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Homemade Body Scrub

There are so many benefits to be found when you make your own home made body scrub

A homemade body scrub is excellent for exfoliating old skin cells, which leaves your skin feeling refreshed and silky smooth. They're excellent for all skin types and can leave your skin with a soft glow when you're done.

Along with being much cheaper than store bought body scrub, you're also able to choose ingredients that you prefer and avoid those ingredients you might be allergic to. There are also much less preservatives in a home made body scrub, so it's better on the environment too!

The basis of all body scrubs is to match a mildly abrasive base like sugar or salt with a moisturizing ingredient. It's important to experiment with the level of abrasiveness that works for you.

A homemade body scrub can often be a little too harsh for the sensitive skin on your face. So if you want to exfoliate your facial skin try our Homemade Face Scrubs

While a milder grain like granulated sugar might be perfect for your legs or body, some people may prefer to use brown sugar as a base. Salt is often far harsher and so might be better suited for the tough skin on your heels or elbows.

Add a few spoons of olive, almond or jojoba oil and a few drops of essential oil (take a look at our essential oil guide for ideas) and there you have it a wonderful homemade body scrub. With a little practice, you will soon recognize how to make just about any scrub you want. And they do make terrific gifts.

Important tip:
Some of our homemade body scrub recipes contain fresh ingredients. This means that you won't be able to store them for any longer than a couple of days without the ingredients becoming affected. So make sure you check each recipe for storage guidance before you begin.

While it is possible to add preservatives to extend the storage life of your body scrubs, many people don't like the idea of adding chemical additives to all natural products. For this reason, perhaps make only enough of each recipe to last you a few days at a time.

Supplies You May Need

When it comes to suppliers, Mountain Rose Herbs is one of the leading online stores supplying 100% pure steam distilled plant oils with unsurpassed fragrances and oustanding depth, and importantly they are all therapeutic grade oils from reputable distillers.

They have a great selection of basic ingredients such as butters, wax and carrier oils, as well as any essential oils you might need. There are lots of other suppliers out there whose quality is similar to Mountain Rose but we havent found one thats beter value for money.

Luxury Body Scrub

This has got to be one of the best homemade body scrubs I've ever used, plus it makes a great gift idea. Although it's a little indulgent on oils the balance of the oils are perfect for conditioning, soothing and deodorizing the skin.

The rosehip and sweet almond oil is incredibly nourishing and easily absorbed into the skin, and it smells absolutely gorgeous. This body scrub keeps well but you may want to protect the oils from day light to keep them from weakening; I usually keep mine in the bathroom cupboard for convenience.

Ingredients

9 oz (250g) - Dead Sea salt
4 fl oz (125ml) - Sweet almond oil
1 teaspoon (5ml) - Rosehip oil
3 drops - Lime essential oil
3 drops - Sweet orange essential oil
2 drops - Frankincense essential oil
1 drop - Clary sage essential oil
1 drop - May chang essential oil
1 drop - Geranium essential oil
Glass jars or pots with secure lids

Pop the sea salt into a bowl and mix in all the oils, and transfer into the jars.

Using a handful of the sea salt scrub, lightly rub over the body (you may want to do this whilst standing in the bath or shower) before rinsing of in a warm shower.

Sweet Sugar Homemade Body Scrub Recipe

Oatmeal is ideal for oily skin and can also help with dry skin. It's also hypoallergenic so this recipe is ideal if you prefer a gentler homemade body scrub for your sensitive skin.

This recipe needs to be used within 48 hours

Ingredients

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground oats
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil

Grind the oats in a food processor until they have a sandy consistency. Mix oats with the rest of the ingredients until they resemble a paste. Apply your body scrub on moist skin after you've gently cleansed first. Rub gently into your skin using a circular motion and rinse off with warm water when you're done.

Homemade Coffee Body Scrub

Ground coffee is able to help increase circulation beneath the skin layers, which can help to reduce cellulite.

This recipe needs to be used within 48 hours

Ingredients

2 tablespoons ground coffee
1 tablespoon fine oatmeal
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon almond oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all of the ingredients until they form a paste. Massage your homemade body scrub into your skin gently in a circular motion after you've cleansed.

Rinse the mixture off with water and you should feel a light tingling sensation as your circulation increases.

Sea Salt Body Scrub

This body scrub recipe is quite abrasive. If you feel you need heavy exfoliating on toughened areas like the heels of your feet or dried out elbows, then this recipe is perfect for you.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon baby oil
1 tablespoon almond oil
5 drops apricot essential oil

Mix ingredients together well in a bowl and massage gently into your skin using slow circular motions. Rinse thoroughly in warm water.

This body scrub can be kept for weeks so I usually makeup a lot more than the one applicant given. Its best stored in a glass jar with a secure lid and kept in a dark place to protect the essential oils.

Moisturizing Body Scrub

While all body scrub recipes have a moisturizing ingredient or two included in them, sometimes you might just want to feel pampered. This recipe will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons baby oil
1 tablespoon yogurt
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

Mix ingredients together and massage all over your body in a gentle scrubbing motion. Rinse well with warm water. Remember that sugar will dissolve quite quickly so this recipe won't last very long. Often it's wise to make this one just before you get into the shower.

Wake Up Exfoliating Rub

With its refreshing and stimulating oils and gentle exfoliating ground rice, this therapeutic rub is the perfect choice for using first thing in the morning.

This scrub needs to be used within 24 hours.

1 cup or small container of plain yogurt
3 sprigs of fresh peppermint
2 sprigs of fresh spearmint
1 cup of ground rice
1 drop of peppermint essential oil

Place the yogurt, fresh peppermint and spearmint into a blender, and blend for a few minutes.

Refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours but no longer) so that the yogurt becomes infused with the mints.

Stir the rice into the minty yoghurt mixture. Then using your hand, bristle brush or a loofah, rub the mixture over your body focussing on the rough skin areas. Rinse off in a warm shower.

Homemade Weekly Cleansing Scrub

Treat yourself once a week with this refreshing deep cleansing oatmeal scrub, the oatmeal in this scrub helps break down the impurities in the skin whilst the sea salt lightly removes them from the skins surface. Sea salt also contains beneficial minerals including calcium, iron and zinc that quickly absorb into the skin leaving your skin feeling nourished and silky smooth. (Needs to be made fresh each time).

8 tablespoons oatmeal
8 tablespoons bran
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons milk

Combine the oatmeal, bran and sea salt.

Add enough of the milk to make a paste that's moist but not sticky. Then massage the mixture into the skin using your hands or a body brush, focussing on the rough skin areas. Rinse off in a warm shower.

Now you know how to make a body scrub, try our Homemade Face Scrubs

If you know how to make a homemade body scrub or other personal care product at home, we would love to hear from you. Write an article about it - you can use this article as a guide for how to write a "how to" piece. Share your knowledge, and you could see your name in lights!

Homemade Body Scrub