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.

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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.

homemade sugar scrub in mason jar in gray blue tray.

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.

Sugar scrub with a popsicle stick in a small glass jar placed on top of a white cloth

Homemade Sugar Scrub

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Makes: cups

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

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 some oils have a stronger smell. 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! Lavender, citrus (grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange), lemongrass, peppermint, ginger….. I would for sure choose a high quality essential 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?

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.

Tried this recipe?Mention @wholenewmom or tag #wholenewmom!

More Frugal DIY Body Care Recipes

If you're interested in more DIY personal care options, these might be of interest.

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?

139 Comments

Tamra says:

Jan 2, 2013 at 12:44 pm

Hi,
Has anyone found out or asked a Dr. about the Sugar absorbing in the skin. For those of us who have to avoid sugar for health issues?
Thanks!

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Jan 2, 2013 at 12:53 pm
  
  I did some poking around and it didn’t look like it’s an issue.
  
  1. karen says:
    
    Sep 12, 2013 at 5:02 pm
    
    I know this is an older post but if sugar is an issue for anyone salt can be used in place of sugar. Just don’t use it on open cuts because it will sting. You can also purchase fine ground pumice online that is inexpensive, jojoba beads would work also but they are more expensive.
    
patsie says:

Dec 30, 2012 at 4:47 pm

I’ve had the same problem . keep a small container of baking soda in your
shower and just sprinkle some around the shower floor. This doubles as a
scrub for your feet and a slippery floor remover.

starre says:

Dec 28, 2012 at 12:09 pm

sorry if this has been asked but I don’t always have time to read every comment. years ago I tried a sugar scrub and loved how it made my skin feel. The problem was my bath tub got really slippery. Kind of scared me cause I almost fell. Has this been a problem for anyone else and how did you deal with it?

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Dec 28, 2012 at 12:13 pm
  
  I would just wash it off near the drain then the tub won’t get slippery. Hope that helps :).
  
Tabatha F. says:

Dec 18, 2012 at 9:13 pm

I know you said glass container and the first thing that came to mind was a mason jar but the no metal got me. Aren’t the lids of mason jars metal? Thanks for posting this though! I’m thinking of making some for my sister!

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Dec 18, 2012 at 9:15 pm
  
  Yes, this is a hard thing to think about. I am not too worried since the metal is just touching part of the mixture. But perhaps someone else could advise better. You can also buy plastic lids for mason jars if need be.
  
Samantha says:

Dec 17, 2012 at 12:58 pm

Ok thank-you. They are very thick.

Samantha says:

Dec 17, 2012 at 11:31 am

can you use rubber maid containers

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Dec 17, 2012 at 12:15 pm
  
  Essential oils can damage some plastics but if they are good quality it will be OK. 🙂
  
Gina Ann says:

Dec 13, 2012 at 11:41 pm

Adrienne! I’ve been dabbling in making scrubs for Christmas gifts and I had a question: Does all olive oil have a strong smell? I’d really like to use olive oil but I wondered if there’s a certain type that would be less potent so the scrub wouldn’t smell just of olive oil. I made a tester today with extra virgin olive oil and added vanilla, but it didn’t smell of vanilla at all! Help? Suggestions?

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Dec 13, 2012 at 11:42 pm
  
  mmm…Not sure. Maybe add more vanilla? It’s not as strong as the essential oils. Regular olive oil won’t smell as strong. Let me know 🙂
  
Pratichi says:

Dec 11, 2012 at 10:41 am

I have an extremely dry skin and was very eagerly searching for something which would really make my skin soft, smooth, remove tans, and at the same time be natural and harshless.

Very excited to prepare this in the coming weekend. Could you please tell me if I can avoid the essential oil part and just make the scrub out of sugar and olive oil. And for how many days can I store it and in what temperatures.

Good wishes, 🙂
Pratichi

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Dec 11, 2012 at 10:43 am
  
  Hi. Of course you can omit the oils. I just keep it in the fridge – you basically have to store it like olive oil. Once the oil is rancid you won’t want to use it. Hope you enjoy it!
  
Emma says:

Dec 8, 2012 at 12:07 am

What is the shelf life of this scrub? Also, can u reccommend where to find the jars that u used? Will the metal lid change the properties in the scrub? Thanks!

1. Adrienne says:
  
  Dec 8, 2012 at 9:40 am
  
  Hmmm… I don’t know but it’s the same as for the oil. I used a jar from this Burt’s Bees Set.
  
danielle says:

Nov 26, 2012 at 10:38 pm

I use walnut or almond oil. Brown sugar is awesome as well n leaves a nice fresh glow.