Who doesn’t love to be pampered every once and a while??
I mean really… we deserves it!
Our fast paced society, puts some pretty hefty demands on us and in order to keep up with even the simplest of tasks we’ve been trained to burn the candle on both ends.
From our jobs, to working around the house, to hanging out with friends and fam, even keeping up with the newest Netflix shows can be quite exhausting 🙂
Which is why sneaking in a little time for TLC of the mind, body and soul is vital! It’s how we stay sane and continue being awesome at what we do!
But danggggg can pampering ourselves get expensive or what?! From massages to facials, even buying a new hand cream can quickly add up.
Which is why I love these homemade sugar scrub recipes. Using them, plus some of our easy homemade lotion recipes or lotion bar recipes is like going to the spa for an afternoon. Well, not at all actually but they’re really amazing and make your skin feel ridiculously soft.
Not to mention they’re a fraction of the cost compared to store bought sugar scrubs.
Check out our top 5 favorites homemade sugar scrub recipes below! We’ve got a scent for every occasion so you can enjoy lusciously soft skin all year round 🙂
Use this table of contents to quickly skip to the recipes:
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Sugar on Your Skin is a Good Thing.
You love sugar, I love sugar.
We both know we aren’t supposed to eat sugar. But no one said it was unhealthy to use it on our skin…
So let’s put all that sugar in the pantry to good use shall we?
Sugar is great for the skin as it’s a natural exfoliant. Do you exfoliate your skin?
To be honest, I’ve always been pretty lazy when it comes to skin care. Then I started reading more about the importance of exfoliating the skin and immediately stepped up my game.
Here’s the deal…
“Your skin renews itself about 30 days. If the old cells remain on the surface and build up, cosmetic dermatologist Naila Malik, MD, says, they can contribute to a flat, dull appearance, blemishes, and scaling. Exfoliation also helps improve the penetration of your other skin products” (source).
Yikes, so you’ll be exfoliating too now, right?
If you notice your skin health worsening during winter and fall, it’s actually because “’as the weather gets colder and the humidity levels drop, more cells dry out and accumulate on the surface… They need to be removed to uncover smooth, fresh skin.’” (source)
These homemade sugar scrub recipes are a great way to exfoliate because they smell incredible and leave your skin feeling velvety soft. You may even notice a little glow throughout the day!
Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipes Vs. Store Bought
You’re sold on exfoliating and using sugar scrubs to do so…
Now the question is, why not grab a store bought sugar scrub and use that instead?
Here are a few reasons why I prefer my homemade sugar scrubs than any boring ol’store bought brand!
1. It’s ridiculously easy and inexpensive to make.
If I could find a benefit to paying more for a store bought sugar scrub I’d be open to it, but I haven’t found a single reason to make the switch…
From the scent to how soft these scrubs leave my skin, they’re amazing!
2. I get to control the scent and switch the ingredients around.
Play around with different essential oils, types of sugar, oils until you find a combination you love!
I use moisturizing oils such as olive oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil and almond oil. Stick to a sugar to oil ratio of 2:1 to start and make adjustments from there!
3. The potential harm in using store bought products.
If you’re a regular to The Little Pine, you know my stance on store bought beauty products, so I wont go into too much detail and bore you… for those that are curious, here are the cliff notes:
Science is a tad behind in researching the effects of questionable ingredients in our toiletries.
As of late, there’s been much controversy over the potential harm caused by ingredients (such as parabens) found in our toiletries. At this time, science has neither proven nor disproven these claims.
Therefore, the jury is still out.
My stance on the matter is this…
I prefer to use only natural ingredients on my body’s largest organ (the skin). I don’t know how much of what I put on my skin is absorbed into my body, and if absorbed the effects (if any) there would be. Despite what some may claim, no one knows this, the research isn’t there yet.
That being said, I feel our bodies are happiest when functioning in their natural state, without the use of chemicals.
Which is the main reason why I make my own sugar scrub 🙂
Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipes
No one likes dry skin. Seriously, not one person.
But dry skin happens.
So let’s fix it. Give your skin the TLC it deserves with these 5 incredibly luscious homemade sugar scrub recipes.
Mix and match the ingredients below as desired, and have fun with it!
How to Make Sugar Scrub
Below you’ll find the ingredients and recipes photos for our 5 favorite sugar scrubs!
To make the sugar scrub, place all ingredients listed in a bowl and stir until combined.
I suggest storing them in a jar with a lid. I LOVE the jars used in the photo (easy to open/close). I bought mine at IKEA, but if you’d like to stay in you PJs, here are some awesome choices, or just throw them in small mason jars!:
Keep in mind your homemade sugar scrubs contain no preservatives, so they wont have as long of a shelf life as a store bought brand.
Exfoliate away and enjoy!
Vanilla Lavender Relaxing Sugar Scrub
Alright, name 2 scents that come to mind when you think about relaxing…
I hope you said vanilla and lavender because if you didn’t I don’t know what to tell you. This sugar scrub is the perfect way to relax after a long day and pamper yourself! As you deserve 🙂
1 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Almond Oil
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
15 drops Lavender Essential Oil
Lemon Scented Hand Sugar Scrub
I love using this lemon sugar scrub after doing the dishes or cleaning the kitchen.
It adds a sustained refreshing scent to your hands after using it!
1 Cup White Sugar
½ Cup Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil (optional, but I always use it. Helps moisturize your skin!)
15-20 Drops of Lemon Essential Oil
Rose Sugar Scrub
This is an awesome scrub to use throughout the day… It’ll make you feel as elegant as ever!
It also makes for a fun Valentines Day gift. If you’d like to add a little extra pink to your scrub, add a few drops of Hibiscus tea!
1 Cup White Sugar
½ Cup Coconut Oil
1 ½ Tbsp Dried Rose Petals (optional, makes your sugar scrub look even prettier!)
½ tsp Vitamin E Oil (optional, but I always use it. Helps moisturize your skin!)
8-10 Drops of Rose Water
Gingerbread Sugar Scrub
The perfectly festive scrub to use throughout the winter season!
I love making a big batch of this and passing it out to friends for Christmas. Makes for the perfect gift in a small mason jar with a cute red bow!
½ cup Brown Sugar
½ cup White Sugar
½ cup Coconut Oil
½ tsp Vitamin E Oil
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
½ tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Clove
½ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Nutmeg
Pumpkin Pie Spice
As you may know, I’m overly obsessed with fall. So I use this pumpkin pie spiced sugar scrub year round to remind me of my favorite time of year.
If that’s not for you, this is the perfect scrub to put next to your sink during the fall season.
½ cup of Brown Sugar
½ cup White Sugar
½ cup Almond Oil
½ tsp Vitamin E Oil
3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tsp of Vanilla Extract
Have you tried your own homemade sugar scrub recipe? What scents did you make?
Let us know in the comments below! Hope you enjoy and find these sugar scrubs as relaxing as we do.
