How To Make Body Scrub At Home With Three Ingredients

Body scrub is one of the few things in skincare where making it yourself is genuinely as good as buying it, and about a tenth of the price.

It is also almost impossible to get badly wrong, provided you understand one number. Nearly every failed homemade scrub is a ratio problem, not an ingredient problem.

Here is the base recipe, and then everything that changes if you want to make it fancy.

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The base recipe

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Two parts sugar to one part oil. That is the whole thing, and it is the number that separates a scrub that holds together from one that separates into a layer of oil and a sludge of wet sugar within a week.

By volume rather than weight, since nobody wants to get scales out. Two cups of sugar to one cup of oil, scaled to whatever jar you are filling.

Choosing your sugar

The grain size is what determines how harsh the finished scrub is, and it matters more than any other decision here.

• Granulated white sugar. The default. Medium grain, dissolves slowly as you use it, suits arms and legs.
• Caster sugar. Finer, gentler, good for chest and anywhere thin-skinned.
• Brown sugar. Softer grains and slightly moist, so it is the gentlest and smells like toffee.
• Demerara or raw sugar. Coarse. Save it for feet, elbows and knees.

Sugar dissolves in water, which is why sugar scrubs get progressively gentler as you use them in the shower. Salt does not, which is the main practical difference between the two.

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Choosing your oil

Any oil you would happily cook with or put on your skin will work. The differences are texture and smell rather than effectiveness.

Coconut oil is the most popular and the most seasonal. It is solid below about 24 degrees, so your scrub will be firm in winter and pourable in summer. That is not a fault, it just surprises people.

Sweet almond oil stays liquid, absorbs well and has almost no smell. It is the easiest to work with and my default recommendation.

Olive oil works perfectly and smells like olive oil, which some people mind and others do not notice after the scent is added.

Jojoba is the luxury option, extremely stable, and does not go rancid, which matters if you make a big batch.

Making it

Put the sugar in a bowl. Add about three quarters of your oil and fold it in with a spoon rather than beating it.

Look at the texture. You want wet sand, where a spoonful holds its shape but is not swimming. Add the rest of the oil a splash at a time until it looks right.

Then the scent, if you want it. Five to ten drops of essential oil, or a teaspoon of vanilla extract, folded through at the end.

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The four mistakes

Too much oil. The most common by far. It separates, and the top of the jar becomes a puddle. If it happens, fold in more sugar.

Beating it. Aggressive mixing breaks down the grains, and the grains are the entire product. Fold gently.

Adding water. Anything containing water, including fresh lemon juice or aloe gel from a plant, turns your scrub into something bacteria can grow in. Oil and sugar alone are effectively self-preserving. Water changes that completely.

Keeping it in the shower. Steam gets in, water gets in, and the same problem arrives from a different direction. Keep the jar outside the shower and take a scoop in with you.

How long it keeps

An oil and sugar scrub with no water in it keeps for about two to three months at room temperature, and the limiting factor is the oil going rancid rather than anything growing in it.

Use a clean dry spoon rather than wet fingers, keep the lid on, and keep it somewhere cool and dark. If it starts smelling sharp or like old crayons, the oil has turned and it is time for a new batch.

FYI making a smaller jar more often is better than making a big batch. It takes ten minutes.

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How to actually use it

In the shower, on damp skin, after you have washed. Not on dry skin, where it drags, and not before washing, since you will wash the oil straight off.

Massage in circles for maybe thirty seconds per area. It is tempting to scrub hard and there is nothing to gain from it.

Rinse with warm rather than hot water, pat dry rather than rubbing, and moisturise within three minutes while your skin is still damp. That last step is where most of the softness comes from.

Once or twice a week is plenty for arms and legs. Feet and elbows can take more.

Variations worth trying

• Coffee. Swap a third of the sugar for used coffee grounds. Coarser, and it smells wonderful.
• Honey. A tablespoon adds slip and helps it cling to skin rather than falling off.
• Vanilla and brown sugar. The gentlest and best-smelling combination there is.
• Peppermint. For a foot scrub, with coarse salt instead of sugar.

Common questions

Can I use it on my face?

No. Sugar grains are too sharp for facial skin and cause micro-tears. Faces want a chemical exfoliant instead.

How often should I use it?

Once or twice a week on arms and legs. Two or three times on feet and elbows.

Why did mine separate?

Too much oil. Fold in more sugar until it looks like wet sand again.

Can I add water or fresh fruit?

No. Water lets bacteria grow. Keep it to oil, sugar and oil-based additions only.

Is salt better than sugar?

Coarser and more abrasive, so better for feet and worse for arms. Salt also stings on shaved or broken skin, where sugar does not.

Can I use it after shaving?

Not the same day. Freshly shaved skin has been exfoliated already and scrubbing it is how you get irritation.

The short version

Two parts sugar, one part oil, fold gently, keep water out, store it outside the shower. Use it on damp skin twice a week and moisturise straight after.

Everything else on this site in the scrub category is a variation on those three lines. 🙂