Homemade Body Scrub

This natural homemade body scrub is made with coconut oil, sugar, and essential oils to exfoliate and moisturize your skin, leaving it silky soft and smooth.

Living up in the Great White North, we know a thing or two about winter, and more specifically, about dry, winter skin. In addition to regular moisturizing, my favorite way to beat the rough, dry winter skin is with a good body scrub.

But the store-bought stuff is way over-priced and sometimes too rough on sensitive skin, so of course I had to try making some at home. And you know what? It’s so easy, it’s much cheaper, and you can totally customize it to your liking!

Just start out with a basic recipe guideline (2 parts sugar/salt to 1 part oil) and customize to your heart’s content. 🙂 You can use either sugar or salt (I used a mixture of white and brown sugar), but just make sure it has small granules so it doesn’t tear at your skin.

As for the oil, my favorite is virgin coconut oil (buy at Tropical Traditions or Amazon) – I just love the way it smells and it’s health benefits are innumerable! Other great oils to use include olive oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, and safflower oil.

The final touch to your homemade body scrub is the addition of your favorite essential oils – both for their scent, as well as their therapeutic properties. My go-to oil for bath products is lavender because it’s calming and relaxing – perfect for an at-home spa experience! Some other oils you can try include vanilla, jasmine, almond, chamomile, rosemary, and lemon, to name a few. (Buy essential oils here)

Once you’ve decided on your ingredients, simply mix the sugar/salt with the oil until nice and smooth. Then add your essential oils and mix well. Transfer the scrub into a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and you’re ready for business!

When you’re ready to use your scrub, step into your bath, wet your body with warm water for about 10 minutes, and put on some bath gloves or loofah mitts.

After you’ve showered and your skin has been wet for about 10 minutes, spoon some of your homemade body scrub into your hands (or gloves/mitts) and rub the mixture over your entire body, in a circular motion.
Try to always rub towards your heart – start at your feet and work up your legs; start at your hands and work up your arms, etc.
Once your entire body is scrubbed, rinse off very well with warm water, then pat dry.

Some Extra Tips

You most likely won’t need to moisturize afterwards, but if you do, go ahead and use your favourite lotion or a nourishing oil like almond or coconut oil.
Don’t over-exfoliate! Once or twice a week is more than enough to keep your skin nice and soft. Any more and you could damage your skin.
Always exfoliate before you shave (NOT after!) – it helps remove dead skin and lifts the hair follicles so they’re easier to remove.

Warning:

Oil-based body scrubs will leave your tub or shower floor slippery. Use caution when entering/exiting the tub, and clean the tub very well after each use. A simple paste of baking soda and liquid soap will cut the grease and clean the tub perfectly.

This natural homemade body scrub is made with coconut oil, sugar, and essential oils to exfoliate and moisturize your skin, leaving it silky soft and smooth.

1 cup sugar (white, brown, or mixture of both; fine-grain salt can be substituted)
1/2 cup oil (coconut or olive oil are good choices)
5-7 drops <a href="http://bit.ly/PTEOS" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">essential oil</a> (optional; <a href="http://bit.ly/PTLAVEO" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">lavender</a> or <a href="http://bit.ly/PTLEMEO" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">lemon</a> are great)

Add sugar and coconut oil to a small bowl and mix until smooth.
Add essential oil and mix well.
Spoon mixture into glass container with tight-fitting lid.

To use

Scoop some out with a spoon (don’t dip your wet hands in the jar!), and scrub away all that dry, dead skin.
Then rinse with warm water, and pat dry. Your skin will literally feel like silk!

Warning:
Oil-based body scrubs will leave your tub or shower floor slippery. Use caution when entering/exiting the tub, and clean the tub very well after each use. A simple paste of baking soda and liquid soap will cut the grease and clean the tub perfectly.

You might also like:

Homemade Natural Baby Wipes

10 Ways to Use Coconut Oil This Summer!

Homemade Air Fresheners: Essential Oil Reed Diffusers

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About Sarah UmmYusuf

Sarah UmmYusuf, a wife and mother of three, is a writer and teacher who loves helping people take charge of their family’s health. She created her blog, Nature’s Nurture, in 2011 to document her journey to a non-toxic home, and has helped countless others start their own journeys. When she’s not busy reading product labels or making her own cleaning products, you can find her chasing after her kiddos and drinking lots and lots of coffee.