Body scrubs are a prime example of something homemade which can both save money and is often better than the store-bought version. They could not be any simpler to make, and your skin is left feeling amazingly soft and smooth. There are tonnes of scrub recipes online with every imaginable variation under the sun, using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. They’re quick and easy to make, and make a great little gift when scooped into a glass jar and given a sweet tag. These recipes are some basic ones to begin with and are really flexible – feel free to play around with the amounts of sugars and oils or to swap in ingredients that you think might work well. Have I convinced you yet?
On to the recipes!
Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup almond oil, olive oil, or grapeseed oil
1/2-1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Morning Coffee Scrub
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup used coffee grounds
15 drops essential oil (peppermint is invigorating)
Basic Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub
1 cup coconut oil
3/4 – 1 cup sugar
15-20 drops essential oil of your choosing
Just mix, and store in a lidded jar. I prefer small canning jars with reusable plastic lids. (These can be kept in the shower without rusting.)
And lastly: It’s not a sugar scrub per se, but I love to gently rub a bit of crystallized honey all over my face at the beginning of my morning shower (I keep a little jar in there) and rinse it off at the end.
A few notes about ingredients:
– Solid fats (i.e. coconut oil, lard, shortening) can be used in place of liquid oils; when at room temperature those scrubs will be semi-solid, which I kind of like. Using hands to mix these works well, and feels lovely.
– If you’ve never worked with essential oils before, they are very potent, some are not recommended for use while pregnant, and they should be used in very limited quantities with great care. Do your research before using them.
– Any sugars or combination of sugars can be used; brown, granulated, turbinado – whatever you like. Confectioner’s sugar would probably just make a slimy mess, though, so stick to the scrubby ones.
Safety notes:
It’s important to keep in mind that these scrub recipes don’t have any preservatives in them, so they should be made in small batches and used up relatively quickly.
One last warning: because of the great oils in them, these scrubs will leave the floor of your tub or shower a wee bit slippery. And it’s worth it!
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