Sugar scrubs rock. Everyone I know loves them. Sugar scrubs make your skin super smooth and deliciously scented, but don’t have the same harshness as salt scrubs. You can make sugar scrubs for your own use or make bulk batches for great birthday or holiday gifts. Best of all, you control what goes into them (no icky chemicals, preservatives, or colors), you control the packaging (less waste), and they’re inexpensive to make. If you don’t already have essential oils on hand your start up costs will be more, but not more than it would cost you to purchase a ready-made boutique quality organic scrub.

I have tons of scrub recipes, but the one that always seems the most popular is the organic lavender vanilla sugar scrub, so I’ll post that. Later, I’ll post how to experiment with different scrub flavors

SUGAR SCRUB INGREDIENTS:

1. Natural or organic body oil: What you want is a basic carrier oil. You can also use light olive oil. My favorite carrier is apricot kernel, but I also like sweet almond and for scrubs I will use light olive oil; especially if I’m making a lot, because carrier oil is usually more expensive. Baby oil can work, but personally, I think it’s a tad slick. NEVER use cooking oils like vegetable oil – you’re not frying food. If you use any cooking oil besides olive, you’re going to get a scrub that one, smells funky, and two, can get rancid faster.

2. Sugar: You can use all plain white organic table sugar or organic coarse demerara or turbinado sugar. White sugar makes the lightest scrub, brown makes a more intense scrub, and you can also experiment with a mix of both. Never use soft brown baking sugar or powdered sugar – you’ll only get clumps, and no scrub appeal.

3. Organic lavender pure essential oil: If you’re new to essential oils, read the Essential Oil Buying Guide and the Essential Oil Safety Guide before you get started.

4. Vanilla choices: You have some different choices when it comes to vanilla…

• Whole Organic Vanilla Beans
• Natural Vanilla Bean Paste: This will darken your sugar mixtures, but it’s very concentrated and very vanilla scented. It takes less time to use than whole beans.
• Fair Trade Certified Organic Vanilla Extract: this, like paste, will also darken your scrub. You can actually get clear vanilla extract, but I’ve only seen clear in artificial, not pure, so I don’t recommend it. Using extract also may add an extra feel of oil to the mix, although, not too much.
• Vanilla Sugar: White in color, so it won’t darken your mix. However, depending on the kind you use, you’ll need to experiment with amounts. It won’t have quite as strong a vanilla scent as beans, paste, or extract.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SUGAR SCRUB WITH WHOLE VANILLA BEANS:

1. Place 1 to 2 whole vanilla beans in 1 cup dry sugar. Cover and let sit for a week or two – the longer it sits the better the smell. You can experiment with vanilla bean intensity. I like strongly scented scrubs, so I err on the side of more, however, use less for a lighter scent. If you’re not using whole beans directions are posted below (after this recipe).
2. Remove your beans.
3. Saturate (but don’t over-saturate) your sugar with carrier oil. It should be totally moist, but there shouldn’t be a huge layer of liquid on top of the sugar.
4. Add two drops of lavender essential oil. Smell your mix, and add more lavender if you want a stronger scent.
5. Place in a container with a lid.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SUGAR SCRUB WITHOUT WHOLE VANILLA BEANS:

If you’re using vanilla extract or paste, skip straight to step 3 above. After mixing in your carrier oil, add a tablespoon or so of paste or extract. Then continue with step 4.

If you’re using vanilla sugar, I’d start with a half and half mix – 1/2 cup vanilla sugar, 1/2 cup other sugar. I haven’t used vanilla sugar much, and the time I did it was not too strongly scented, so you’ll need to experiment. After you have the sugar scent you want go to step 3 and continue from there.

HOW TO USE YOUR SUGAR SCRUB:

• For hefty scrubbing action, stand in your shower with the water off. Scrub your dry skin down, then rinse in the shower.
• For basic scrubby action, use in your already running shower, after your skin is wet.
• Do not use on your face.
• Although it seems odd, you won’t be sticky after using this, all you need to do is rinse with warm water. No soap is necessary. This scrub will not dry your skin out and is perfect for troublesome dry areas.

SUGAR SCRUB SHELF LIFE & STORAGE:

• You can keep this in your bathroom. You don’t need to refrigerate it. It won’t mold.
• Make sure you keep it covered.
• I’d guess that this scrub keeps for 3-6 months well. I’m not totally sure because it never lasts that long. It’s so great, you’ll use it up before it goes bad.
• Oil does get rancid. It won’t kill you or anything once the scrub gets old, but it will start to smell funky. I once made this orange scrub, didn’t love it, threw it under the pantry, and forgot about it. I found it eight months later and you could tell that the oil had gone a little bad, so I tossed it. Since it’s biodegradable, you can throw old scrubs in the sink.

SUGAR SCRUB SAFETY:

• If you give a sugar scrub as a gift be sure to make a cute little label (like the one above) that lists all the ingredients on it. You don’t know if a friend is allergic to a specific essential oil or if she’s allergic to nuts (if you used a nut based carrier oil).
• Be careful in the shower because oil based sugar scrubs can make life a little slick. No big worry, just be careful.

Later, as noted, I’ll share some other scrub recipe ideas – including a few I made that bombed so that you won’t make the same mistake.

Let me know if you make this scrub and what you think…