With just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes, you can make your own salt scrub or sugar scrub. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make salt scrubs and sugar scrubs:
- The best base oil to use (it’s related to winemaking!)
- Why you should add liquid soap
- What to choose: salt or sugar?
- Best place to source the cute jars, spoons and oils
I was walking through a mall a few weeks ago and stopped in a popular bath and body goods store looking for a hand scrub to use in the kitchen. A pretty 14 ounce jar of salt scrub for $36.00!??? I could make a batch of the same for less than one dollar!
I gathered some friends and their daughters, and we hosted a salt and sugar scrub making party of our own.
Salt and/or sugar scrubs are great for exfoliation, moisturizing dry skin, and for aromatherapy. For cooks, it’s perfect for getting rid of fishy smells on your hands and gives you a nice scrubby clean feeling. The oils in the scrub keep your hands from drying out after washing.
With your favorite essential oils, you can make a variety of fragrances. Perhaps a pink grapefruit-thyme salt scrub for the kitchen sink, a peppermint-vanilla scrub for the morning and a lavender-camomile scented sugar scrub for end of day.
How to make Salt Scrubs and Sugar Scrubs
The are only a few ingredients that you need to make your own salt scrub or sugar scrub:
- Salt or Sugar
- Base Oil
- Essential Oil
- Liquid Soap
You can keep the salt scrub or sugar scrub in a little bowl with small spoon at your sink, or package them in cute jars to store or give away as gifts.
Should I use Salt or Sugar?
It’s a personal preference! Sugar is smaller granules, with a smoother edge, great for sensitive or delicate skin. It produces a softer scrub. I like using sugar scrubs for my face and body.
Kosher salt crystals are larger, more irregularly shaped. This is great for hands, elbows and feet. Not recommended for face – the granules are too harsh for the face. Plus, if you get some on your lip, you’ll taste the salt.
I recommend salt scrubs for the cook and gardener!
If you’re looking for something finer than kosher salt, use Fine Sea Salt, which you can find at most supermarkets.
The Best Base Oil
You can really use any type of nut, seed or vegetable based oil that you like: olive oil, jojoba oil, almond oil….even vegetable oil. Different oils have different viscosities (thickness), which makes the oil feel different on your skin. Of course, there are also price considerations, but we’ll talk about that later.
In my opinion, the perfect oil for salt and sugar scrubs is:
- Affordable – some of the oil is absorbed by your hands, but most of it will go down the drain with the salt. Don’t waste your money on expensive base oils!
- Scent-free or just a slight natural scent – I want the essential oils to shine through.
- Thin – thick oils are too sticky and greasy. Jojoba oil is amazing for your skin, but it is too heavy to use in large amounts for the salt or sugar scrub. Thicker oils are difficult to wash off, and your hands will end up being greasy instead of smooth and soft.
- Low risk of allergic reaction – many people are allergic to nuts and nut oils. Since I’m making these as gifts, I want to make sure people don’t have a bad reaction to the oil. For example, sweet almond oil is one of my favorites, but those allergic to almonds may also be allergic to the oil.
Other considerations (but not as important to me):
- Cold-pressed or cold-expeller pressed – The best oils are cold pressed, made without any (or with little) heat or chemicals. Adding heat to oils during processing can harm the nutrient content. But we’re not eating this oil, and as I mentioned before, most of it will be washed off. Cold-pressed oils are much more expensive.
- Organic
With all these considerations, my choice is Grapeseed Oil.
Why Grapeseed Oil?
Grapeseed oil is a byproduct of the wine making industry. The oil is pressed from the spent grape seeds.
- Price: Its relatively low price keeps the oil affordable. Walmart sells 24 ounce bottle for less than $6. I purchased a 68-ounce bottle of Grapeseed Oil for less than $10 at my local Smart & Final. The brand we purchased is called Pompeian.
- Scent: Virtually no scent.
- Viscosity: Very thin! One of the lightest base/carrier oils available. Grapeseed oil glides really well on your skin, and washes off quickly. It feels silky and light!
- Good for the skin: According to Rodale’s Organic Life.
You can get cold-pressed Grapeseed Oil, it is more expensive, but still very affordable. Here are some options:
- Beauty Aura (cold pressed, hexane free, made in USA)
- La Tourangelle (expeller pressed, non GMO, hexane free, kosher)
- Life Flo (cold pressed, organic)
Note on Grapeseed oil – it’s great for cooking! It has a high smoke point (perfect for stir fries and other high-heat cooking). Make sure you get FOOD GRADE (the Now brand is not food grade, but the La Tourangelle and Pompeian brands are)
Other base oils to consider
Olive oil – inexpensive, but too thick and heavy.
Fractionated coconut oil – I’ve heard this makes a great base oil! Regular coconut oil hardens at room temperature and has a heavy scent. But fractionated coconut oil is scent-free, thin in viscosity, good shelf life.
Sweet almond oil, castor oil, jojoba oil, flaxseed oil – too thick and heavy.
Safflower oil – thin, inexpensive, scent free. I haven’t used this oil before, but I’ve heard from friends that it would work just fine in scrubs.
Argan oil and Sunflower oil – light, but very expensive
Apricot Kernel Oil – not a bad choice, inexpensive, but thicker than grapeseed oil.
Choosing Essential Oils
I purchased this set from Plant Guru, which comes with 14 different essential oils. However, I’d recommend the Calily brand, which also comes with 14 oils, but double in size. If you like just one or two scents (and don’t want to get a sampler), I highly recommend the NOW brand, great price and amazing quality for essential oils. I own the NOW grapefruit, orange and lavender scents. Make sure you double check the size – some bottles are 4 ounces!
Why Use Liquid Soap
If you’ve ever used a salt or sugar scrub that contains only salt/sugar and oil, you’ll remember having greasy hands or needing to wash your hands with soap after the scrub. Water alone won’t wash away enough of the oil.
That’s why I like adding a little bit of unscented liquid soap to the salt or sugar scrub. The soap will help wash away just enough of the base oil to leave your hands soft, silky and NOT greasy.
My favorite liquid soap is Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap. It’s certified fair trade, organic, vegan, no synthetic detergents or preservatives. The family company has been making soaps for 150 years! I love their story.
The Baby, Unscented version of their soap contains double the amount of olive oil and great for sensitive skin. The solution is concentrated, so only a couple spoonfuls are needed in the salt and sugar scrub. You’ll find so many uses for this stuff, including for your hair, pet, mopping and dishwashing! There are many sizes available.
Cute Jars and Little Spoons
Glass clamp lid jars make the perfect vessel. The lid is easy to open and is also secure enough that the oil won’t spill out. We got a variety of sizes from Restaurantware – from tiny 1.7 ounce jar (great for party favors) to a larger 8.5 ounce. (Restaurantware provided me with a few of their jars and spoons for the photoshoot!)
Canning jars are fun to use, but I’ve never liked the 2-piece lid that is a pain to use. That silly lid keeps falling out lands on my tabletop or floor. If you use canning jars, make sure you get wide mouth jars, the regular jars have too small of an opening to scoop out the scrub easily. Small, squat jars with wide mouths make the best option.
Other places to look for cute jars: HomeGoods, Marshalls, Ross, Michael’s. Sur La Table has the cutest honey pot that we also used – the lid has a little space for a spoon to stick out!
The 3.5″ bamboo spoons will scoop the perfect amount of salt scrub or sugar scrub. If you’re making a ton of little jars for gifts, Restaurantware sells them in bulk at a great price. The spoons are reusable and sturdy. After you’re done using them for your scrubs, you can use them for spices, sea salt, seasonings, chili sauce at the table.
If 100 spoons is too much, here are some palm wood spoons (though I think these are a little too small.) I’ve also purchased these mini wooden scoops (not really recommended – they are too hard to use for scooping in small jars.) An economical option are these compostable taster spoons – but they are thin and over time, the oil seeps into the wood.
My girlfriend had a couple of plastic gelato spoons, which looked really cute too!
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How to Make Salt Scrubs & Sugar Scrubs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kosher salt or sugar
- 3/4 cup grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons castile liquid soap
- 12 drops essential oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together all ingredients
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comment section! I always appreciate your feedback and I know other readers do, too!
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I don’t want to wash off the fantastic, healthy carrier oil by adding soap to my scrub. The oil soaks into my skin in no time. Fractionated coconut oil is the best I’ve used so far. It doesn’t become sticky after time and it is so good for your skin! Vegetable oil brings nothing to the table. Use oils that nourish your skin. Thick oils, too! Do not add dye, as it can have adverse health effects and does nothing good for a natural scrub. If you keep your scrub in an open dish, make very small batches at a time. I always keep my scrubs in a tightly lidded container.
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. Any recipes for body butters?
How can I prevent the oils to drop to the bottom of the jar?
I tried this with grape seed and after about 2 weeks the scrub became really sticky. Any idea what could have gone wrong?
Hi! I was wondering if MCT (medium chain triglycerides) oil is a good base oil?
Are you sure that the oil and sugar/salt quanities aren’t reversed ? I made it according to your recipe and it came out like soup, so I added more sugar until it was thicker. Thank you.
How many jars does this recipe make? I am planning on making some as gifts for a friends party.
You did not mention Coconut Oil, is there a reason?
You can use Coconut Oil – I don’t prefer the smell of it, which is why I don’t use often.
Is there any way to color the scrubs? Â Food coloring?
Yes food coloring will work.
I made this for my friend’s birthday… SHE LOVES IT! She asked me for the recipe to try herself!
This looks awesome!! How much of the essential oil should I add to give it a scent? Going to make this for Christmas gifts for my kids’ teachers this year!
Hi Katie – just a 12 drops for the recipe!
Do I need to add a preservative to make this rescipe last longer? Â Any recommendations?Â
Hi Hazsema, As long as there is no water in the scrub, then it should not mold or grow bacteria. I have found the scrubs to last about 4 months before the oil is a bit off smelling. Still safe, but doesn’t smell as good. That’s because I store the scrubs in the bathroom (where it is humid from the showers). Keep unused scrubs in a dry place and only keep small amount open to be used.
Thank you for all the great info! Is this scrub thin enough to store in plastic honey jars? I was hoping to be able to store the scrub upside down and shake solution to mix before dispensing. Is the grape seed oil thin enough to mix the scrub by shaking?
Hi Theresa, you can always add more oil to make it thinner, or add more salt/sugar to make it thicker. Yes, you can put this in a honey jar!
Certain types of plastics can actually deteriorate when used to store essential oil products, which can also contaminate the product. I think, as long as you’re not using a “one time use” quality of plastic, a product like this would most likely be fine in a reusable plastic container as the oils are diluted enough throughout the product. Just something to keep in mind if you’re working with essential oils in the future!
Hi Jaden ,
I love making my own everything ! If one can buy it , one can make it , yep …….that’s the way my brain thinks . My favorite way of making scrubs is with Epsom salts . One gets the benefits of magnesium sulfide , yeah ! I really like all kinds of scents but think my favorite is , lavender and lemon as a scrub .
Thank you for this great post which keeps that middle man away . Also …..now I make the BEST potstickers EVER ! Thank you and be sure to thank your mama as well
Hi V! Thanks so much! I didn’t even think about using epsom salts – what a great idea!
A really neat project,i love it.
I love salt and sugar scrubs but I haven’t made any in a while because whenever I use them in the shower I end up with a very slippery shower or tub floor. The first time I ever used one my Husband took a shower after me and almost slipped and fell in the tub! Do you have any tricks to preventing this without washing the whole tub after a shower? I’d love to use this nice recipe but I’d like to avoid the medical hazards I have experienced in the past.
Hi Amy – I don’t use a lot of oil in the scrubs, which helps prevent what you’re talking about. Some of the store bought scrubs are so oily that it does leave a film on the tub floor.
Really exciting and fun project!All these shared information about essential oils and selecting ingredients are really valuable.
What a fun project! I’ve always wanted to make my own scrub and I love all the tips you gave! Those spoons are so cute too, I’m so inspired to try making my own now 🙂
I love the essential oils, usually sleep with some behind my ears. I think it does so much good for the body. But this salty sugary scrub sounds wonderful! I have to try it.
Great article!!
Ashley
Hi,
For the oil, could you use a blend of olive, grapeseed and canola?
This is something to do and give away as gifts.
Thanks for the idea!
Yes you can!
What a fun project, love all your helpers!! I was wondering about the difference between salt and sugar too. And winter makes your skin so dry and itchy so a good scrub is essential. Also, I enjoyed your YouTube video on Spiralizers, you made me laugh, but it was so helpful so anyone out there wanting to learn more about which Spiralizer to buy =)