppermint scent. Any tips? Would adding extra essential oils help? Thanks in advance!
Love this recipe! Could you leave it on, as a treatment, for 30 or 45 minutes?
Do I have to use Castile soap? Can I just skip it or it’s really nessesary?
You can certainly leave it out, I just find it makes it slightly less oily.
Can this be used on your face? How long does it stay good for? How often should it be used? Once a week? Or can it be used everyday?
Can this be used on your face? And can it be used every day? Or should it be used only once a week?
I use it daily, all over, face included, however I leave out the peppermint. I make my batch for the moth and I store in glass. Wellness Mama recipes are my go to!
Hi there,
Sorry if these questions seem a little stupid but I’m from the UK and I’m not sure exactly how much a “cup” is. Would you be able to let me know? And also, when you say “1T” coconut oil, what exactly is “T”?
Finally, if I choose not to use the castile soap, what should I use more of instead, the coconut oil or almond oil?
Many thanks
Hey,
A cup is a us measurement which translates to roughly 125ml. I have found regular tea cups to hold roughly the same amount.
The other measurement refers to a teaspoon (tsp) or a tablespoon (tbsp) and for those you can just use a regular spoon instead of the fancy measuring spoons used here since a scrub recipe doesn’t have to be exact science.
How far in advance can you make this? Can you make bulk of it for shower favors?
How long does this scrub keep for?
@ Khyati. It’s Grapefruit Essential oil, not Grapeseed carrier oil
Hello! Thank you for making this easy to follow DIY himalayan salt scrub. 🙂 I’ve read somewhere before that this type of salt has a lot of benefits, and generally being a salt, it contributes a lot to the improvement of the skin since it gently exfoliates dead skin cells without being to harsh towards the body’s natural protective layer so I think this is really a good alternative from those scrubs that can be seen from the malls.
Does anyone have a suggestion on an oil to use besides peppermint? I will be breastfeeding soon and can’t use that then…
Lavender is a great all purpose oil, very calming.
I’m afraid of using the glass jars for a container since I tend to drop everything. Is plastic OK?
I’m not a fan of using plastic: https://wellnessmama.com/23757/plastic-dangers/
The grapeseed essential oil… is this the regular grapeseed oil that we get in big bottles or is it different?
Do you ever add magnesium salts to your salt scrub?
Yes, sometimes 🙂
What Castile soap scent would be best, peppermint? Almond?
Thanks 🙂
There’s also citrus castile soap and unscented. I was just thinking about making this with the unscented Dr Bronners. I usually use the citrus one in the orange bottle.
Coconut oil is so stiff. What do you use to mix it? Just a sturdy wooden spoon or what?
-T.
Hi Katie. Usually your essential oil links link to Mountain Rose Herbs website. I see the grapefruit and peppermint oils here link to plant therapy and eden’s garden. Do you typically use these brands and so you still buy essential oils from mountain rose herbs?
I buy from both 🙂
This recipie sounds inviting. Can it be used as a face scrub too?