Making homemade sugar scrub was a revelation for me.

Did you ever use that St. Ives apricot sugar scrub in the 90s? I used it ALL the time in high school.

Have you ever made my Homemade Sugar Scrub with Brown Sugar and Coconut Oil? After I made that I never bought scrub ever again. It smells better, it moisturizes like a champ (hello, coconut oil), and... sometimes you can eat it.

Today I've got a couple of holiday variations (flavors? lol) of my sugar scrub -- Candy Cane & Gingerbread! They only take about 10 minutes to make, and they're perfect for stocking stuffers or teacher gifts.

Let's start with the candy cane scrub. And I really mean candy cane. There are literal candy canes in there.

Here's a little video to show you how it's done!

For this recipe I used 6 large (regular sized) candy canes.

A food processor  makes this first step easy.

You could also put the candy canes in a zip top bag and whack them with a rolling pin. I love using actual candy canes in this scrub because it turns the scrub a pretty shade of pink and adds little flecks of white and red.

I don't actually enjoy eating candy canes, so I find other ways to enjoy them.

Also, when you're blending candy canes, don't forget to put the extra little plunger-thing into the lid so you don't end up with candy smoke all over your kitchen.

Breathing this stuff isn't super pleasant either.

But it was rather ethereal and fun to watch -- like dry ice. My 4-year-old loved it.

At this point, just add the sugar and coconut oil and blend it up again until it resembles wet sand.

You'll want your coconut oil solid, but not super hard. Shoot for the consistency of shortening to get the best texture.

You can use other types of sugar (or salt!) and oil in sugar scrub -- I talk about it in more detail in my Homemade Brown Sugar Scrub post.

I didn't feel like the candy canes gave it enough peppermint scent (or flavor, if we're being honest. Sometimes I dip my finger in there and lick it.)

I added some peppermint oil. Spearmint oil is fun, too.

What kind of essential oil should I use in sugar scrub?

I'm not loyal to any particular oil company, FYI. I do have a lot of DoTERRA oils and one from a company called Youngevity.

I've recently started buying Revive essential oils and like them a lot. They're high quality and don't cost as much as the ones from the big MLMs.

If you use my Revive link, you can get a $10 gift card on your first purchase!

Just be aware of the potency of certain essential oils. In the gingerbread scrub I used ground baking spices instead of ginger, cinnamon, and clove oils because the cinnamon and clove oils are super potent and can irritate the skin.

I learned that once the hard way. Oops.

Much of what's in your pantry is fair game! I even used molasses in the gingerbread scrub. And then I realized that brown sugar is sugar + molasses and I could have just used that. I'd still add more molasses, though, to give it a more gingerbread-like scent.

How do I store sugar scrub?

I like to store sugar scrub in mason jars because they're easy to clean and reuse. And I have a whole cupboard of them. I especially like the short squatty half-pint jars because it's easy to get all the scrub out when you're using it. Plus they're cute.

Also, if your scrub gets warm and separated, just use your finger and mix it back up. Easy peasy.

I'm not super creative when it comes to frou-frouing things. For these I just cut some rounds of paper with my hole punches. I got my punches at Michaels 100 years ago, but this 3-pack of punches on Amazon is similar.

Having a pad (or three) of scrapbook paper and some punches in my craft stash has been super helpful for things like this. I don't scrapbook if I can help it. (Yay for chat books!) But I do love fun paper.

I also used washi tape, baker's twine, and some little gingerbread ornaments I found at Michaels.

More Recipes on Perry's Plate

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This sweet, pepperminty homemade sugar scrub is a cinch to make with candy canes sitting around your house and a couple other pantry ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 6 large, regular-sized candy canes
• 1 cup white sugar (fine or coarse)
• ¾ cup coconut oil (solid, but not super hard)
• 15-20 drops peppermint essential oil or ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

Instructions

1. Unwrap the candy canes, break them into large pieces, and put them in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse and blend until they're ground up well. You don't want large shards of candy cane. (If you don't have a food processor, put them in a large zip top bag and smash them with a rolling pin. Or you could try using your blender.)
2. Add the sugar, oil, and peppermint oil/extract to the processor and pulse until the mixture sticks together and resembles wet sand. (Again, if you aren't using a processor, transfer the candy cane powder to a large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix by hand. You may want your coconut oil a bit softer so you don't have hard clumps in your scrub.
3. Transfer the sugar scrub to lidded glass jars or another type of lidded container. Store away from heat (not in the shower) if you want to maintain the creamy texture.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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  KAMOTA Mason Jars 4 oz With Regular Lids and Bands

Gingerbread Sugar Scrub

Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

I don't blame you if you eat this scrub straight out of the jar. It tastes like gingerbread cookie dough. And it smells AMAZING used as a scrub!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar (fine or coarse)
• ¾ cup coconut oil (solid, but not rock hard)
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Put all of the ingredients into the workbowl of a food processor (or a mixing bowl, if you don't have a processor.)
2. Pulse until the mixture sticks together and resembles wet sand.
3. Transfer to a lidded container and store away from heat (if you want to keep the creamy texture).

Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made by using these links don’t cost you any extra and helps to keep my content free.

The post Holiday Homemade Sugar Scrub -- Two Ways! appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Brown Sugar & Coconut Oil Body Scrub

If you've ever wanted to know how to make sugar scrub, you're in for a treat. Literally. Homemade sugar scrub tastes a little like cookie dough, if you make it a certain way.

Ok, a lot like cookie dough. Every time I use this on my face I dip my finger in it and eat a glob. Needless to say there isn't a lot of exfoliating going on when I'm doing a round of Whole30. Too tempting. Or I'd forget and eat some anyway.

It's a terrible habit. However, I love that I can make DIY body scrub for a fraction of the price of store-bought and find everything I need at the grocery store.

Plus it tastes like cookie dough. Pfft. What brand can claim that?

Sugar Scrub Benefits

I've been using my DIY body scrub as a body exfoliator and face scrub for a few weeks, and I LOVE it.

Use this body scrub with sugar on your face, hands, feet, body -- anywhere, really.

It totally exfoliates and moisturizes my dry skin and gets rid of all the dead skin cells. And it's silky smooth when I'm done. I feel like have a spa day when I scrub my whole body with that stuff.

I also use it on my face a couple times a week and since my skin has gotten dryer the older I get, it's really helpful for my skin. The scrub does a great job exfoliating and the oil leaves my skin feeling super-hydrated and soft.

Another huge benefit of making exfoliating sugar scrub at home is the cost! It's SO much less expensive than buying pricey scrubs at the store. And you can feel good about the ingredients when you make them yourself.

What you'll need for Homemade Sugar Scrub

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup solid (but soft) coconut oil
• Optional additions (vanilla extract, essential oils, etc.)

What kind of sugars can I use in DIY Sugar Scrub?

As far as sugar, decide what texture you'd like and that will determine what kind of sugar you use.

Cane Sugar

Organic cane sugar will give you a more coarse scrub and fine sugar will give you fine scrub. If you want to use this on your body AND your face, I'd suggest fine or medium-coarse sugar. 

I like to use organic sugar because it's a little more coarse than regular sugar, but it isn't super coarse like turbinado sugar. 

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is also good. That's what I use most often, actually. It's softer and more gentle than coarse cane sugar.

Salt

AND you can use salt instead of sugar. This is especially helpful if you find that more of it is going in your body than on your body.

I recommend using fine sea salt or table salt. Coarse salt (like Kosher salt) would probably be too coarse for your skin -- unless you just plat on using this for the bottom of your feet.

What Oils To use in Sugar Scrub?

My favorite oil to use in sugar scrub is coconut oil because it's solid at room temperature and makes the scrub creamier. And I love the way it smells.

Using a neutral (or pleasant) smelling oil is ideal. Avocado oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, and light olive oil are good options. I don't recommend extra virgin olive oil unless you don't mind it smelling like salad dressing.

How to Make Homemade Sugar Scrub

All you need are a few simple ingredients. And you probably already have them in your kitchen.

Making homemade sugar scrub by hand

Just throw in the coconut oil, brown sugar, and other add-ins. (Like essential oils or... um... vanilla extract. Maybe I shouldn't make it so easy for me to eat.) It buzzes it up really quickly.

If you want to use a food processor to make it faster, go ahead!

Here's a helpful video so you can see what I mean:

Then buzz it around for just a few seconds until it looks creamy. Like this...

Again, you don't need a food processor for this. You can mix it up in a large bowl. Just make sure your brown sugar is fresh so you don't have to smooth out a bunch of dry sugar lumps. That's no fun.

TIP: If you let it go too long, the friction will warm the coconut oil which will cause the whole thing to separate. 

How do I store sugar scrub?

Short answer: Use any lidded container. And if you want to keep it from getting melted and separated, don't store it in the shower. Like I said, it's not necessarily a bad thing, though. It's easy to blend it up again with your finger.

Long answer: I like cute glass jars or mason jars because they're easy to clean and reuse. And I have a whole cupboard of them. I especially like the short squatty half-pint jars because it's easy to get all the scrub out when you're using it. Plus they're cute.

I just store mine in a mason jar, but you can get creative with your jars if you're giving them away as gifts.

I made this particular batch of sugar scrub to put in some gift baskets for my girls' teachers for an end of the year teacher gift. They LOVED it! I found the jars at Ross. They were $5 for a 3-pack. Super cute, right?

You could also tie a piece of cute ribbon around them. Or put a cute sticker on the top and write a message. So many options here.

Does sugar scrub need to be refrigerated?

Nope.

You can keep it in your bathroom cupboard or in the shower. But again, if you store it in the shower, the heat from the shower will melt the coconut oil and make your scrub separate.

Just use your finger to stir it back up. No biggie.

How long will sugar scrub last?

Months and months.

The high sugar content acts as a preservative (like when things are "candied") so it should be fine for a long time. 

How to package homemade body scrub as a gift

I found these cute little canning jars at the store and filled them. They're about 4 ounces each.

Then I tied a simple tag on there with some string. I just used bakers twine and some round cut-outs I made from scrapbook paper. You don't need a Cricut or anything fancy for this. (Plus the tag usually gets tossed anyway. Eventually it'll get oily and wet from using the scrub.)

These are great little inexpensive gifts you can give to teachers, friends, new moms, or to use as stocking stuffers or simply thank you gifts!

I also made some Homemade Holiday Sugar Scrub variations for Christmastime! Candy Cane and Gingerbread scrubs have become some of my favorite. (They're edible and delicious, too, in case you were wondering...)

I have a Chocolate Sugar Scrub for Valentine's Day! (Also edible. *wink*) And a Grapefruit & Mint Sugar Scrub that's nice and springy.

Making DIY beauty products can be so much fun. And I feel better using things on my skin that you can easily find at the store (or that you already have in your pantry.)

Do you make your own bath and body products? Please share!

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

More Recipes on Perry's Plate

DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe FAQs

Homemade Sugar Scrub with Brown Sugar and Coconut Oil

Yield: Makes about 1 ½ cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Make your own body scrub at home with things you already have in the pantry!

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Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup solid (but soft) coconut oil
• Extra additions (vanilla extract, essential oils, etc.)

Instructions

1. Whip together the sugar, oil, and any extra additions until the mixture looks creamy and resembles loose cookie dough.
2. You may use a food processor, but don't let it process too long or the coconut oil will melt and the mixture will separate. If this happens, just put it in the freezer for a few minutes to solidify and mix again.
3. Store in an airtight container. Lasts for weeks. Maybe months. If it's stored in the shower, you may have the same problem with separation as the coconut oil warms. Just stir it around with your finger before using.

It's OK to lick your finger, too. :)

Notes

If your coconut oil is really hard, pop it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds just to loosen it up a bit. It blends best when it's the consistency of frosting.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  KAMOTA Mason Jars 4 oz With Regular Lids and Bands
• 
  Cuisinart CFP-9GMPCY Food Processor, 9-Cup, Gunmetal

Disclosure: This post contains Revive and Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made by using these links doesn’t cost you any extra and helps to keep my content free.

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The post Homemade Sugar Scrub with Brown Sugar and Coconut Oil appeared first on Perry's Plate.

After creating my own scrubs, I realized that there is NO point purchasing sugar or salt scrubs ever again. Making your own scrub is almost foolproof, and you get to control the ingredients! Since our skin is our largest organ, we want to be picky about what we put on it!
This scrub can be blended together is just a few minutes, and makes great gifts for your loved ones - no matter the occasion!

You'll love this Sugar Scrub DIY

Homemade sugar scrub is incredibly easy and cost effective to make. Not to mention you get to control the ingredients. All of the scrubs I've posted are made from things you might already have at home.

Although a sugar scrub isn't for snaking purposes, they're also edible!

This time it's a bright, springy citrusy one for Mother's Day with grapefruit & fresh mint.

I REALLY love this one and it leaves such a nice smell behind after you use it.

What you'll need for Grapefruit Body Scrub

• White sugar
• Grapefruit Zest
• Fresh mint leaves
• Coconut oil
• Grapefruit essential oil (optional)

How to make Homemade Sugar Scrub for Body

1. Combine the sugar, zest, and mint in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mint is chopped finely and everything is mixed well.
2. Add the coconut oil and continue to pulse until a creamy scrub forms. Add the essential oil (if using) and pulse a few times until combined.
3. Transfer the scrub to a lidded jar for storage.

Grapefruit Scrub Variations

Grapefruit - Any citrus could be used here! Lemon, lime or oranges would make a wonderful scrub.

Sugar - Brown sugar would also work perfectly in this recipe.

Coconut oil - I like using coconut oil for the subtle coconut scent, but you could use another carrier oil like avocado, jojoba, or sweet almond oil.

Homemade Sugar Body Scrub tips for success

• My favorite oil to use in a sugar scrub is coconut oil. It makes the scrubs consistancy super creamy.
• If your scrub is crumbly or soupy try adding ingredients that can balance the mixture.
• If it’s crumbly, add a teaspoon of oil, mix and assess.
• If your scrub is soupy, try adding in more sugar.

Adding essential oils to DIY Sugar Scrub

Because my coconut oil is rather strong, I added some grapefruit essential oil to boost that citrus flavor.

I really love grapefruit oil -- especially a drop or two in a glass of ice water. It's one of the few oils I feel comfortable ingesting (I'm super conservative in that department.) Grapefruit oil is known to help with curbing cravings and managing hunger better.

I'm not particularly loyal to a specific essential oil company, but I recently started using Revive oils and have enjoyed them a lot!

If you use my coupon code (perrysplate10) on Revive you can get 10% off your first purchase!

Gifting this DIY Sugar Scrub

This scrub makes the BEST gift! Simply transfer the scrub to a cute lidded jar and make a little homemade label with your message and how to use the scrub! This sugar scrub would be a sweet little gift for Mother's Day!

Storing Grapefruit Body Scrub

Store at room temperature for up to 2 months in a sealed container.

Mint and Grapefruit Body Scrub

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Homemade sugar scrub is super easy to make and is the perfect little gift for Mother's Day or for your kids' teachers. This version has bright grapefruit zest and fresh mint.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup white sugar
• zest from 2 large grapefruits
• 10-12 fresh mint leaves
• ½ cup coconut oil (soft, but not melted)
• 5-6 drops of Grapefruit essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar, zest, and mint in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mint is chopped finely and everything is mixed well.
2. Add the coconut oil and continue to pulse until a creamy scrub forms. Add the essential oil (if using) and pulse a few times until combined.
3. Transfer the scrub to a lidded jar for storage. Store at room temperature for up to 2 months.

Notes

Nat's Notes:

1. If you don't have a food processor, chop the mint leaves as finely as you can and use your hands to work the zest and mint into the sugar. If your coconut oil is soft, you can easily mix everything together with a sturdy spoon.

2. If you store the scrub in your shower, it'll probably melt and separate. Just stir it together again with your finger right before you use it.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Cuisinart CFP-9GMPCY Food Processor, 9-Cup, Gunmetal
• 
  KAMOTA Mason Jars 4 oz With Regular Lids and Bands

The post Homemade Sugar Body Scrub with Mint appeared first on Perry's Plate.

Yes, sugar scrub made with chocolate

Wait.

Stop.

Hear me out.

(You know it's a good recipe when I start off like that. And by "good" I mean "just trust me on this".)

When I had the idea to make a chocolate flavored sugar scrub, I ran it by my bestie and she was a skeptical at first. 

That made me pause because we usually see eye to eye on most things. And we have very similar taste. (And we think we have good taste. Haha.) Was I way off on this? 

I charged ahead anyway, because I had a gut feeling about this one. And I'm glad I did!

My other homemade sugar scrub recipes use a food processor. 

I decided to do this with a bowl and spoon to show you that you don't actually need a food processor for this. 

I buy the organic sugar at Costco which has a coarser texture than the extra fine sugar in the pink bag at the grocery store. I like it better for scrubs because it feels more "scrubby" to me.

Mix some cocoa powder in there, too.

When I said I make scrubs out of stuff in my cupboard, I wasn't lying.

After I put my coconut oil in there, I mixed it by hand. (Actually my 12-year-old assistant mixed it by hand this time. She's a great hand model.)

A note about coconut oil: If you're not using a food processor, you'll want your coconut oil to be soft, but not melted. Like the consistency of shortening.

If your coconut oil is really hard, microwave it for a few seconds to loosen it up. You don't want hard chunks of oil in there if you're mixing it by hand.

If you want a looser texture, mix a little more coconut oil in there or a bit of melted coconut oil.

And that's it! Just THREE ingredients.

Looks like brownie batter, doesn't it?

(Spoiler) It tastes like it.

This scrub is edible, like the other sugar scrubs I have on my site (Seriously, have you tried my Homemade Brown Sugar and Coconut Oil Scrub? It's sorta like cookie dough.)

Yes, I know where your mind is going.... edible chocolate scrub for Valentine's Day. *bow chick-a bow bow*

That wasn't my intention, I assure you, but if you'd like to take it that direction, who am I to stop you?

At the very least it'll be a sweet, decadent little scrub that will leave your skin super smooth and smelling like a candy store.

There are worse things, right?

I found these darling little jars in the Target dollar spot (or whatever it's called these days) when they put out the Valentine's stuff. I'm such a sucker for that little section.

This chocolate scrub would be a great girlfriend gift! Or something to give your teenage daughters. Or the ones who are past the age where they'll just hide it in their bedroom and eat the entire jar.

Honestly, I'm not sure I'm past that stage. Heh.

You can find the recipe below!

Chocolate Sugar Scrub for Valentine's Day

Yield: 1 ½ cups scrub

Yes, Chocolate Sugar Scrub. Maybe I went too far with this? Maybe it's brilliant? Whatever you decide, you can't deny that it's tasty. And it leaves your skin exfoliated and smelling.... sweet. :)

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Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar (coarse, if possible)
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• ⅔ cup soft coconut oil (easily scoopable, but not melted)

Instructions

1. Mix together the sugar and cocoa in a medium sized bowl.
2. Add the coconut oil and mix thoroughly with your hands until it's smooth and no lumps of coconut oil are visible.
3. Transfer to a lidded glass jar for storage. Store at room temperature. Scrub should last several months.

Notes

Nat's Note: You can use a food processor to make this if you like!

The post Chocolate Sugar Scrub for Valentine's Day appeared first on Perry's Plate.