Get the same results of expensive scrubs with this simple DIY body scrub. This Homemade Sugar Scrub is the perfect addition to your natural beauty routine.
Unlike most store bought scrubs, it has no chemical additives and it of course will save you lots money over store-bought scrubs.
Today I'm sharing one of my favorite DIY personal care products of all time–a Homemade Sugar Scrub.
In order to keep as many toxins out of our home and off of our bodies, I try to make as many homemade personal care items as possible.
My repertoire includes Homemade Eye Makeup Remover, Alcohol-Free Hairspray, Nourishing Lip Scrub, Nourishing Hair Rinse, Hand and Body Cream, and Tooth Powder.
Today I've got a great new DIY beauty care recipe to share with you–a Homemade Sugar Scrub.
My Introduction to Scrubs
If you're anything like me, dry hands and feet (and dry skin in general) is a problem for you.
I never tried anything like a scrub until one evening at an antique car show where a woman was selling beauty products and offering free hand scrub demonstrations.
Hesitatingly, I tried the scrub, feeling skeptical (I'm pretty skeptical about a lot of things….see my post on Are Essential Oils a Scam? ~ A Skeptic Looks at Thieves Oil for an example of my skepticism).
I don't know why I was skeptical about a scrub. I mean, it's pretty basic information, right? You scrub something that exfoliates and it removes dead skin and your skin looks and feels better.
I think it was basically that the scrub was SO expensive…and was being touted as being some kind of miracle. Like it was a previous concoction that would transform your life.
Or at least it would transform the life of your hands and feet….
Well, I just loved how my hands felt and looked after rubbing that scrub all over my hands and rinsing it off. Smooth and revitalized and younger-looking.
However, I didn't like the price or the ingredients.
Totally not health.
I looked online to verify what the “incriminating ingredients” were, and though the exact product I tried isn't there any longer, get a look at the list on one of their comparable products:
Ingredients in Store Bought Sugar Scrub
- butylene glycol
- sodium methyl cocoyl taurate
- polyacrylamide
- C13-14 Isoparaffin
- Laureth-7
- Fragrance (who knows what's really in that, but it almost always means artificial fragrance :-?)
- DMDM Hydantoin
- Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Sheesh.
And the price was $16.00 (marked down from $18.00) for only 6 oz.
Other Less-Toxic Options
To be fair, there are other less toxic scrubs on the market, but I couldn't find ingredients for many of them online.
Here are the ingredients for one that doesn't have quite the scary list:
Glycerin
Sugar
Silica
Fragrance – I've written about “fragrance” in personal care products here – too many concerns to use on my body.
Polysorbate 20
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax
Sea Salt
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
Yellow 6 (CI 15985)
Yellow 5 (CI 19140) – these are both artificial colors that have been linked to different concerns
The above scrub costs $12 for 8 oz.
There had to be a cheaper and less toxic way to get the job done!
Fast forward several years. For some reason, I just never really thought about making my own sugar scrub and continued my quest for a good hand lotion.
Then, one day, a sweet friend from church blessed me with a handmade sugar scrub.
I loved it!
First of all, the fact that someone would go out of her way to make me a gift was special in and of itself.
And her beautiful presentation in that squat mason jar with a beautiful ribbon made it extra special!
So, true to my “I know I can make this myself” style that I exhibited in making Homemade Coconut Milk, Cream of Rice Cereal, Homemade Vegetable Broth Mix, Homemade Chocolate Chips, and more, I started on my hunt to avoid the toxins and the exorbitant price of the store-bought scrubs.
Well, looking around online, I found that there are tons of recipes.
I finally found one that I like, though I'll probably tweak this a bit in the future.
How much will you save making your own Homemade Sugar Scrub?
Here's a sampling of what you might expect to pay (based on prices at the time of publication of this post):
Granulated sugar is $2.68 for 5 lb at Aldi (that's $.54/lb)
Grapeseed oil is $6.75/ltr at the buying club I run out of my home.
My Cost:
Sugar: $.27
Grapeseed Oil: $1.59
Essential Oils: approximately $.14, depending on the oil chosen
(I didn't include the mason jar because you can reuse it unless it's for a gift.)
So, compared to retail price of the “packaged version” at $18 for 6 oz., you can make homemade sugar scrub for only $2.00!
And you don't get questionable ingredients or wasteful packaging.
AND it's much much much less than paying to have someone in a spa scrub your feet and hands.
I don't frequent spas, but I just saw a price of $20 for a foot scrub and massage online. Whoa!!
Homemade Sugar Scrub
Makes About 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients
1 cup sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 cup oil of choice (organic grapeseed or avocado oil are good mild choices)
2-4 drops of quality essential oils (To read about the company that I recommend, read here.)
Lavender would be a great choice for this.
Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Store in a glass container (essential oils will damage the plastic and metals change the properties of the oils).
To Use
1. Take a small amount of the scrub with a small spoon.
2. Rub all over your hands and fingertips (or feet, or wherever you'd like extra softness) for about 1 minute.
3. Let sit on your hands for 3-4 minutes (enjoy this time to rest in your day :-)!)
4. Rinse off and pat dry with a towel.
Notes
1. You can, of course, use other granulated sweeteners. I just chose white sugar since I am not eating it and it's the least expensive.
2. Any oil will work, but olive has a stronger smell. I think choosing a good quality oil is important since some of it will remain on your skin.
3. For essentials oils, there are so many wonderful scents and healing properties to choose from! How about lavender, citrus (grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange), lemongrass, peppermint, ginger….. I would for sure choose a high quality oil, though it will cost more, since you are leaving this on your skin as well. Please check out my series on Which Essential Oils Company is Best?
Looking for other frugal and good-for-you Body Care Recipes? How about:
- Gentle and Soothing Jojoba Face Wash
- Rose Water Facial Spray
- Easiest Ever Homemade Deodorant
- Easy and Moisturizing Foaming Soap
I think this homemade sugar scrub would make a fabulous gift! Like for Mother's Day.
I've included it in my Easy Mother's Day Gifts roundup. I think you'll love what I've pulled together from all over the internet.
There will be more where that came from, so stick around!
Have you ever used sugar scrubs?
What fragrance would you most enjoy?
Just my own personal experience using the sugar scrub on my feet…sitting on edge of tub it’s a good idea to rest your feet on a washcloth in bottom of tub. The first time I did it without? You’d have thought I came up with a new dance!! It is wonderful though!
Yikes–that kind of dancing could be dangerous!! Glad you liked it!
how long can we store this ? and should we store it in a fridge ? is there anything else that i need to keep in mind?
The shelf life of the oil will determine the shelf life of the scrub, but you could get some extra shelf life time as well.
I made sugar scrub (coconut oil and sugar) How can I make it a little more creamier? Can I add more coconut oil?
Sure – or another oil like avocado too.
how about shea butter added to the coconut oil and sugar. That would make it nice and creamy, do you think? I just dont like it so crumbly.
Sounds like a good option!
Add beeswax to your oils. I use a wide variety of oils such as coconut, sweet almond, apricot, grapeseed..ect. I use a double boiler and melt all the oils and beeswax together. Then mix with your choice of exfoliat such as sugar or various types of salt. Research the different carrier oils to suit your needs.