Sugar may not be good for your insides, but a sugar scrub can be very good for your skin. Those expensive scrubs in department stores and spas… they cost pennies to make! Sugar scrubs are a simple beauty recipe with countless variations, and they can be incredibly moisturizing and exfoliating to the skin.
I use scrubs on my face, body, and (especially) feet to slough off dead skin and moisturize. The result? Silky skin with minimal effort!
If you are new to making your own beauty products (or even if you are a veteran natural beauty alchemist) I highly encourage you to try out these homemade sugar scrub recipes.
Why Use Sugar Scrub?
Taking time out from mom-life to take care of ourselves isn’t always easy, but let’s face it… skin needs TLC to stay healthy. Switching to more natural cosmetics and beauty products may mean leaving some of your favorite products behind.
Not to worry! In my experience a natural skin care regime can work even better (and certainly is better for you). In many ways natural beauty products have simplified my routine since I can mix up what I need with simple ingredients I already have on hand.
Here’s the highlights of my skin care routine these days:
- Dry brush before showering (here’s how to do it)
- Exfoliate and moisturize with a scrub in the shower
- Apply a natural lotion post-shower
- Oil cleanse my face, adding a facial sugar scrub once or twice a week for exfoliation
- Finish with a quality nourishing face serum (this one is my absolute favorite)
I make up for the money I invest in a few high-quality store-bought beauty products by making the rest myself at home. Sugar scrub is so easy and fun to make, it’s one item I’ll never buy.
These also make a great DIY gift idea! Just put them in a cute mason jar and apply a decorative label or tag. Now you have a pampering and practical gift for an expecting/new mom, or for Christmas gifts or Mother’s Day gifts!
Men get dry skin, too. Make a manly scented version by trying some of the suggested essential oil combinations in this post.
DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar (white or brown)
- ½ cup olive oil (or coconut oil)
- essential oils (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container, such as a wide-mouth mason jar.
Notes
In the shower, scrub your skin with 1 tablespoon of the mixture and rinse well. It will leave your skin feeling like silk. Goodbye dry skin!
Sound simple? It is!
Sugar Scrub Variations
Ready to mix it up? Change your sugar scrub to suit the season. All of these variations use simple ingredients found at most grocery stores.
- Pumpkin Pie Scrub: 1 cup of brown sugar, ½ cup coconut oil, ½ tsp vitamin E oil, and ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just ½ tsp cinnamon)
- Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub: 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup almond oil, ½ tsp vitamin E oil and 1 tsp real vanilla extract
- Lemon Sugar Scrub: Great hand scrub for after washing dishes! 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup olive oil, ½ tsp vitamin E oil, 15-20 drops (or more) of lemon or orange essential oil
- Gentle Lavender Sugar Scrub for Face: 1 cup white sugar, ½ cup almond oil, ½ tsp vitamin E oil, ½ tsp real vanilla extract, and 15 drops lavender essential oil. Or make this gentler oatmeal version.
- Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub: Need I say more? Seriously… make sure you have coffee on hand to make a vanilla latte because it will have you craving the real thing. Find the recipe here.
- Sugar Cookie Lip Scrub: Better than lip balm, in my opinion, since it exfoliates and moisturizes in one step. Here’s the recipe.
- Mint Chocolate Lip Scrub: I also recently came up with this flavor that will leave you with deliciously smooth lips. Get the recipe here.
- Homemade Foot Scrub with Magnesium: Perfect for pedicure season, this foot scrub is therapeutic as well with the addition of magnesium.
- Cumin Sugar Scrub for Face or Body: Not all sugar scrubs have to smell like dessert. This more exotic scrub is packed with antioxidants for glowing skin.
- Himalayan Salt Scrub: Salt is typically coarser than sugar and slower to dissolve, which makes this salt-based scrub recipe great for heavy-duty exfoliation. (If you have sensitive skin, stick to sugar scrubs.)
- Sugar Scrub Cubes: Make this cute and compact version of a scrub in single-use cubes. No mess and you can even make them colored with purifying French rose clay. Here’s how to make them.
- Chai Sugar Scrub: All the scents of your favorite chai latte in a luxurious moisturizing scrub! Here’s the recipe.
- Gingerbread Body Scrub: My favorite recipe to give at Christmas. Get the recipe here.
How to Store
These last on the counter for up to 2 months (or more). Take care that extra water doesn’t get into the scrub when you use it as it won’t last as long or work as well.
One warning: these smell good enough to eat! Actually, they are good enough to eat, but don’t… sugar is bad for your intestines!
This article was medically reviewed by Madiha Saeed, MD, a board certified family physician. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
Ever made your own sugar scrub or facial products? What is your favorite combination? Let me know below!
A few days ago I made a great invigorating sugar scrub. I used 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup epson salt, 3-4 Tlbs almond oil, and 1 tsp lemon essential oil. I mix all of the ingredients together and placed them an air tight jar. I think it would be good to use on my entire body during a shower but, so far I have only used it to scrub my hands in the kitchen. It feels and smells so good, and leaves my hands smooth and fresh. I have to make myself rinse because I get caught up in the moment.
I made this with coconut oil and used some lemon and tangerine essential oils…it was glorious. Tip on easy clean up: Add 2 cups white vinegar, 1/4 cup baking powder and 30 drops leamon essential oil to a spray bottle, spritz the tub and shower after getting out and wait go dry off anf primp then come back and rinse away! That easy!
I made mine with brown sugar, coconut oil, peppermint essential oil, vitamin E oil, and a splash of vanilla extract. It gave it a very warm scent. Yes, the tub gets very slippery, but I spray it with scrubbing bubbles after my shower and let it sit for about 10 minutes and rinse. So far, no one has fallen 🙂
how much of each ingredient did you use, i love peppermint, and want to try your recipe
So I made a batch of scrub yesterday, and I used it on my hands shortly after I finished and I loved it! However, this morning, I was going to use it in the shower, but it was as hard as a rock, I guess due to the coconut oil hardening? Is there any way short of keeping it a warmer temperature to keep the coconut oil from hardening?
It’s tough in the winter, but usually the shower heats it up after a few minutes…
I keep a small spoon next to the tub to get the scrub out of the container. A few seconds in my hand and it is ready to use.
I bet you could use a combination of oils, coconut and almond or olive, just to keep it softer.
You could use fractionated coconut oil. All the benefits but always a liquid at room temperature.
Try whipping the coconut oil then mixing other products. Just use a hand mixer and whip ’til it get fluffy, then mix other stuff.
One option is to make separate little balls or cubes out of the scrub when you first mix it. Let them harden, then use them individually. If it’s the coconut oil that is hardening, it will soften at skin temperature.
You can buy the liquid coconut oil for cooking at walmart. Or just nuke it for a few seconds.
Does anyone know whether or not Canola Oil can safely be used in place of the Olive Oil?
It could, but I don’t even recommend using it on the skin…
Canola oil is highly processed. It is genetically modified version of oil used for varnish!
You know what also had its genomes modified thanks to careful breeding over centuries of agriculture? Bananas. Therefore, ergo, bananas are as poisonous as varnish!
I’ve made a scrub like these before but the olive oil totally coated my whole bath tub. It made is very slippery and hard to clean- anyone else have this issue? What did you do?
Try baking soda to clean up.
Try baking soda in the scrub, it is very good for your skin.
A few months ago when washing my hair with just baking soda – I used a little to ‘wash’ my face – AMAZING – left my face cleaned & soft.
Now I make certain to ‘wash’ my face with baking soda.
I would double check this information…pretty sure baking soda wreaks havoc on skin pH
Baking soda, as opposed to Baking Powder is actually alkaline and wonderful for the skin. It dissolves grime on hands and other areas of skin very quickly and softens skin in the process. You can throw a few tablespoons in a bath to soften the water if you have itchy skin or skin rashes.
Hi there! Baking soda is good for oily skin or skin with acne issues. It is not good for dry skin. Be careful to consider specific ingredients based on your skin type.
If you clean the tub with a scrubby then rinse it should come right off 🙂
Dawn dish soap works awesome for that!
Yes a great solution to clean the tub is,a,spray made with equal parts,Dawn (simple not ultra Dawn and white vinegar. First put white vinegar in spray bottle then add equal part of Dawn dish detergent. Shake well and use to spray to clean. Do not use too much cause you’ll have too many bubbles to rinse off. A light spray works!
Thanks for the variations! I use, and really like, a brown sugar, oatmeal, olive oil scrub. I’ll have to try one of your recipes though.
I use brown sugar, grapeseed oil, honey, vitamin e oil and a little lemon juice. I make it fresh per use and it’s wonderful!
Can you please tell me what the exact recipe is? Sounds wonderful and I’d like to try it!
I’m definitely trying this! Nothing like a good ‘scrub’ to really feel clean!
Thx so much it helped my dry skin so much.
I cannot use a topical vitamin E in any of my lotions or soaps, as they make my skin break out in hives, whereas I can ingest it…and yes, I experimented with various things and the common ingredient every time was the E :-p
Anyway, is there another oil or something that can replace the E in these recipes? I know in the shampoo one (which I plan on making ASAP) someone mentioned using jojoba, but not sure if that would translate over into a scrub or lotion as well.
You could actually just omit it…
Awesome. Have I mentioned yet that I am pleased as punch for discovering your site? And thanks for being so forthcoming with the answers to my questions.
Jojoba oil
You can add coffee grounds. They have natural oils
You could use Calendula oil too
Jojoba would work or rosehip oil.
You can try any one of these:
Grape seed oil, also EXCELLENT for anti-aging facial products
Coconut Oil
Olive Oil
Avocado Oil
Almond oil is good too, but my skin is sensitive and SUPER dry especially in the Winter. Almond oil is too heavy for me. I had the best luck with Grape Seed and Avocado.
Good Luck!!
Please I need scrub for my lips, my lips is dark nd I don’t like it that way please help me.
Try coconut oil it’s really good for your lips
Clement, there are tons of lip scrubs but the one i use and make myself is just white sugar, coconut or olive oil, and i usually add vanilla extract or ground cinnamon. I recommend vanilla for a good smell but its uo to you. Just mix the sugar and the oil, add the vanilla or cinnamon (or whatever you choose), mix again, then put it into a container. For the dark you could add a few drops of lemon juice.
Jojoba oil contains Vitamin E so you might have issues with it too. you could try a little Germaben for the preservative properties.
Is Germaben a natural product?
Avocado oil
Christine Hadley. I have VERY sensitive skin as well. Jojoba is actually a wax from the berries. So this stuff will not go rancid. Ever! Jojoba is also the closest to the body’s natural sebum (I think that is how you spell it lol) or natural oil production.
I have mature, problemed sensitive skin and cannot use much. But! I have had great luck with the following oils; Grapeseed. (100% dilution, Jojoba 100% dilution, Hazelnut 100% dilution, And Olive Oil 100% dilution)
Note: Olive oil is anti-infammatory. Great! For sensitive skins! And Hazelnut is Antiseptic. Great for a foot oil! Good luck all!
what does 100% dilution mean?