Easy Sugar Scrub Recipe

April 18, 2008 by | 21 Comments

This one is so easy, but it feels soooo nice on your skin!
1 1/2 c. white table sugar
1/4 c. light vegetable oil: safflower, sunflower, or sweet almond are all good choices. I found LouAna brand safflower oil at my local Walmart supercenter. Do not use sweet almond if you are allergic to nuts, of course.

Mix together in a small plastic bowl with a lid. Take it in the shower and rub all over your body before turning on the water. You may want to exclude your face and neck, as it is rather abrasive. Then, rinse! Also take care as it can make your shower slippery! Most people will experience some redness from the exfoliation.

Four people tested this recipe and gave their feedback:
Sheryl, age 55:
“I really liked the sugar scrub! When I made it, I thought that the small amount of oil wouldn’t hold the sugar together – that when I rubbed it on, the sugar wouldn’t adhere to my skin and therefore I wouldn’t be able to scrub. I loved how my skin felt while I was scrubbing. It was like waking up my skin! I was surprised that it did not feel abrasive – but invigorating! Then, the smoothness set in. The combination of exfoliating and the oil really makes my skin feel smooth – even now that I’m dressed. Thanks, Amy, for giving me this recipe – a definite thumbs up from me!” (Sheryl used an oil blend of safflower, olive & canola. Next time she wants to try the sweet almond.)

Rachel, age 22:
“I liked that it could be made with things I already have, and that it is really inexpensive. Also, it wasn’t super oily like most sugar or salt scrubs are. My skin felt soft without feeling really greasy.”
Rachel also said that she didn’t experience any irritation and she will use the recipe again because it works well.

Leslie, age 30:
What did you like about this recipe? “It was very easy to make”
How did it make your skin feel? “Very soft and smooth”
Any irritation? “I have really sensitive skin and I did get a little red about 10 minutes after my shower, but it soon went away.”
Will you use this recipe again? “I probably would use it again, however I would need to make sure not to use it before bed because the oil does get on your sheets.” (Leslie used sweet almond oil).

Shanda, age 31:
“This was a great exfoliator for hands, feet, and elbows. A great spring treatment for those feet in need of a pedicure. I tried to use it on my legs, but it was too grainy, so I quit trying there. Next time I would use baker’s sugar as it is more fine than regular sugar. I think I may also add some peppermint oil.” (Shanda used canola oil.)

This is such a great recipe because you can customize it however you wish. Shanda can substitute a finer sugar (even brown sugar works!) to get the results she wants. And yes, you can add essential oils if you have them – 6-10 drops would be plenty for a recipe this size, depending on the oil.

These four testers have been entered into a prize drawing for a small vial of essential or fragrance oil of their choice to scent their own handmade sugar scrub, as well as a handmade sugar scrub from Great Cakes Soapworks. Stay tuned to see who won tomorrow!

sugar scrub recipe

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  2. Well, if you add 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of oil, you get 1 3/4 cups of sugar scrub. It really ends up being plenty to scrub your whole body several times. You can adjust it to make more or less as needed.

  3. I love this stuff! It’s pretty amazing. I used extra virgin olive oil and did not get the consistency you got. I even added 3 tablespoons more oil to the mix. But it still left my skin super smooth so I’m happy. 😀

  7. I just made a double-batch of this scrub because I thought it wouldn’t make that much, but there was SO much. I spooned half into a container to give to a friend for Christmas and then took the rest to my shower, where the scrubbing sensation felt amazing and made my skin very soft afterwards. I used almond oil mixed with a few drops of orange extract (for a nice citrus scent)and I could smell it on myself. Thank you for this simple and amazing recipe. I will defininitley be using it again.

  8. I used just regular vegtible oil and vanilla extract. And just measured it by eye. It turned out great I made some for myself and made the rest for my mom for mother’s day.

  10. @Brooke – Something that is labeled simply “vegetable oil” is definitely not as high of quality as a pure sunflower, safflower, or almond oil. The purer the oil, the better it will be for your skin!

  12. @Brooke – Everybody’s skin is different and will tolerate different things, so I couldn’t say for sure. If it was me, I would go buy a more pure oil.

  13. Hi I was wondering if I wanted to make a brown sugar scrub if I would need to add some regular cane sugar to it plus the oil and essential oils to balance out that brown sugar is wetter than regular cane sugar? thanks

  14. @Kataya – I haven’t tried it with brown sugar, but feel free to experiment! Test it with a small batch size and see how you like it. 🙂

  20. I’m a little late but I just found out about this sugar scrub recipe, so simple! I just used it earlier in the shower and it felt so good on my skin and left me feeling so soft! I used vegetable oil because that’s what I had on hand. I thought it wasn’t going to turn out good, but I was pleasantly surprised! Thank you!

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