DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe (Easy Homemade Body Scrub)
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This easy DIY Sugar Scrub leaves skin soft and smooth using just sugar, oil, and optional essential oils. It’s inexpensive, customizable, and made without questionable additives found in many store-bought scrubs.
Today I'm sharing one of my favorite DIY personal care products of all time–a Homemade Sugar Scrub. Unlike most store-bought scrubs, it has no chemical additives and costs far less than store-bought scrubs.
In order to keep as many toxins out of our homes and off of our bodies, I try to make as many homemade personal care items as possible.
My First Sugar Scrub
I'd never tried a scrub until I was at an antique car show where a woman was selling beauty products and offering free 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).
I wondered what the big deal was.
Well, I tried it and really 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.
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
And the price was $16.00 (marked down from $18.00) for only 6 oz.
There had to be a cheaper and less toxic way to get smooth skin.
Fast forward several years.
One day, a sweet friend from church gave me a handmade sugar scrub and I loved it so much that I decided to learn how to make my own.
Why You’ll Love This Sugar Scrub
This sugar scrub is great for so many reasons. It's
- inexpensive
- customizable
- a super easy gift
- moisturizing
- made with simple ingredients you likely have in your pantry
- no questionable ingredients
- no wasteful packaging
How Much Can You Save Making DIY Sugar Scrubs?
Here's an outline of the money savings, based on prices at the time this post was originally published:
- 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 container because you can reuse that unless it's for a gift.
The retail price of the above mentioned version I tested was $18 for 6 oz., but you can make a homemade sugar scrub for only $2.00!
What Oil Is Best to Use in a Sugar Scrub?
Really you can use any oil you like, but I personally like using cold pressed, organic oils for their nourishing properties. Olive oil is especially moisturizing and can possibly help to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and stretch marks. Friends of mine have touted their family's use of olive oil for ages for this reason.
This Cold Pressed Organic Olive Oil is a good option for this purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Essential Oils Are Best for a Sugar Scrub?
You can really use any essential oil or blend that you like. You can even do fun combinations like those in this list of Christmas Essential Oil Blends for creative gifting options.
Do Sugar Scrubs Cause Plumbing Issues?
Although sugar dissolves easily in water, oils and butters can contribute to buildup over time in some plumbing systems, particularly in older homes. This scrub uses oils that are liquid at room temperature, which are generally less likely to solidify in pipes than heavier ingredients like coconut oil or shea butter.
Still, it’s best to use moderate amounts, wipe excess oil from skin before rinsing if desired, and run warm water down the drain after use.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar or other granulated sweetener
- 1 cup cold-pressed olive oil (organic grapeseed or avocado oil are other good mild oil options)
- 2-4 drops lavender essential oil (or other essential oil as desired. Go here to read about the company that I recommend.)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Stir to combine.
- Store in a glass container (essential oils will damage the plastic and metals change the properties of the oils).
Notes
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.More Frugal DIY Body Care Recipes
If you're interested in more DIY personal care options, these might be of interest.
- Homemade Facial Oil Cleanser
- Rose Water Facial Spray
- Easiest Ever Homemade Deodorant
- Easy and Moisturizing Foaming Soap
- Homemade Eye Makeup Remover
- Alcohol-Free Hairspray
- Nourishing Lip Scrub
- Nourishing Hair Rinse
- Hand and Body Cream, and
- Tooth Powder
This homemade sugar scrub makes a fabulous gift!
I've even included it in my Easy Mother's Day Gifts roundup along with other great ideas for Mom.
Don't Feel Like DIYing?
Here's one good option for buying a reasonably priced scrub if you don't feel like making your own.
- The Rowe Casa Body Scrub comes in several lovely scents including Coffee and Vanilla!
- Bubble and Bee has some great salt scrubs to choose from.
- Poofy Organics has a number of nice scents too.
Have you ever used sugar scrubs?
Adrienne, I made a sugar scrub for my face as an exfoliant years ago & liked it. Don’t know where that recipe went. But yours would work on my face, too, right?
Hi there, Jill! Was it a facial sugar scrub recipe in particular?
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.