I’ve always been obsessed with scents & smells and in the past few months I’ve developed a thing for Essential Oils & Aromatherapy. This year I’m including some homemade sugar scrubs in my homemade gift repertoire because I know I’d love to get them myself and they’re EASY to make. The best part is that they’re all edible…not that you SHOULD eat them, but it means that everything is non-toxic in these sugar scrubs. Skin exfoliation & hydration is super important this time of year, so it’s a nice reminder to treat yo’self!
Before we get started, you should know that not all essential oils are created equal. A few months ago, I took a SUPER informational class by the owners of Floracopeia and have been a huge fan of their oils since. I’ve been trying out some other companies, but so far I’m really enjoying their oils, blends & flower essences. Their quality is exceptional and they’re extremely helpful & knowledgeable. Just thought you should know that!
Here’s a little peek into my stash. I call this my emotional tool kit. As you can see, I labeled my oils with washi tape so I’d easily be able to spot the oils I need.
OK so I’m about to drop a lot of information on you. You ready?
First things first. The base of our sugar scrubs is coconut oil because it’s SO GOOD for your skin! Make sure the coconut oil is solid when you’re working with these recipes because they’ll be easier to whip. Also- try to find a coconut oil that doesn’t SMELL too much like coconut or else you’ll have to add more essential oils to mask it. Even though I love the coconut oil at Trader Joe’s it’s TOO coconuty. Sad face!
When you make these scrubs you start with coconut oil & Vitamin E oil and your essential oils of choice. If you can’t find Vitamin E oil, jojoba oil is a good substitute and I think olive oil can be used as well.
Mix the oils together in a large bowl before you add in the sugar. This ensures you’ll get even distribution of scents in your scrub.
In a few of the scrubs, I use pure vanilla extract. Pure is key! Don’t use imitation!
I like to whip the coconut oil mixture up so it’s kinda fluffy. You could totally use a hand mixer for this too if you want to beat some air into it. You’ll achieve a more whipped scrub. There will be more volume too! You’ll probably get an extra jar out of that volume.
We add in the sugar.
We mix it well! It’s light and fluffy and will help exfoliate like nobody’s business.
I love using a few tablespoons on my hands, feet, elbows and knees. It’s also great to use right before you shave your legs. The coconut oil moisturizes the skin and will leave it super soft!
OK. Now we talk about the recipes.
Each recipe below yields about 2 cups. I used four –4 oz. mason jars to package each scrub. They’ll last for MONTHS if not longer. If you find that the mixture has dried some, just add a little more Vitamin E oil and you’re good to go.
This one smells like vanilla cake batter. You’re gonna wanna eat it.
That zest adds nice little flakes of yellow to the scrub. You can color your scrubs if you’d like but I’d make to use natural food coloring. You don’t want to be putting weird stuff on your skin.
LEMON VANILLA SUGAR SCRUB
makes about 2 cups
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vitamin E oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 20-25 drops lemon essential oil
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- 1 cup sugar
In a medium bowl, mix coconut oil, vitamin E oil, vanilla extract, lemon essential oil and lemon zest until well combined. Stir in sugar and transfer to jars.
This is really good one for the senses. The tea tree, mint & eucalyptus will clear your sinuses and your mind!
CLARITY SUGAR SCRUB
makes about 2 cups
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon Vitamin E oil
- 30 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 30 drops mint essential oil
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
- 1 cup sugar
In a medium bowl, mix coconut oil, vitamin E oil, eucalyptus, mint and tea tree essential oils until well combined. Stir in sugar and transfer to jars.
This reminds me of a tasty scone. Sweet lavender! Floral and clean. You could definitely add dried lavender in this one to make it more fragrant and to boost up the exfoliating powers.
VANILLA LAVENDER SUGAR SCRUB
makes about 2 cups
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vitamin E oil
- 35 drops lavender essential oil
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
In a medium bowl, mix coconut oil, vitamin E oil, lavender essential oil and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in sugar and transfer to jars.
This reminds me of orange spice tea! Wait… it reminds me a lot of these Orange Spice Popovers!
If you’re making a scrub for a dude, this one or the Clarity one would probably be good places to start.
I’d think about adding a little rosemary or patchouli into this orange spice number. JUST A HINT!
I’m not talking full on hippie scent… just a little something something.
ORANGE SPICE SUGAR SCRUB
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon vitamin E oil
- 35-40 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 20 drops cinnamon essential oil
- 10 drops clove bud essential oil
- 1 cup sugar
In a medium bowl, mix coconut oil, vitamin E oil, sweet orange, cinnamon, and clove bud essential oils until well combined. Stir in sugar and transfer to jars.
Now that we have our jars filled with homemade scrubs, we’re going to need to customize them.
Minted sent me a few of their holiday gift labels to use for my homemade gifts this year.
I put their striped stickers on the top of each jar before I sealed them up.
I hand labeled each of the jars with masking tape & a sharpie.
I added a little string and some star garland around the lid.
And here are a few of the Minted gift tags I ordered.
Chalked Cheers // Weathered Berries // Modern Pine
I love that they already have holes punched in them. You can write a special note on the back too.
Pretty cute, huh?
I’m obsessed with the Cheer sticker!
CHECK OUT MY SUGAR SCRUB LOOT!
I can’t wait to give these away.
Speaking of giving stuff away, my friends at Minted wanted to offer a $50 gift card to FIVE of Shutterbean readers so you too can customize your gifts or maybe even treat yo’self to something special this holiday season (they have the BEST stationary btw!).
If you’d like a chance to win, please leave ONE comment below telling me:
What your favorite scents are!
Winners will be chosen at random Thursday Dec. 18th at 11PM and announced on my I LOVE LISTS FRIDAY on Dec. 19th 2014.
Good luck and happy sugar scrubbing!
