Cleansing and moisturizing is nothing short of religious practice that you need to follow regularly. However, at times, your body needs extra care, and that is where scrubs come into the picture. You can use homemade body scrubs for glowing and healthy skin. How do we make them and how often should we use them? Let us find that out here.
There are many different ingredients you could use to make a body scrub at home. Following, I’ve put together, a list of 10 body scrub recipes that you are sure to love!
Keeping your skin healthy involves exfoliating regularly. This process removes dull skin, boosts circulation, and improves how well your skin absorbs moisturizers. This will help you achieve smooth and radiant skin. So, here are a few body scrubs that you can prepare at home:
2 minutes
10 minutes
2-3 times a week
This is one of the best scrubs you could use for your skin. Coffee is rich in antioxidants, while the sugar in this mixture works as an exfoliator that helps get rid of dead skin (1), (2). The olive oil in this scrub penetrates deep into your skin, hydrating it and keeping it healthy (3).
We can’t deny that coffee grounds make any DIY recipe smell delicious! Here is a list of more such DIY coffee scrub recipes if you want to give them a try.
5 minutes
15 minutes
Once a week for dry skin, twice a week for normal skin, and thrice a week if you have oily skin.
How It Works
Sea salt or Dead Sea salt is rich in minerals and exfoliating agents that help keep your skin looking young and healthy. A study showed that Dead Sea salt, rich in magnesium chloride, significantly improves skin health. Bathing in a 5% dead sea salt solution can help enhance skin hydration, reduce roughness and inflammation, and improve the skin barrier (4). It may help improve blood circulation while also possibly reducing issues such as scarring.
2 minutes
15 minutes
2-3 times a week
This DIY coconut oil sugar scrub is not only an excellent exfoliating agent, but it also helps cleanse your face, remove makeup, and moisturize (5). Coconut oil also has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It is a super budget-friendly and easy-to-prepare treatment that will leave your skin feeling like that of a goddess.
Quick Tip
If the scent of coconut oil bothers you, add a couple of drops of vanilla extract or an essential oil to this scrub.
5 minutes
15 minutes
2-3 times a week
This is a perfect bath scrub for the days that just don’t seem to be happening. Enriched with the refreshing scent of peppermint essential oil, this bath scrub may wake and liven you up with energy. Olive oil is rich in essential fatty acids, phytosterols, and squalene, which help improve skin hydration, protect the skin, and aid in regeneration (6).
2 minutes
15 minutes
Once a week for dry skin, twice a week for normal skin, and thrice a week for oily skin.
Epsom salt is known for its exfoliating properties and for how it helps smoothen rough skin (7). It is also claimed that salt eases stress, relaxes your muscles, lowers blood pressure, and relieves soreness.
Quick Tip
If you don’t want to use essential oil, you can substitute it with citrus zest or extract.
2 minutes
10-15 minutes
Twice a week
Oatmeal is one of the best natural exfoliators.
Not only does it help get rid of dead skin cells but it also soothes and heals troubled skin (8). Moreover, oatmeal is gentle and hydrating, which makes this scrub excellent for those with dry skin. If you are specifically looking for hydrating scrubs, you may try these homemade scrubs for dry skin.
2 minutes
10-15 minutes
2-3 times a week
If you have dry skin but need to exfoliate often, this is the body scrub for you. Yogurt has excellent cleansing properties that help clean your skin by removing dead skin cells and impurities. It also helps moisturize your skin. According to a study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science, a yogurt face pack showed antioxidant activities, helping improve moisture, brightness, and elasticity of the skin (9).
2 minutes
10-15 minutes
2-3 times a week
This homemade sugar scrub moisturizes your skin and keeps it looking young and healthy. It efficiently nourishes your skin and keeps it from getting damaged. Vanillin, from the vanilla plant, protects skin cells from oxidative damage and aids wound healing. It helped cells survive stress and promoted cell migration in tests (10). This suggests that a vanilla scrub could be beneficial for skin health. While this is a very basic sugar scrub recipe, you can always experiment with different ingredients. Learn how to prepare a homemade sugar scrub with easily available ingredients and spice up your bath routine.
Megan, a blogger, recounted her experience of using a homemade sugar and vanilla scrub to combat itchy and dry skin. She wrote, “The sugar was a gentle abrasive, but made mean work of my little patches of dry winter skin, and the olive oil felt nourishing and satiny. I felt like I was glowing after using this (i).”
5 minutes
10-15 minutes
2-3 times a week
Turmeric
is one of the most popular natural beauty ingredients used in India. It has strong antiseptic and antibacterial properties which help maintain your skin at its youngest best (11).
5 minutes
10-15 minutes
Twice a week
Lemon is extremely rich in vitamin C and helps give your skin a nourishment boost while also exfoliating it (12). It helps restore your skin’s slightly acidic pH level while ensuring that your skin remains smooth, soft, and supple.
If you have oily skin and don’t want to use lemons, you may also try homemade scrubs for oily skin with other effective ingredients.
When using homemade body scrubs for glowing skin, it is essential to consider any potential allergies or skin sensitivities. Always perform a patch test before full application to ensure no adverse reactions occur. For those with sensitive skin or specific skin conditions, some ingredients, like lemon or turmeric, might cause irritation. Adjust the frequency of use according to your skin type. For instance, if you have:
Do not forget to moisturize after exfoliating to maintain skin hydration.
Each skin type is unique, so sometimes it’s necessary to customize scrubs to suit your specific needs. Keep reading to learn more tips on personalizing the recipes based on your skin type.
For Oily Skin:
For Dry Skin:
For Sensitive Skin:
Homemade body scrubs are an easy, practical, and economical way to keep your body moisturized and clean. Using the ingredients suitable to your skin type, you can use these body scrubs to get rid of dead skin, unclog your pores, hydrate your skin, and leave you with soft and radiant skin. Be it yogurt, turmeric, oatmeal, lemon, and sugar, or coconut oil body scrub, applying these homemade body scrubs for up to 15 minutes twice a week can leave your skin feeling smooth, supple, and glowing. You can also use various other homemade scrub combinations like orange powder and cinnamon powder with green tea, with some honey and a few drops of water or even glycerin to bind everything, or almond powder with aloe vera gel and a few drops of any essential oil you prefer, be it rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, or tea tree oil. Additionally, if you’re seeking an aromatic formula for making the perfect body scrub for women who love a particular scent, you can try some out-of-the-box DIY body exfoliators with different berries like strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and cranberry that will leave your skin sweet smelling as well. Simply blend the berries into a paste and add 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon coconut oil and enjoy the easy exfoliant with a delightful aroma.
Once you have prepared your favorite body scrub, ensure it is stored properly to preserve its freshness for longer. Keep reading for some essential tips.
Body scrubs can play an important role in a skincare routine and help in maintaining healthy and radiant skin. What’s best about homemade body scrubs is that you can handpick the ingredients that go in, and play around with your favorite essential oils for their aroma and beneficial properties for a spa-like treatment.
Check out this infographic to know about some of the most popular and effective essential oils and essential oil blends for use in body scrubs.
Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team
Can I use these body scrubs on my face?
It’s better to avoid using DIY body scrubs on the face, as the concentration of ingredients in the formulation is suitable for the skin on the body. Our facial skin is thinner than body skin and therefore, using products meant for the body on the face might irritate the facial skin. However, you can choose scrubs with gentle ingredients, like yogurt and oatmeal, and lower concentrations of oils, for facial use. This will help avoid irritation or damage. Always patch-test first.
Can we use white sugar instead of brown sugar in the scrub?
Yes. You can use white sugar as a substitute in your body scrub as it is an excellent exfoliator that helps remove extra dead skin (13).
How long do homemade body scrubs last?
Homemade body scrubs may last around 2-6 months. Ensure that you use up the DIY body scrub as quickly as possible and store it in a tightly sealed container to avoid it going bad.
How do you make whipped body scrub?
You can mix ½ cup of coconut oil with ½ cup of shea butter, and ⅕ drop of lemon essential oil in a mixer at high speed. Add ½ cup of sea salt and mix again. Store the mixture in a tightly sealed container.
How do you make foaming whipped body scrub?
Mix a cup of foaming bath butter in a bowl with a hand mixer for 5 minutes. Add a cup of raw sugar, 30 drops of lavender essential oil, and a pinch of purple mica (optional) to the mixture and combine it till the mixture is smooth. Store the body scrub in a tightly sealed container.
Can the body scrub clog my drain?
Yes. The non-dissolvable ingredients used in body scrubs, like sugar, can clog your drain.
Do you use the scrub on wet or dry skin?
Make sure to use the scrub for skin exfoliation on wet skin, after you have showered.
Learn how to make your own body exfoliating scrubs with this easy tutorial! Watch the video below to get glowing skin with affordable natural ingredients.
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Dr. Schwarzburg is a leading authority in the field of minimally invasive cosmetic and laser medicine in New York City. He is an Ivy League school graduate with 7 years of experience in cosmetic dermatology and regenerative medicine.
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Arshiya Syeda is the Co-Editor-in-Chief of StyleCraze with 8 years of experience. Prior to that, she was a content writer who combined her writing and research skills to write over 200 high-performing articles on hairstyles, hair care, and skin care.
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Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has authored over 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, and did her post-graduation from the University of Kalyani, West Bengal.
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Monomita has a graduate degree in mass communication and video production from St. Anthony's College, Shillong, and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the Royal Global University, Guwahati. She is also a certified skincare coach with a keen interest in skin, hair, tattoos, nail art, and lifestyle trends.
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