You can make this easy Homemade Sugar Scrub in less than 1 minute, and it costs just pennies per serving to make! Making your own sugar scrub is the easiest DIY recipe, and it works way better than anything you’d buy in the store. You also control exactly what goes into your sugar scrub for non-toxic skin care. This scrub is perfect for exfoliating dead skin cells, keeping your skin nice and smooth. You won’t have to worry about dry skin, and it’s perfect for spa days.
Why bother making your own sugar scrubs? Well… so many reasons really! It’s way cheaper and more effective for one. Then, there are all the fillers and questionable ingredients you find in the store-bought ones.
Watch How To Make Homemade Sugar Scrub
When you make your own sugar scrub, you can be assured that no unnatural dyes, synthetic fragrance, or chemicals are added. Did you know the average woman uses 168 chemicals daily on her skin? But there’s no Polysorbate 20, Benzyl Benzoate, or propylene glycol here! So many ingredients you find on the label can cause skin irritations and more for some people’s skin.
As someone who has extremely sensitive skin, I started making my own skin care products over twenty years ago as a young teenager, and I’ve never looked back. I often get compliments on my skin and follow-up questions about what I use.
I always tell people it’s the quality of homemade ingredients and, maybe even more importantly, what I don’t use on my skin! So, if you’re looking for ways to simplify your skin care or for recipes without all the strange additives, be sure to check out the extra DIYs I linked to at the end. You’ll find all kinds of natural beauty products to choose from with simple recipes!
Budget friendly! This homemade sugar scrub at current prices (April 2022) cost $2.40 to make vs. $10 for cheaper store bought and upwards to $32 for higher end store bought sugar scrubs. I use to be able to make this for less than $1 but oil prices are higher at the moment.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sugar—I like to use organic cane sugar, also called raw sugar or turbinado sugar, for my scrubs because it has a great texture for exfoliating. You can also use different types of sugar, like regular white sugar, which also works. It’s finer in texture, which can be good if you have extra sensitive skin. You can also use brown sugar if desired.
- Oil – use any oil that works well with your skin type. I like to use coconut oil or jojoba oil. Coconut oil takes a couple of minutes to work into the sugar. But if you use a liquid at room temperature like jojoba, you can stir this scrub together in less than one minute! Some people also like to use sweet almond oil or olive oil. I tend to stick to coconut and jojoba because they work best for me.
- Essential Oils – are entirely optional, and I often don’t use them. But they do smell nice, and you can pick your favorite to use here. I tend towards citrus oils like lemon, orange, and grapefruit, but peppermint, cinnamon, or lavender essential oil can be a really nice change, too. You can also use any blend you like.
How to make this Homemade Sugar Scrub step by step
Step 1: Start by adding the sugar and oil to a large mixing bowl. You want to make sure you have plenty of room to mash the oil and sugar together with spilling over the edge, especially if you use coconut oil. I like to use a serving spoon to mash the oil into the sugar.
Step 2: Once the oil is completely worked into the sugar, and it’s the consistency of lightly wet sand, stir in drops of essential oils if desired.
Step 3: Finally, transfer the batch of sugar scrub to a clean container for storage.
How to use sugar scrub: Using 1 tablespoon at a time, gently rub the sugar scrub in a circular motion to lightly massage into your wet skin in the shower, then rinse off with warm water. 1/4 cup sugar scrub works pretty well for a full body scrub, but you can use more or less.
Important Note! Sugar scrub can cause the bottom of the shower/bathtub to become oily so be careful not to slip. I also soap off the bottom of the shower after I’m done using sugar scrub so the next person to use it doesn’t slip!
FAQ’s
Sugar scrubs exfoliate and moisturize at the same time, leaving your skin glowing and smooth!
Yes and no! Sugar scrubs are safe and great for most people. However, they are not suitable if you have any kind of skin inflammation like a rash, sunburn, or skin condition!
Any oil you know works well for your skin is the best one to use. Coconut oil works great for a lot of people, and jojoba is the closest to our own skin oils which makes it good for almost everyone. Try to avoid low quality oils like canola, vegetable oil, soybean oils, etc.
Only if they’re glycerin based. I don’t recommend using vanilla extract because it’s usually alcohol based which can cause hardened chunks to form in your sugar scrub.
Storing
- Place the extra sugar scrub into sealed container or small individual containers and store in a cool dark place for up to 6 months.
Tips & Tricks
- Try any oil that works best for your skin. I love switching between coconut oil and jojoba oil. Any liquid at room temperature is super easy to mix with sugar. Avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, or other carrier oils like grapeseed oil also work well for some skin types.
- Mix it up with the essential oils to create fun variations, or add some citrus zest.
- Place these in nice containers tied up with colored string or brown string for a homemade gift. Mason jars come in different colors now, which work really well for sugar scrubs. They’re a great Mother’s Day gift, a Christmas gift, or a gift idea for bridal showers and baby showers.
- Some sugar scrub recipes will call for spices, but I prefer to avoid adding cinnamon, etc., because the little brown specks stick to your skin due to the oil. Instead, add cinnamon essential oil for the smell without the mess!
- You can also use brown sugar instead of cane sugar, but I avoid coconut sugar because of its irregular texture.
More DIY Recipe Inspiration
- Easy Buttercream Lotion
- 3 Facial Treatments from your Pantry
- DIY Lemon Hair Gel
- Whipped Body Butter
- Grapefruit Ginger Body Wash
I really hope you enjoy this Homemade Sugar Scrub recipe! If you do get a chance to make this recipe, please leave a rating below. I’d love to hear from you in the comments. You may also enjoy my Lemon Sugar Scrub or my Lavender Sugar Scrub.
Easy Homemade Sugar Scrub
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups organic cane sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil - room temperature, or jojoba oil, sweet almond, or olive oil
- Optional: essential oils of choice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix together the sugar and coconut oil until thoroughly combined. Use a spoon to mash the oil into the sugar. Or if you’re using an oil that’s liquid at room temperature, simply mix it in.
- Add drops of essential oils if desired until it smells the way you like. Mix again to combine.
- Transfer the finished sugar scrub into a sealed container or small containers. Store in a cool dry place and use within 6 months.
NOTES
This sugar scrub recipe was originally published in 2013, and updated in 2022 and 2025 with new photos and more information.
love thisssss
I have my own sugar scrub business
and I’m trying to prepare for summer season
So glad you love the recipe!
Hi Kari
I made this a few days ago, and it makes my skin soo soft. I use it on my feet mostly in the shower so you can just wash the sugar off. I originally wanted to do the lavender one, but that made too much, and my container wasn’t big enough, and I don’t have lavender flowers, so I just added some essential oil. It still smelled nice, but I had to do maybe a tablespoon to get a nice scent. Love this!
So glad you’ve been enjoying it, and I love this scrub for my feet too, especially in the summer!