It’s no secret we love our self-care around here, and homemade sugar scrub is one of the easiest natural beauty remedies you can make at home.
Something I love even more? When self-care is easy and inexpensive. This is why I wanted to share one of my favorite homemade products, crafted from just a few simple ingredients. If you liked my Homemade Bath Salts, you’re going to love this homemade sugar scrub.
Homemade sugar scrub can be made in less than five minutes, using just two ingredients (yes, just two!). You can make your own skin-nourishing sugar scrub for full body exfoliation.
These scrubs can be used in the shower or the bath, or as a treatment for rough hands and cracked feet. They also make a great gift!
The recipe is a simple 2:1 ratio. Stir together 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup of almond oil, add a few drops of essential oil if you’d like a scent, and spoon it into a jar. That makes about 3/4 cup of scrub.
The Benefits of Sugar Scrubs
Effective Exfoliation – For healthy skin all over, exfoliation is a must about 1-3 times per week.
The sugar crystals gently buff your skin, so you get great exfoliation without anything harsh.
Exfoliating helps remove the buildup of dry skin, debris, and other impurities that can sit on the surface of your skin. Gently buffing away that top layer leaves your skin feeling fresh and smooth.
Budget-Friendly – Name brand scrubs can be incredibly pricey—anywhere from $20-50!
However, making your own sugar scrub is a great way to save a little cash. You can make a batch of my homemade sugar scrub for around $2-$3. Because this recipe contains just two inexpensive ingredients, you can even make multiple batches for the cost of one store-bought scrub.
Moisturizing and Nourishing – Although scrubs are meant to be rinsed away, the oil leaves a light, moisturizing layer behind as you scrub. The excess moisture will wash off, leaving your skin feeling smooth, soft, and supple.
Naturally Brightening – Because dead skin cells can sometimes accumulate on the surface of the skin and leave it looking dull, scrubs are a very effective way to instantly brighten things up. By using the scrub to remove layers of dullness, you’ll reveal a new layer of healthy glowing skin beneath.
Relaxing – A good scrub is like a mini massage for your skin, and it’s an easy way to slow down and take a few minutes for yourself.
Polishes and Leaves Skin Smooth – If you struggle with dry or rough texture, you will love the way your skin feels after using a sugar scrub. The grains of the sugar help buff away any unwanted texture or dry patches, while the rich almond oil leaves an overall smooth finish.
Because exfoliation helps clear away surface debris, your other products can then be more easily absorbed by the skin, including your favorite lotions, creams, and body oils.
Homemade Sugar Scrub Ingredients
Organic Brown Sugar – Brown sugar makes a wonderful exfoliant due to its light grainy consistency. It’s cost-effective and easy to acquire.
If you don’t have organic brown sugar, any organic white sugar will also work well to provide the texture of your scrub.
Organic Almond Oil – I love to use almond oil in this recipe because it is so good for the skin. Almond oil is nourishing and moisturizing, so it helps to hydrate and rejuvenate dull skin. It’s gentle, too, which makes it a lovely choice for dry skin.
Good alternative oils to use in homemade sugar scrub would be jojoba oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, or apricot oil.
Optional: Essential Oils – You can add 10 drops of your favorite essential oils to add a beautiful scent to your sugar scrub, though, it smells wonderful on its own. If I add essential oils, I like lavender or eucalyptus. Use what you love and make it your own.
How to Make Homemade Sugar Scrub
Below you’ll find the full recipe, which you can save or print and refer to whenever you need. Typically, to make my sugar scrubs, I like to use a 2:1 ratio of organic brown sugar to organic almond oil. A good amount to mix would be 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup oil, and that’s enough for a few weeks of scrubs.
How to Keep Homemade Sugar Scrub Fresh
It is very important to make this recipe in smaller batches in order to ensure it stays fresh and to prevent mold or bacteria from forming. I recommend keeping your batch in a covered glass container. However, glass can be tricky in the shower—no one wants broken glass in the bathroom. Use a BPA-free plastic container if that works better for you.
Homemade Sugar Scrub FAQs
Can I use coconut oil instead of almond oil?
You can. Just know that coconut oil turns solid when it’s cool, so the scrub will firm up in a chilly bathroom and soften again when it’s warm. Jojoba, olive, grapeseed or apricot oil all stay liquid and work beautifully, too.
Can I use sugar scrub on my face or lips?
Brown sugar is fairly gentle, so a tiny bit works as a lip scrub. Facial skin is more delicate than the rest of your body, though, so go very lightly or skip it if your skin is sensitive. This scrub really shines on rough hands, elbows, knees and feet.
How often should I use a sugar scrub?
One to three times a week is plenty for most people. Scrub gently in circles on damp skin, then rinse with warm water.
How long does homemade sugar scrub last?
Since there are no preservatives, make it in small batches and keep it covered. Use clean, dry hands or a spoon to scoop it out, because water getting into the jar is what makes homemade scrubs spoil.
For another easy self-care DIY, try my Epsom Salt Bath or my Homemade Bath Salts.
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The Best Homemade Sugar Scrub (Under 5 Minutes!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3/4 cup
Description
These homemade sugar scrubs are so much fun to make and use. If you prefer unscented products, you will find that the mixture of brown sugar and almond oil has little to no fragrance. However, if you want to add an aroma to your scrub, you can do so by adding about 10 drops of your favorite essential oil or blend.
P.S. If you make your own batch, please let us know and leave a star rating in the comments, so that other readers in the community can follow along!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
- 1/4 cup organic almond oil
- 10 drops essential oils to scent (Optional)
Instructions
- In a large glass bowl, mix all of your ingredients together using clean hands or a clean spatula.
- This recipe stores best in glass containers or BPA-free plastic containers, and then stored in a cool, dry place. Small batches work best to prevent molding. If you scrub 1-2 times per week a batch should last you a few weeks.
- Keep it in your shower and enjoy as desired.
This homemade sugar scrub is a fantastic DIY skincare treat for gentle exfoliation.
Do you need the sugar to be organic or can you use regular sugar?
Hi Julie, I prefer organic sugar for a body scrub because it’s possible that whatever is in the sugar can be absorbed into the skin. That said, it’s really a personal choice whether or not to use organic. ~E
Love this recipe!! Thank you!