A homemade sugar scrub is just the thing you need to treat your skin to some good old-fashioned all-organic pampering. The combination of oil and sugar in this recipe exfoliates your skin, seals in moisture, reduces clogged pores, removes fine lines, and leaves your skin feeling soft and supple.
If you find yourself constantly disappointed by your rigorous and complicated beauty regimen, it is likely that you are missing out on one vital ritual that is a prerequisite for any skin care remedy to work.
Begin every skin restorative therapy with a good dose of gentle scrubbing, and see the magic unfold. Regular exfoliation is key for face masks and nourishing creams to work as it allows them to penetrate deeper into the skin and bring out the glow from within. However, you should be careful while selecting the ingredients you use for exfoliation.
White sugar, in particular, is excellent for exfoliating delicate skin as it helps remove dead skin cells gently. Plus, being a humectant, it absorbs moisture from the air and replenishes your skin.
The other wonder ingredient that makes the scrub we’re going to make a therapeutic skin treasure is olive oil. It is an essential component of every good exfoliating scrub and acts as a moisturizing agent that keeps the skin from getting irritated and parched.
Enriched with vitamin E, fatty acids, and a host of minerals, extra-virgin olive oil is a panacea for fixing a string of skin issues, including acne scarring, fine lines, and wrinkles. What’s more, olive oil works like a charm on all skin types, including acne-prone and oily skin.
Lastly, the entire remedy is brought together with a dash of essential oils. A wide variety of these aromatic potions are available in the market to choose from, each with their own respective skin benefits.
For instance, the citrusy smell that is characteristic of orange essential oils rejuvenates your mood or works as a sedative to take the edge off your stress. It boasts antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties as well.
Lavender essential oil, on the other hand, is another popular ingredient in sugar scrubs that is prized for inducing a calming effect.
How to Prepare Your Homemade Sugar Scrub
Things You Will Need:
- Granulated sugar
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- An essential oil of your choice
- A mixing bowl
- A spoon
- A glass container
Steps
1. Put 1 cup of sugar in a bowl and add 1/3 cup of olive oil and 10 drops of essential oil of your choice (we used orange essential oil here).
2. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.
3. Store your homemade sugar scrub in a glass jar.
How to Use
You can use this scrub on your face as well as on your hands, elbows, knees, feet, and other parts of your body. Apply it once or twice a week.
- Slather your homemade sugar scrub on your skin.
- Massage the scrub over the skin, avoiding any cuts or areas with broken skin.
- Remove the mixture using a wet washcloth.
- Wash your skin with water.
- Follow with a moisturizer.
Additional Tips
- If you do not have an essential oil, you can use lemon juice (half a lemon should be enough) and lemon zest in this recipe. It is excellent for your skin because it is loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants.
- You may replace the olive oil with coconut oil, canola oil, or almond oil.
- Store the recipe in a wide-mouthed container. Make sure you wash and dry the container beforehand.
- If you are preparing a natural scrub for your body, you may use sea salt instead of sugar.
Resources:
- Evaluate before you exfoliate. Evaluate before you exfoliate | American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/media/news-releases/evaluate-before-you-exfoliate. Published March 16, 2015.
- Packianathan N, Kandasamy R. Skin Care with Herbal Exfoliants – ResearchGate. Functional Plant Science and Biotechnology. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224892687_Skin_Care_with_Herbal_Exfoliants. Published April 2011.
- Budiyanto A, Ahmed NU, Wu A, et al. Protective effect of topically applied olive oil against photocarcinogenesis following UVB exposure of mice. Carcinogenesis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11062172. Published November 2000.
- Viola P, Viola M. Virgin olive oil as a fundamental nutritional component and skin protector. Clinics in dermatology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19167997. Published 2009.
- Koulivand PH, Ghadiri MK, Gorji A. Lavender and the Nervous System. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : eCAM. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612440/. Published March 2013.
I love this recipe!!! I used Lemon to begin with but I can’t wait to try the other stuff. I used it on my face once and it was awesome, just be gentle.
I made this for my friend’s birthday yesterday and she loved it! i paired it with exfoliator gloves, a face washer and wrapped it up all nicely. Very cute hahahaha.
very easy n useful. i’ll try it.
very helpfull..i njyd it
What can I use instead of essential oil?
I have always used extra virgin olive oil w/sugar..never have thought of essential oils..probably for smell…. works great on elbows and knees too..
I’m also using this scrub on the rest of my body. I’m 48, but people told me numerous times that I look 34! This is excellent!
it works for wht carin?
i m using only olive n sugar is tht rit?
my skin is so loving this recipe,thanks lots
I use vitamin E oil and olive oil and it looks like the brown spots are disappearing
I used sugar,olive oil and a little honey . Worked great.
Hi, I used salt and olive oil to scrub my skin. But now I will use sugar and olive oil. Thanks for the recipes. I will definitely give u a feedback on wether it worked or not. Thanks.
All I use is fine sugar and a squeeze of lemon. I use that as a scrub on my face. It smells delicious!! Then, right before I’m ready to rinse, I sprinkle some baking soda into my hands and rub that on my face. It tingles and feels great! After you rinse your face it is as smooth as a babies bottom.
Almost forgot, Then I put coconut oil on my face!!
I mix sugar, baking soda, olive oil and honey. It works wonder. My skin feels like a baby.