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Homemade Sugar Scrub for the Face (and Body)
September 20, 2021
Gently exfoliating the face is a great way to get rid of those dead skin cells to give your skin a youthful glow. And that is exactly what this homemade sugar scrub will do for you. This cleansing process helps reduce the buildup of bacteria, which can get into the pores of the skin. When this happens, it can cause the skin to be unhealthy and even break out, creating unwanted inflammation.
Exfoliating is helpful, but only if you are using the right facial scrub ingredients. Making your own facial scrub is so easy and much better for your skin than so many of those off-the-shelf face scrubs. If you want to avoid unwanted chemicals, make your own homemade sugar scrub with natural ingredients like coconut, honey, and orange essential oil. Let’s get to it!
DIY Sugar Scrub
You likely have everything you need to make this face scrub, but, if not, the ingredients are easy to find and will give you that soft, supple and glowing skin you’ve longed for.
Let’s get started! I recommend making your homemade sugar scrub right in the jar that you plan to store it in, but you can make it in a small bowl and transfer it to a tight-lidded jar, if you prefer.
In a small jar, add the coconut oil and honey, using a small wooden spoon to stir. Coconut oil offers amazing antifungal and antimicrobial characteristics that help keep the skin fresh and bacteria-free in addition to helping to moisturize the skin.
Raw honey is an amazing skin-healer. It also helps keep the skin soft and supple because it helps retain moisture, which is a must for healthy skin! (It’s also excellent in a DIY lip scrub.)
Next up — the sugar! Add the sugar and blend well. While eating lots of sugar is not a good idea, using it to help remove dead skin cells is. I suggest brown sugar because it is softer, which is a better choice for the face. Choose organic if possible, as it’s a little more coarse than regular brown sugar. A coarser brown sugar like turbinado sugar or natural brown sugar works well for a DIY body scrub but may be too rough for the face.
But what makes sugar good for the skin? It is a natural humectant. What that means is that it helps hydrate the skin.
Sugar is also a natural source of glycolic acid, which is commonly used to treat dry, sun-damaged and aging skin. You may have seen the ingredient alpha hydroxy acid (AHA). This ingredient helps the skin, encouraging cell turnover and generating fresher, younger-looking skin.
Next, let’s add the essential oils. Orange essential oil is a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, making it a perfect addition to this sugar scrub recipe. It can help those with acne-prone skin, too, and encourage the absorption of vitamin C and collagen production — both great for reducing the effects of aging.
Add the tea tea oil now. Tea tree oil is a favorite of mine for helping the skin stay healthy and free of acne. The antibacterial properties, known as terpenes, are very healing and mild. Blend all of these ingredients together and get ready to do your homemade sugar scrub!
(You can also try this DIY coffee scrub for the body and face.)
How to Exfoliate the Face
Start with clean skin. Try my Homemade Face Wash, which is just as easy to make. Once you have cleansed the skin, gently pat it dry, leaving a bit of the moisture on the skin. Use a spoon or small spatula to scoop out a little facial scrub — never use your fingers so that you avoid bacteria entering the container.
I usually stand over the sink or apply it in the shower to minimize any mess. Just gently rub the sugar scrub over your face and neck and use the extra on your hands to soften them. Avoid getting too close to the eyes.
Once you have covered your face and neck, allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then gently rinse with warm water. Pat your skin dry. Apply a dab of coconut oil or try this Lavender and Coconut Oil Moisturizer. Do this once or twice a week for soft, supple and glowing skin!
Print
Homemade Sugar Scrub
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 20 uses 1x
Description
Gently exfoliating the face is a great way to get rid of those dead skin cells to give your skin a youthful glow. And that is exactly what this DIY sugar scrub will do for you.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon organic raw honey
- 4 tablespoons organic brown sugar
- 6 drops orange essential oil
- 6 drops tea tree essential oil
Instructions
- In a small wide-mouthed jar, add the coconut oil and honey.
- Add the sugar and blend well with a small wooden spoon.
- Next, add the essential oils.
- Blend all of the ingredients together.
- Store in a tight-lidded jar in a cool, dark place.
Notes
To use, wash your face and pat it dry, leaving a bit of the moisture on the skin. Use a spoon or small spatula to scoop out a little facial scrub. Gently rub the sugar scrub over your face and neck and use the extra on your hands to soften them.
Once you have covered your face and neck, allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then gently rinse with warm water. Pat your skin dry. Apply a dab of coconut oil or other natural moisturizer. Do this once or twice a week for soft, supple and glowing skin!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Method: Mixing
Comments
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23 Comments
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THIS IS GREAT, HOWEVER WHAT KIND OF COCONUT OIL, THE HARD STUFF, AS IT WOULD NEED TO BE MELTED. OR CAN WE USE FRACTIONATED? CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC PLZ. AND BTW, I LOVE DR AXES INFORMATION & HE’S MY # 1 GO-TO ON EVERYTHING.
Can organic raw sugar be used instead of brown sugar?
And I think if we are to add a little Vitamin E oil to this it would extend the shelf life considerably…thoughts?
Sounds great but for my skin but doesn’t the honey clog the tub and sink?
It’s a good point. Too much honey can build up drains over time and crystallize. But if this sugar scrub isn’t used too often and hot water is used, your drains should be fine.
please could you repeat how to get rid of sunspots ingredients
https://draxe.com/health/sun-spots/
Can I ask which type of brown sugar is the best to use for this scrub? Raw coarse (turbinado) sugar or the soft brown?
Organic brown sugar is best for the face; if body, then you can use the turbinado.
How do you blend ingredients in sugar scrub? My hand? Spoon? Mixer?
Small wooden spoon.
how long is this good for before it expires
Will stay good for 3 months at least.
How often can or should you use this and is it liquid or Cold Pressed coconut oil
Also what will happen if it’s not stored in a cold place,
How long will it be good for before it expires
Thank you
Do you use solid coconut oil or fractionated liquid coconut oil?
I have the same question. However, I am guessing one would use the liquid coconut oil. How do we find the answer?
Guys, i used some virgin coconut oil that was solid but then I made it melt and you get the liquid oil itself. I’m not sure if this was what you meant or not, so, sorry if it’s not 😅
If you use solid coconut oil, place your jar of the oil, with lid on, in a bowl or sink of hot water to melt it a bit. You don’t want to cook the oil too much.
Regular coconut oil is fine. When combined with other ingredients, it will soften considerably.
Are your oils refined? Do they contain anything synthetic?
Thank you
Do I need preservatives for long use? Thanks
Can I scrub my face Avery day with this scrub thank you Dr Axe
From what I’ve read in more than one article and all the videos I’ve watched, it’s not good to exfoliate your skin every day because it can cause irritation or it can lead to making your skin get dry. That’s why you should only exfoliate 1-2 times a week. Hope this helped :)
1-2 times a week at most.