Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipe | A Basic, Easily Adaptable Recipe

What Kind Of Sugar Is Best For Sugar Scrubs?

Using Oils Essential Oils In Sugar Scrubs

Seems like essential oils get a lot of attention these days. A lot of positive things, but some negative too. Essential oils are the extracted compounds from plants containing all the beautiful scents, the essences, of the plant. Some strong health claims are made for some essential oils, but for all intents and purposes, the focus here is on how they smell in a nice sugar scrub. 

You can find essential oils now in grocery stores, gift shops like candle shops and greeting card stores, even sometimes in the Dollar Store! Use your imagination and feel free to get creative. 

Of course, you do have to be careful too. Some essential oils, like peppermint, for example, can be very intense and drying on the skin. So, best to test just a bit on your skin first to see if there is any sort of reaction. If you are making homemade sugar scrubs for gifts, try to make sure the recipient isn’t allergic.

What kind of oil to use in Sugar Scrub?

In terms of the oils, you can use them for homemade sugar scrubs, olive oil, coconut oil, even avocado or other vegetable oils work. And just like the types of sugars, the base oils can also add scent notes too, especially coconut oil that isn’t overly refined.

For my basic recipe here I use vegetable oil because it’s one that I always have on hand, but feel free to swap out for any of the others mentioned without a problem. That’s the beauty of this basic recipe, it’s so easily adaptable to what you like and what you have on hand. 

I also like to add a little vitamin E oil to my scrubs. 

Essential Oil Combinations For Scrubs

I have some recipes below which you are welcome to tweak. However, you may run into a variety of essential oils and wonder how well they might work too. Citrus essential oils like grapefruit, bergamot, tangerine, and lemon all work wonderfully with spicy and woodsy scents like cedarwood, sandalwood, and patchouli. 

Minty essential oils like peppermint and spearmint blend nicely with savory and floral essential oils like lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and eucalyptus. 

Brown Sugar Vanilla Sugar Scrub

I love the caramel warm vanilla scent of this one! 

It uses my basic recipe, but a combination of brown and granulated sugar, mixing 3/4 brown sugar to 1/4 granulated. Use a good quality vanilla or vanilla paste to get the best aroma.

^ pin it! ^

Lavender Sugar Scrub

Calming, soothing lavender. I love this one! Especially at nighttime, a long bath or shower before bed with lavender is so relaxing.

This lavender sugar scrub is made with the addition of lavender essential oil as well as fresh or dried lavender, mixed into granulated sugar.

Bubblegum Sugar Scrub

Bubblegum sugar scrub was inspired by my beloved Bubble Gum Cupcake Recipe! 

Eucalyptus Mint Sugar Scrub

I love the smell of this one. Takes me back to my days of working at Pier One when it was full of eucalyptus! Love that smell!

I did this one with half granulated sugar and half sugar in the raw. This one will be more abrasive, so use for hands or feet. I love it for tired feet. At the last minute, I added a couple of drops of peppermint extract for the mint.

^ pin it! ^

Lemon Sugar Scrub Recipe

Fresh, clean and bright smelling, this Lemon Sugar Scrub is one I love to have near my kitchen sink. It’s perfect for removing those smells like garlic or onion from your hands. 

I used granulated sugar for the lemon scrub here, but it works great with the raw sugar, too. Especially for your hands. I used lemon essential oil and added fresh lemon zest, too!

^ pin it! ^

Peppermint Sugar Scrub Recipe

This Peppermint Sugar Scrub was where it all began! Still one of my absolute favorites, and a great gift at the holidays!

I use granulated sugar, peppermint extract and crushed candy cane. Note that if you want to be able to use on your body to crush the candy canes finer than you see here.  These would be too abrasive for your skin.

^ pin it! ^

This giveaway is beautylicious!!  Today I am giving away a Rae Dunn cosmetic bag full of some of my most favorite beauty products. I am all for self-love and self-care.

This gift includes: 1 Rae Dunn cosmetic bag and “Love Life” socks (I ADORE all things Rae Dunn!) travel-sized Kevin Murphy Plumping Wash and Rinse and Repair Me Wash and Rinse, Kevin Murphy Doo Over Spray and Session Spray, J Beverly Hills Rescue Me shampoo and conditioner, an Elf Kabuki brush and a jar of Rodan + Fields Body Hydration.

Thank you to Oak Salon Studio in Omaha, Kenzie Sabaliauskas, stylist for donating my favorite hair care products, and to Marci Lundquist, Rodan + Fields Consultant for donating the active hydration lotion.

 

The winner will also receive one of my limited edition t-shirts! I am giving away 11 gifts in all, ($1500 value!) including a KitchenAid mixer! You can read all about the gifts and enter to win here on this blog post, or you can enter right here!

ENTER TO WIN ALL OF THE PRIZES HERE

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Kitchen Spa Ideas

I have a section of ideas right here on my website for making your own “beauty/spa” items right in your kitchen.  During the pandemic last year, my Listerine Foot Soak went CRAZY!! That’s what happens when you take away a persons ability to get a pedicure I guess! 

This Banana Botox makes your face feel incredible! And I love this Lemon Salt Scrub from my friend, Kathleen!

^ Pin the Whole Collection Here^

There ya go!! Easy, fun, economical and useful gifts. I have made all kinds of them over the years, they make perfect teacher gifts, treats for friends, I have even treated my mail lady to a couple over the years! Cheers to smooth scrubbed bodies and tootsies! 

4.66 from 26 votes

Print Recipe

Basic Sugar Scrub Recipe

This is a basic sugar scrub recipe that is easily enhanced with all sorts of essential oils, extracts and add-ins to make it your own.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time5 minutes mins

Course: Beauty/Kitchen Spa

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bubblegum, eucalyptus, gifts from my kitchen, homemade, homemade bath items, kitchen spa, lemon, peppermint, recipe, sugar scrub, vanilla

Servings: 1 jar

Author: Michaela Kenkel

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup *granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup *vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil optional but great idea to add in
• 1/2 -1 teaspoons essential oil or extracts for scenting you will need to play with it to get the scent strength to your liking

Instructions

• Stir oils into the sugar.
• Add in essential oils or extracts. *see notes for measurements shown here in this blog post.

Notes

*Oils - I use vegetable oil here in the basic recipe, you can use any you like, Olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil - you name it! Just keep in mind some of them have a scent so it can alter the scent of the scrub once it's mixed.

* Sugar - I typically use fine granulated sugar. It works best for body scrubs, brown sugar mixed with granulated is nice, too. Use powdered sugar for the face, and you can use raw sugar for feet and hands.

To make the scents shown here use the basic recipe with these additions:

Lavender - use lavender extract and add in about 1 Tablespoon of dried lavender.

Eucalyptus Mint - I used 1/2 teaspoon of eucalyptus essential oil and a few drops of peppermint extract. I used half granulated sugar and half sugar in the raw, but remember that the raw sugar is more abrasive. Better for hands and feet.

Brown Sugar Vanilla - I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Add in 1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract.

Bubblegum - I use 1/2 teaspoon bubblegum extract and add in 1 Tablespoon of pink crystal sugar.

Peppermint - 1 teaspoon peppermint extract and 2 Tablespoons finely chopped candy cane.

Lemon - Add in 1/2 teaspoon lemon essential oil and 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon zest.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Sugar: 150g

This sugar scrub recipe was originally posted on December 14, 2011, it was updated to improve user experience and reshared on March 23, 2020, in honor of my 10 year Anniversary.