DIY Raw Sugar Scrubs

Give the ladies in your life a little sweetness this Valentines Day, with a quick, easy and inexpensive homemade gift that they will appreciate through the winter months.

They exfoliate your skin and protect it from the harsh cold of winter,

and smell heavenly too.

And they couldn't be easier to make!

I use my sugar scrub in the shower and keep a jar by the kitchen sink to use after doing the dishes.  It's great for massaging around your nails to get rid of dead skin and keep your cuticles soft and healthy,  (especially if you're a DIYer who is always scrubbing paint off your hands!)

Start with raw sugar and vegetable oil, and add your choice of a scent.

You can try different oils - grape seed, olive, and rosehip oils are all wonderful antioxidants that keep your skin healthy and youthful.

Vegetable oil does the trick for me - my skin feels buttery soft when I use the scrub on a daily basis, I always have it on hand and it's inexpensive, so I can bestow my homemade scrubs on all my favorite girls :)

Fill a clean jar with sugar, leaving a little room at the top for oil.  Glass jars with tight fitting lids out of the recycle bin are perfect for this project.

Hannah and I made this batch of mini jars for our random acts of kindness campaign we had fun with in December.  One 2 lb. box of raw sugar will fill a dozen 4 oz. Ball jars.

The ratio is about 1/4 cup of oil for every cup of sugar.  

I like my scrubs to have a lot of oil for shaving my legs, so I always go a little heavy on the oil.

(Try it!  Silky smooth.)

Now add a scent.  

Essential oils are great for scrubs!

I bought lavender and lily of the valley essential oils at Whole Foods, but you can also buy them at craft stores, health food or beauty stores and sometimes Trader Joe's carries them too.  They can be expensive but one tiny bottle will stay potent for 5-10 years.   Essential oils are all natural and many of them have very therapeutic properties. 

 Just add a few drops of the oil to your scrub until you are satisfied with the strength of the scent.  A little goes a long way!

Keep in mind that anything fresh, like orange peel or ginger, will have a limited shelf life and need to be refrigerated.

My favorite scent is vanilla bean - it smells so amazing!! Slice open the bean and scrape out some of the seeds into the sugar.  I add the bean into the jar also to maximize the scent. 

Vanilla extract isn't as intoxicating as vanilla bean, but works great if you already have it on hand.

After you add your scent, mix up your concoction well.

Since this little jar will likely live by your sink or in the shower, forgo a paper label for a pretty metallic marker.

If you're giving your homemade scrubs away as gifts, don't forget to add a tag with directions, and a wide popsicle stick to scoop the scrub out with is a nice touch too (widely available at craft stores).

And there you have it…..a pretty little package for someone you are sweet on :)

This would be a fun thing to make at a tween or teen girl's birthday party, with various scents to choose from, or a cute favor for a bridal shower. 

{How many years in a row is acceptable for me to give sugar scrubs as a Mother's Day gift???}

Enjoy your soft and silky skin,

and

happy week of love, loves!

I'm linking up to these inspiring blogs!