A sugar scrub can leave your body refreshed, exfoliated, and ever-so soft. Whether you need to soothe dry legs and arms or you’re just looking to feel extra-smooth, it’s worth adding to your regular shower routine. Plus, you can make your own DIY sugar body scrub to save money, keep it organic, and experiment with your favorite blends.
DIY sugar scrubs are incredibly easy to make on your own. By starting with just two key ingredients — 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of coconut oil — you have what you need to create dozens of scrubs. That ratio of 1 to 4 is just a starting point that you can adjust to your personal preferences. For example, I like adding pink Himalayan sea salt to the sugar base (1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup salt) because it’s an amazing natural exfoliator that also removes toxins from the body.
Take a look below for a quick photo tutorial of a Strawberry Lemonade Scrub:
If that’s not enough lemon-y goodness, add a few drops of lemon extract. This will give you a beautiful scrub that smells wonderful!
Now use the list below for more sugar scrub inspiration, but definitely feel free to tweak, adjust, and make up your own recipes. You really can’t go wrong — and your skin will thank you.
Fruit Scrub
You can turn pretty much any fruit into a DIY sugar scrub. Start with the 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of coconut oil ratio. Then for fresh fruit, add in about 1/2 cup, or about 1/4 cup for dried fruit. Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Because fruit doesn’t always have a strong fragrance, you can add in your favorite aromatherapy accent — or try something neutral like vanilla. Keep in mind that if you use fresh fruit, you’ll want to use the scrub within a few days.
Aromatherapy Scrub
This one can be whatever you want it to be, depending on your favorite essential oil. If you’re using essential oils for things like stress, headaches, or to reduce menopause symptoms, you can use the exact same ones for creating your own DIY sugar scrub. You can also create your own aromatherapy blends. Just add a few drops to the sugar and coconut oil mixture. Add a drop or two of food coloring if you’d like. Otherwise, it should be fine as is.
Brown Sugar Scrub
Brown sugar naturally has glycolic acid to combat bacteria. It also tends to have an even softer, finer texture than regular sugar. So create your own brown sugar recipe, swap it out for white sugar completely, or split them 50/50. Brown sugar is a great base if you want to sprinkle in cinnamon or loose chai blend of tea to you sugar scrub. It’s also a great base for vanilla — just use vanilla extract or your favorite vanilla aromatherapy.
Fresh Herb Scrub
Start with the sugar and coconut oil base. Then gather up your favorite herb to mix in. If you don’t grow your own herbs, then hit up a farmers’ market or the produce section of your local grocery store. You really can’t beat the smell of any fresh herbs you’re drawn to the most. These are great to leave near your kitchen sink for a wonderful hand scrub.
Citrus Scrub
Whatever citrus you have on hand will work beautifully for this scrub. Grapefruit, lemon, lime, and oranges are all great options. Use the sugar and coconut oil base. Then add fresh-squeezed citrus. How much you use is up to you, but I say the more the better. You can also mix citrus, doing a lemon and lime recipe, or anything else you dream up.
Lavender Scrub
Do you have a favorite flower that you wish you could save because you love the smell so much? Now is your chance to turn it into a sugar scrub. While fresh flowers will definitely work, you might consider drying the flowers as well. Along with sugar and coconut oil, throw a few blooms into the blender along with the same aromatherapy scent if you have it on hand. This is another one where it might be nice to add a drop or two of food coloring, just to give it the shade of your favorite flower. It also makes a great friend or Mother’s Day gift.
Pumpkin Pie Scrub
Pumpkin pie doesn’t have to be a fall-only kind of scent. Grab a can of pumpkin pie filling the next time you’re at the store, and you’ll be well on your way to making this great DIY sugar scrub. Start with 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of coconut oil, and then 1/2 cup of filling. Throw in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and blend well, and you’ll have pumpkin spice any time you want.
Coffee Scrub
If you love the smell of coffee, then this scrub is for you. Put your coffee beans through a grinder (or ask them to do so at your local shop), and then mix about 1/2 cup of the fresh grounds with the sugar and coconut oil mixture.
Charcoal Scrub
Charcoal is filled with health benefits, and it’s been taking the beauty industry by storm with cleansers, masks, and more. Start with the sugar and coconut oil mixture, and then add two capsules of activated charcoal. Now this alone isn’t going to give you much aroma, so add in your favorite aromatherapy and you’re set. The color is striking, especially in a clear mason jar.
Whipped Scrub
Start with about 1/2 cup of coconut oil and mix it for several minutes in your stand mixer or by hand. It eventually takes on a whipped consistency, making for a great scrub. Next, add in 1/2 cup of sugar to start, and increase until you reach the desired consistency. This also won’t have much of a scent, so pull out your aromatherapy blends and get creative. You can also use the whipped technique on most of the recipes above if you find that you like that consistency and style.
Rainbow Scrub
This one is more decorative than anything else. You can make a rainbow scrub by using food coloring with any of the above recipes, then layering them in your jar, one color at a time. It’s up to you if you want to do a single scent or if you want the different colors to have different aromas. This is such a beautiful scrub when you’re done, and it makes a great gift. Using this technique, you could also do team colors or any other combination.
