Have you ever exfoliated your lips? Well, ladies (and gents), today is the day to raid the kitchen for a simple DIY sugar lip scrub. In under 5 minutes, you can exfoliate dry skin and enjoy soft, kissable lips all day.
A honey and sugar lip scrub combines exfoliation with much-needed moisture to keep lips softer for longer, even in cold winter weather. So get on the lip scrub wagon with these homemade recipes and follow with a homemade lip balm.
Homemade sugar lip scrubs are super easy to whip up and require just a few ingredients.
- The main ingredient is sugar, which serves as an exfoliant to remove dead skin cells from your lips.
- You'll also need a moisturizing agent, such as coconut oil or shea butter, to help keep your lips soft and supple.
- Finally, you can add a few drops of lip-loving essential oils or other flavorings to give your lip scrub a delicious scent. You can also add honey or vanilla extract for added sweetness.
But if you'd like to get fancy, keep reading, and we'll show you how to make a lip scrub using our no-fail customizable formula.
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Honey Sugar Lip Scrub Recipe
This recipe is a classic! A little honey combined with sugar and almond oil is all you need to moisturize and slough off dead skin.
You can make things even simpler by leaving out the oil and going with a honey lip scrub. While you can use any kind of honey you like, the raw stuff has nutrients and antioxidants that nourish skin and encourage healing [source].
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon almond oil
Mix everything in a small bowl until you have a paste. Once your lip scrub is mixed, apply a small amount to your lips with your fingertips and massage it in to gently slough off dry, dead skin cells.
Rinse your lips with warm water, then apply a moisturizing lip balm to lock in the hydration. You'll be tempted to eat the mixture because it tastes pretty darn good!
Keep any extra in a small container for up to 7 days. With regular use, your DIY lip scrub can help keep your lips looking soft, smooth, and healthy.
Customizable Sugar Honey Lip Scrub
There are endless ways to make a tasty sugar lip scrub. Of course, sugar is the main ingredient, but there are endless add-ins you can use depending on your preferences and your lips' needs.
Just grab yourself a small bowl, a spoon, and any ingredients you've got hanging out in your pantry like skin-soothing oils, moisturizing honey, and nourishing add-ins like cocoa powder and strawberries
Once combined, store your lip scrub in a small container and enjoy it for up to a week.
Here's our foolproof sugar and honey lip scrub recipe:
Step 1: Add 1 teaspoon honey
Honey is the ultimate lip medicine. It soothes dry, chapped lips by drawing moisture from the air and depositing it into the skin.
It also has tons of antioxidants and can bring relief to irritated lips because of a mild antiseptic effect that speeds the healing of small cuts or burns.
You can use any one of the following to make your scrub:
- Raw honey
- Manuka honey
- Maple syrup or molasses (both make great vegan alternatives to honey!)
Step 2: Add 2 teaspoons sugar
Sugar in your beauty routine isn't a no-no like in your diet. Sugar body scrubs are cheap and easy to make because the ingredients are probably in your pantry already.
Plus, sugar is gentle enough to polish sensitive areas like the face and lips.
Step 3: Add 1 teaspoon of carrier oil
Add a bit of carrier oil to add moisture to your scrub and hydrate your lips. You only need a tiny amount, so stick with one of the basic oils you've already got on hand.
Step 4: Optional extra add-ins
You can't go wrong sticking with just sugar and honey, but sometimes you want to get experimental in the beauty test kitchen.
Here are a few add-in ideas to take your scrub to the next level of awesomeness.
1. Add a dash of cinnamon or cayenne if you want to plump your lips naturally. Start with a tiny, tiny amount because it's easy to overdo it and wind up with irritated lips, which sort of defeats the purpose.
2. If your lips are starting to get cracked and painful, open up a vitamin E capsule and add it to the scrub.
3. Add a dash of cocoa powder for nourishing antioxidants [source] and a bit of chocolate flavor.
4. Mash a strawberry in there, and the natural citric acid will help polish lips along with sugar. Plus, you'll get a dose of vitamin C to help combat signs of aging on the skin around your mouth [source]—not recommended if you have cracks in your lips, as the citric acid will burn.
5. Sprinkle in a ¼–½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice if your PSL craving has gotten out of hand.
6. Make your scrub super edible with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Yum!
How To Use a Sugar and Honey Scrub for Your Lips
I like to exfoliate my lips before applying my makeup in the morning. But if they happen to be especially dry, I exfoliate again in the evening and apply lip balm to hydrate while I sleep.
Over-exfoliating can make lip dryness worse so I only use a lip scrub a couple of times a week.
1. Cleanse your lips to remove any lingering makeup.
2. Using your fingers, scoop a bit of scrub from the container. Apply scrub to your lips using short, gentle strokes.
3. Continue massaging into your lips using circular strokes, focusing on rough spots or flakey areas.
4. Rinse off the scrub and apply lip balm or face oil to lock in moisture.
5. Avoid using scrub if your lips are sunburned, extremely chapped, or cracked.
While you're making lip scrubs, try making tinted lip balm—perfect for repairing winter-ravaged chapped lips!
FAQ
DIY lip scrub is a homemade mixture of natural ingredients used to exfoliate and moisturize the lips, leaving them soft and smooth.
Using a homemade lip scrub can help to remove dead skin cells from your lips, leaving them soft and smooth. It can also help to moisturize and nourish the lips.
While homemade lip scrubs are generally safe to use, you should be careful not to over-exfoliate your lips, as this can cause irritation or dryness. Additionally, some ingredients may cause allergic reactions in certain individuals, so it's always a good idea to do a patch test first.
You should use a DIY lip scrub once or twice a week, depending on your skin type and how often your lips feel dry or chapped. Be sure to follow the instructions of the specific recipe you are using, as some may recommend using it more or less frequently.
Any oil that stays liquid at room temperature will work. A study assessing the use of coconut and olive oil on lips showed good penetration of the surface skin and measured over 6 hours of moisturizing ability [source]. I love jojoba, grapeseed, argan, and rosehip oils because of their ability to repair the skin barrier and regenerative properties [source].
No, not if you plan to use it within a week or two. Any longer, and you might want to keep it in the fridge to be safe. If the honey crystallizes in the refrigerator, just run the scrub under warm running water until it softens.
1–2 minutes should be long enough. If you'd prefer to do a deep moisturizing treatment to nourish lips, you can try a lip mask.
Related
Want more ways to take care of your lips? You might like these posts:
DIY Sugar Lip Scrub with Honey Recipe
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Lidded cosmetic container
Materials
- 1 teaspoon honey raw, manuka
- 2 teaspoons sugar brown, coconut, sucanat
- 1 teaspoon oil almond, olive, coconut, jojoba
Instructions
- Combine everything in a small bowl and stir well.
- Transfer to a lidded cosmetic container and use within 2 weeks.
Notes
- A dash of cinnamon or cayenne for a plumping effect
- A vitamin E capsule to soothe irritation
- A dash of cocoa powder for nourishing antioxidants and a bit of flavor
- A mashed strawberry for vitamin C and some polishing action
- ¼–½ teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for flavor
This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist with extensive experience in medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical review board here. As always, this is not personal medical advice, and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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Rupal says
Can you add a little beetroot powder to this scrub ti give it a colored tint?
RM A says
Can i use a olive oil essence too?
Robyn durkin says
Refrigerated honey turns to crystallized sugar.
Wasp says
What alternative engridient can we use if we doesn't have almond oil?
Nessi says
You can use coconut oil instead. It is very hydrating and works like almond oil
Kristina says
Thank you for asking that Wasp! I was hoping coconut oil would work.
mina says
Hi only used honey and brown sugar only. how long is the shelf life for the scrub i created?
Your help is appreciated! :)
take screenshot windows says
Honey add something very good in it.
Chyna says
For my first homemade lip scrub, this turned out perfectly! It’s great! (And delicious!) 10/10
Deanna d limon says
I made this with all the ingredients except I used vitamin E oil instead of the almond oil. The scrub came out like a paste so I needed to add more honey than it said in the recipe in order for the scrub to come out creamier.
Sanetra says
I'm taking it, this recipe yield 1 serving right?
Ris says
How many times a day should I use it?
Stephanie Gerber says
Once or twice a week is probably sufficient!
Nina K says
How many times is it advisable to use it?
Kayuri Bafna says
Once or twice a week not more than that.
NASRIN KHADIJA says
Can I use olive oil instead of almond oil?
Stephanie Gerber says
Sure!
Adreunna says
how long does this suppose to stay on??
Stephanie Gerber says
Massage into your lips for about a minute and then rinse!
Lori says
I'm just reading over questions. I would assume the shelf life would be the same as what is on the bottle of the oldest product you use.
Sarah says
You can store it in the refrigerator!
Taimy says
You never actually answered how long is the shelve life of this scrub? Some people asked but I didn't see the answer. Can you please tell us. Thanks!!!
Sherly says
Hey love! I make beauty care products myself. Since you didn't use anything that will spoil that could last from 2 weeks to even 1 month. Sometimes more depending on how or where you store it. If you store it in the fridge it's going to solidify because of the coconut oil! If you store it in room temperature 1 month if you store in the fridge 2 months. Keep in mind coconut oil and honey are something you keep in room temperature in the kitchen. So how you store it is up to you. Hopefully I was able to help!
Codie says
How long does the mixture last in the container?
Alex says
Amazing results ??
Alex says
How long is the shelve life of this scrub??
Mea says
How long is it good for
Rosa says
Could I use vitamin E oil instead of almond?
Margaret says
I am wondering what the shelve life of this would be
dora eugenia gonzalez says
la canela que dices es en polvo lo mismo la pimienta...gracias por tu respuesta
Kyra Mare says
Aceite esencial de canela. Cinnamon esencial oil.
Kyra Mare says
O canela en polvo
Hana says
Can I use olive oil instead of almond oil?
Carleen says
Yes you can or coconut oil they all work
Tina says
How much olive oil did you use?
Tina says
How much olive oil did you use?
Shreya says
I was just wondering if there was a certain time frame we needed to leave the scrub on for
Ashley says
Just a minute will do
Brittany says
I love this. Can I repost this on my blog? I'll link back to the post here!
Lilliana says
I love this! I've made the scrub with an assortment of oils, but Coconut Oil has been my absolute favorite substitute for the Almond oil. Thanks for the inspiration!
Bridget says
I know your comment was over a year ago but I'm hoping you see this. Did you use the liquid coconut oil? Have you tried it with Cheyenne pepper?
Candice Clark says
Honey can be used as a food and a remedy to health issues. The Manuka honey is an effective health and beauty treatment, making the skin healthy and beautiful. The Manuka beauty products are proven to produce positive results if applied in the skin.