Sugar scrubs might be the ultimate natural exfoliant, and they couldn't be easier to throw together. Here's a completely customizable whipped sugar scrub recipe that doubles as a moisturizer.
Jump to:
- How to use sugar body scrubs
- What kind of sugar do you use for scrubs?
- What is the ratio for a sugar scrub?
- How to make a whipped sugar scrub with shea butter at home
- 📖 Recipe
- Can you put shea sugar scrubs on your face?
- What oil is best for sugar scrub?
- How long can you keep a homemade sugar scrub?
- Do you melt the coconut oil when making a sugar scrub?
- 💬 Comments
It's difficult to imagine a skincare product more simple and decadent than the sugar scrub. As far as exfoliating lotions go, it's easily the most cost effective option out there. Even compared to the most straightforward homemade beauty products, it's dead easy to make. And yet it's ridiculously luxurious.
Sugar scrubs can be as simple or as seasonal or as scented as you want to make them. This recipe is for a basic whipped sugar scrub with shea butter, which has a beautiful (if faint) scent on its own but it could easily be adapted and elaborated on. (Cinnamon sugar scrub? Peppermint? Maple and brown sugar? Don't mind if I do.)
How to use sugar body scrubs
Sugar scrubs work equally well on wet and damp skin, and it's much easier to clean up the mess in the shower. For the best results, use your sugar scrub in the shower after washing. Soap tends to dry our skin out, so using this oil-based scrub after using soap or body wash but before drying off will is both exfoliating and moisturizing.
Finer scrubs (like this white sugar recipe) can be used all over-- including your bikini line-- while coarser scrubs are great for less sensitive areas like the soles of your feet, knees, and elbows. Use your scrub, wash it off, and pat dry. Amaze at the results.
What kind of sugar do you use for scrubs?
The beauty of homemade sugar scrubs is that they're completely customizable. You can use white sugar, light or dark brown sugar, or even turbinado sugar. (Just don't use powdered sugar.)
I've used white sugar for this recipe to keep it as simple as possible, but opting for larger sugar granules will mean more intense exfoliation. And if you wanted a really fine body scrub but liked the flavor (I mean...scent) of brown sugar, you could even use white sugar and a little bit of molasses. Experiment! (And if you find that the sugar scrub is a bit too gentle, you could try a salt scrub recipe, instead.)
What is the ratio for a sugar scrub?
To avoid an oily sugar scrub, aim for a ratio of ¼ part oil and ⅛ part shea butter to 1 part sugar, by volume. (By weight, that would be 1 part oil, 1 part shea butter, and 6 parts sugar.)
How to make a whipped sugar scrub with shea butter at home
The key to making this body scrub is to balance out the coconut oil with the shea butter. I've seen (and tried) sugar scrub recipes that call for 50/50 blends of coconut oil and sugar-- or even equal parts!-- and I've found this really unnecessarily oily.
To avoid that feeling of the coconut oil sitting on top of your skin after rinsing off the scrub, I've incorporated shea butter. Shea butter contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that are essential for repairing damaged skin, making it an excellent moisturizing ingredient. But it also absorbs into your skin much more readily than coconut oil, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth rather than soft and greasy.
So, how do you make it? It doesn't get any more complicated than this:
Add the sugar, coconut oil, and shea butter into a bowl. For a creamy, whipped scrub, whisk it up on high speed. It's ideal to start with cold coconut oil for this, as whipping the ingredients can cause soft coconut oil to completely melt. If I'm going to use the scrub as a moisturizer, I like to used a homemade infused oil like calendula oil.
Mix away until it looks lovely and creamy, and move it into its final home: a jar with an airtight lid. It's as easy at that. This should keep for at least two months, although I wouldn't expect it to be around for that long.
Read More: How to Make Whipped Body Butter
📖 Recipe
Whipped Sugar Scrub Recipe with Shea Butter
A creamy sugar scrub that exfoliates and moisturizes-- and takes minutes to make
Ingredients
- 1 c white sugar
- ½ c coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon shea butter
Instructions
Combine sugar, cold coconut oil, and shea butter in a bowl
Whisk on high speed setting until mixture has a creamy texture
Place mixture in a container with an airtight seal and store somewhere dry. Will keep for at least two months.
Notes
If the coconut oil separates while mixing, place the scrub in the fridge or leave it somewhere cool until the coconut oil has solidified and the ingredients can be whipped together again.
Can you put shea sugar scrubs on your face?
Shea butter can accumulate on the skin and clog pores, so it's not the ideal facial moisturizer.
Pore clogging worries aside, sugar scrubs are usually too exfoliating to use for facial skincare anyway. Even sugar scrubs made with white sugar, like this recipe, are likely too harsh to use on your face.
Read More: Moisturizing salt scrub recipe (four ingredients)
What oil is best for sugar scrub?
Any of the popular skin-friendly oils-- like sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, and coconut oil-- would be suited to a sugar scrub. A high-quality extra virgin olive oil would work just as well, though the smell may be a bit more obtrusive than you'd like.
How long can you keep a homemade sugar scrub?
Homemade sugar scrub will last for a couple of months. Leaving the lid on the scrub, storing it in the fridge, and making sure that no water gets in will help it to keep longer.
At any rate, you'll likely go through your batch of sugar scrub well before there's a risk of the carrier oil going rancid.
Read More: Salt scrubs vs. sugar scrubs: How to pick the one for you
Do you melt the coconut oil when making a sugar scrub?
You don't have to melt the coconut oil before you mix it with the sugar. In fact, using soft (but still solid) coconut oil will prevent your sugar scrub from completely separating in the jar. It's also way less messy, of course.
If you do melt the coconut oil first, let the finished sugar scrub sit in the bowl long enough for the oil to solidify before transferring the scrub into its container.
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