The purpose of a body or face scrub is to remove dead skin cells. This is called exfoliation. When dead cells are removed, your skin becomes more vibrant. Here you will learn how to make your own homemade sugar scrub that will leave your skin looking and feeling fresh.
You do have to be careful of scrubs if your skin is sensitive or thin (the plight of aging skin). The recipe that follows is a gentle scrub and should be safe for most of you, but proceed with caution if you are older or have sensitive skin.
A homemade sugar scrub can be made with either brown or whit sugar. This recipe is for a brown sugar rub. We chose this one because the grains are finer in brown sugar than white sugar. Molasses, part of what makes brown sugar brown, is good for your skin because it is replete with glycolic. Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxyl acid famed for making aging skin look more youthful.
The ingredients in this recipe are designed not just for exfoliation, but also the skin’s health. Colloidal oatmeal and aloe vera gel protect, nourish and heal the skin leaving it soft and smooth.
Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons colloidal oatmeal (Colloidal oatmeal may be purchased or made at home. See below for instructions.)
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (omit if you have very dry skin)
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon molasses
To make colloidal oatmeal at home:
- Put raw uncooked oats into a grinder or blender. A coffee grinder works well for this.
- Grind the oats until they have the consistency of flour.
To make sure that the oats have been ground to the correct fineness, add a teaspoon of the ground oats to a glass of water and mix. The oats should absorb the water quickly giving it a milky look. If the particles sink readily to bottom of the glass, grind them a bit longer and retest.
To make the homemade sugar scrub:
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until it forms a paste.
How to use the homemade sugar scrub:
- Apply to moist skin as moist skin loses dead cells faster. The best time is after a shower or bath.
- Dampen the skin with warm water
- Apply the scrub evenly with finger tips in a circular motion to your face and neck (this improves circulation)
- Massage gently for 30 – 60 seconds avoiding your eyes
- Spend a bit more time on the forehead and chin region where dead skin tend to collect more frequently.
- Gently rinse away the scrub and follow with a light moisturizer.
- For best results use twice a week
Now go have fun and relax.
Related articles:
The Best Colloidal Oatmeal Mask
How to Give Yourself a Facial
Skin Care for the Face
Scrubs & Mask Recipes