Winter skin has been an issue for me, for as long as I can remember. All summer long I swim, garden and hike around in the Southern California sun. Occasionally I will leave my skin outdoors for too long, turning it bright pink (never the deep, creamy brown my mom and sister have) but it always bounces right back to my soft, milk-white and freckly skin.
In the winter months however, my skin completely dries out on me. Winter is when my skin should love me! I’m indoors a lot more during the colder months, and pay more attention to diet, lotions, and even the temperature of my showers… and yet without fail, every year my arms get itchy and dry patches that resemble the lower half of Daryl Hanna in Splash.
This year, I’m fighting back against winter skin with a homemade sugar scrub. I have probably spent thousands of dollars on bath products over the years, but the idea of making a moisturizing scrub at HOME, never occurred to me… until last year, when I had to make serious cut-backs to my personal spending.
This scrub not only feels amazing, it also smells amazing, is so cheap to put together, and it requires only FIVE ingredients.
White sugar
Whole Vanilla Beans
Brown sugar
Olive Oil (Or Mineral Oil)
Almond Extract (Or Vanilla extract, mint extract, lavender essential oil- Whatever you’ve got handy!)
I started this project by putting some white sugar in a jar with two vanilla beans, and leaving it alone for a few days. Vanilla sugar is great to have around the house for baking, sweetening tea, and it would probably makes cereal a lot yummier too, but I thought that some vanilla-scented sugar would make for a great base to my scrub. (Spoiler alert- it did!)
After a day or two in the jar with the vanilla beans, your white sugar will be ready to use. The vanilla is totally optional, so feel free to skip it if you need an emergency sugar scrub and don’t have any in your pantry…
Next, choose a container for your homemade scrub. This will dictate how much sugar you need to use. Plastic is ideal since this is going to be used around the tub. I only had glass jars, so that’s what I used.
Measure out equal parts vanilla (or plain white) sugar and brown sugar in a bowl, and mix. You will get a sandy looking mixture like this:
Pack your container with the 50/50 brown and white sugar and slowly pour in olive oil. I poured in a tablespoon or two at a time and let it seep in.
Once the oil had penetrated about half of the packed sugar, I added about a teaspoon of almond extract, let that seep in as well, and then dumped the entire contents out into a bowl to mix it up.
I then re-packed my jar with the sweet-smelling mixture. The almond extract complimented the brown sugar scent perfectly, and it did a great job of masking the faint olive-smell.
I put a label and a ribbon on my new jar of Sugar Scrub, sat back and admired my work.
Then, I tore off my clothes, and unscrewed the lid of the jar to try it out in the shower!
Heavenly, heavenly, HEAVENLY! The scent of my skin during, AND after the shower was intoxicating. 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 would ABSOLUTELY recommend making this scrub to use the night of a romantic date, or after a long and exhausting day when relaxation is a must. I felt like I was glowing after using this.
For Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or Birthdays- this is a fantastic gift for anyone. It’s soothing, thoughtful, and made from ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. I hope you will try this homemade sugar scrub, and enjoy!
* Hi friends! A little update: If you are going to keep your sugar scrub in your bathroom, you may want to use a tongue depressor or spoon to scoop out your mix. If you use your hands (like I do) you might consider keeping your scrub in the fridge to keep the possibility of bacteria at bay… If you use all of your scrub within a day or two (*cough* like I did!) this shouldn’t be an issue 
Happy scrubbing! And thank you reader for bringing this to my attention!
Happy scrubbing! And thank you reader for bringing this to my attention!
O, Megan! I LOVE IT!!! I made this a couple of months ago as gifts and it was so fast, easy and SIMPLE- but you’re right! The results are fantastic! It’s a great facial scrub or pre-shave ritual. Is it weird that I consider how it may taste? (It IS edible…)
Here’s the recipe I used:
3T olive oil
1/2T cocoa powder
1/2T ground cinnamon
1C brown sugar
1C Sugar
I just mixed it all at once and then put them into jars. While I do like chocolate, I LOVE vanilla! I’m trying your way next!
LOVE IT! THis is exactly what I need tonight. Thanks Rad Megan!
<3
Katie
Hi!
Wondering how you are supposed to store this? keep it in the fridge or just put it out by the tub?
Thanks!
–Sami
Thank you, this is amazing! After just one treatment, my long suffering gardener’s hands are as good as new.
I omitted the vanilla and added a little rose-scented oil… mmm… Thanks again!
Thanks for yours Farrah!
Hope you likes it Katie
Sami, I keep mine right by the tub for easy access
Zeralda, I’m so happy to hear that! I too suffer from gardeners hands! Glad you are feeling better, and nice substitution with the rose water!
xo
radmegan
OMYGAWD !!!!! This smells AMAZING!! You didn’t lie!! I’m going to send a jar of it to my best friend for valentines day, but I scooped out a sample for myself, until my vanilla sugar is done!! Thank you SO much!!
-Sammi
I’ve been sneakily using my house mate’s expensive sugar scrub, but now that I have found this I don’t feel guilty anymore! Thanks!
So glad you like the smell Sammi- I LOVE IT!!!
Hahah Emma! Glad you don’t have to steal your house mate’s anymore
I used vanilla extract…but i didn’t realize it had alcohol in it. so my scrub doesn’t smell so much like i thought it would.
I made three batches of this tonight, with different flavours and varying amounts of oil. Just tried it out on my boyfriend and it was amazing. He’s all silky smooth and smells delicious! I can’t wait to use it on myself!
I was really excited to make this scrub for my friends as gifts, but instead of smelling amazing, like all the claims I see here, it smells like a vat of chemicals. : / I don’t know if maybe I used the wrong amounts or what happened really. Can anyone figure this out? Here’s what I used:
-8oz plastic container that I washed before using
-1/2 cup granulated sugar
-1/2 cup light brown sugar
-2 tbsp Great Value Pure Virgin olive oil
-1 tsp Bakers Imitation Vanilla Flavor
-1 tsp Kroger Imitation Almond Flavor
I even got some vanilla beans and let them sit in sugar for 2 days prior to making the scrub. I’m pretty disappointed : / My guess is that my vanilla and almond ‘flavorings’ weren’t really up to par…do I need the ‘real’ kind? Any other suggestions?
Thanks so much!
Hi Andrea! I’m so sorry to hear that you had poor results. I would guess that it’s because of the Imitation Vanilla Flavor and Imitation Almond Flavor.
I usually bake with real vanilla and almond extract- and in fact in the photo above- you can see that the almond extract was even organic. In my experience “imitation flavor” does have a metallic or chemical smell. I hope you try this again and get better results! If not- let me know- I’ll MAIL You a batch of mine
xoxo
Thanks for the comment!
One little question. Why pack the sugars into the container before you pour the oil and extract in? Why not just mix it all in a bowl and then pack it? I figure there’s a logical explanation, I just can’t figure out what it is!
How interesting. Seems like a lo-cal way to get my daily sugar allowance.
Can’t wait to try it.
P.s. Don’t worry. I’m not really going to eat it.
I use a little bit of fresh ground coffee and some cocoa with a basic recipe like this to make a scrumptious mocha scrub. Also for even more exfoliating power, try substituting sea salt and/or canning salt in. Its more abrasive but really does the trick.
One last tip is to use Vitamin E oil instead of olive oil. Its usually soy based, and can smell a bit funny (a scented oil like almond extract or rose oil masks the odor wonderfully) but the Vitamin E helps speed up cell regeneration leaving you with beautiful skin!
Mine came out smelling to much like alcohol. I used Pure Vanilla Extract, however I read that the Vanilla I used had 35% alcohol in it. Does Organic vanilla have lest alcohol?
Oh wow. That looks awesome. I have such dry dry skin from living in this wretched desert… I might just have to make some of that!
xoxo
Janee
You know what- I need to make a second batch of this asap. I’m so dry this week I feel GROSS! Thanks for the reminder!
I’m SO doing this for xmas gifts! I love it!
This stuff is great! I made some for Christmas presents and I wanted to see how it worked before I handed them out, so I had my boyfriend, a boxer, try it out and it made even his rough hands smooth! Its amazing!
Just bought 8 oz ball mason jars from wal-mart to use for making my scrub as Christmas gifts. They are squatty and fun, but do you think it is tacky that it says Vall on it— like it should have jam in it? I love the wide mouth opening!! Reminds me of a spa scrub! Thoughts?
Anyone have experience with mineral oil?
Whats the shelf life of this scrub? I want to give it as gifts but if people are still using after a long period of time i want to let them know when its time to stop using it.
Im trying this for our homemade Xmas exchange.. although instead of vanilla Im using Wild Berry flavor I found at Hobby Lobby for $2! It was in the home made soap and scrub isle
Definitely make sure your vanilla extract doesn’t contain alcohol…I just wasted a whole bag of brown sugar, a bottle of olive oil and a half a bag of white sugar because I made four jars of it for Christmas presents, and they all smell like a bottle of liquor. YUCK!!
I use sunflower oil and it works really well and does not carry any odor with it like olive oil will. It also does not leave skin with a greasy feel afterwards. It can be found in the grocery store as well!
One tip…I make scrubs all the time (sooo good ont he feet after belly dancing barefoot!) and I only use almond oil. I find it easily in the “asian/imported/foreign” aisle of my grocery store, for relatively cheap. I never use mineral oil. “The World Health Organization classifies mineral oils (in untreated or lightly treated industrial-grade form) as Group 1 carcinogens to humans”
I’ll be sure to try your scent combo in my next batch! I love using crushed up candy canes and peppermint extract at Christmas time for a festive scrub!
Great! I will try this out!
thanks for sharing= cant wait to try
For those of you suffering from alcoholic scrub –
The almond aroma melds perfectly with the brown sugar – it smells delicious!
Try a few drops of pure almond extract in place of the vanilla – it doesn’t seem like much, but scent-wise, a little goes a LOOOOOONG way!
-Lauren
Love this recipe, thanks! Years ago, when working all nighters and having nothing to do to stay awake, we flight attendants would mix lemon juice ( from first class left over lemon slices) and sugar together to soften our hands mix the juice and sugar together in the palms of our hands and Ta-Da soft hands.
this is so great idea. great tutorial.
Send gifts to Pakistan from Australia
Send gifts to Pakistan from Australia
Send gifts to Pakistan from Australia
Looks great ! I will try this soon !
I just made this and its AMAZING!!!!!! I couldn’t find alcohol free almond extract, so i just used publix brand pure almond extract and instead of olive oil, I used coconut oil since its good for your skin. I loved this so much that I will be making it for Christmas gifts. Thank you so much for posting this; you’re a winter skin saver!!
I, too, would like to know the shelf life of this product! Monica
Just did a scrub using Pure Sweet Orange Oil (those tiny bottles they sell in health food stores). My only change to make them up as gifts will be to get some sunflower oil to omit the essence of olive oil the orange couldn’t quite cover up. Thanks Megan
why am I just seeing this?! I’ma natural redhead which means pale sensitive skin, and freckles too..
this is by far the worst my skin has EVER been! the scales on my face are raw after my apricotscrub. and takes the good skin off. im trying this tonight! ty ty ty
I have a very Dry skin and I was searching for the best skincare scrub for my skin and I have ended up here, thank you very much for sharing such an amazing article with us.