10 DIY Body Scrubs To Make Your Skin Glow

Scrubs are probably how I got into DIY beauty products. They only require a few things to make, they can be used immediately and, most conveniently, they’re usually made with ingredients from the pantry! So if you’ve got some sugar and olive oil in the house, you’re closer to a DIY scrub than you would’ve thought!

10 Homemade Scrub Recipes

1. Exfoliate dry skin with sugar

The fine texture of sugar is naturally exfoliating without clogging the pores, it’s moisturizing for the skin, and safe on even the most sensitive areas (such as your face!). Exfoliating with a sugar scrub will help remove dead cells, increase blood circulation, and minimize signs of aging.

Honey sugar scrub

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons warm honey
• 1/2 cup sweet almond oil

2. Battle oily skin with baking soda

With its super fine texture, baking soda acts like an at-home microdermabrasion for all skin types and is super helpful in whipping up face scrub recipes. This common and inexpensive ingredient also absorbs excess oil and balances the skin’s pH level so it’s especially helpful for oily skin.

Oily skin scrub

• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons oil or Castile soap
• 2-3 drops lavender essential oil optional

In a small bowl, stir together the Castile soap and baking soda. The mixture may bubble up a bit. Keep stirring until smooth and creamy. Add the lavender essential oil, if desired.

3. Soothe sensitive skin with oats

If your skin tends to be sensitive, you might want to check out the effectiveness of oats as a physical exfoliant. Use them whole or grind them up to gently unclog pores and soothe irritation.

Vanilla sugar cookie scrub

• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup ground oats (grind oats in blender)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup almond oil

4. Beat bacne and buttne with yogurt

The lactic acid in yogurt dissolves dead skin while the probiotics fight acne. Add Epsom salt to exfoliate and olive oil to moisturize.

Probiotic body polish

• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Using your hands, pat the mixture all over your body, starting with your feet and covering up with the bed sheet as you go. Stay there for anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes, as long as you feel comfortable. Rinse off under a warm shower.

5. Smooth cellulite with coffee

While drinking coffee can deplete your tissues of fluid, applying coffee topically actually helps combat cellulite. The caffeine in coffee can temporarily tighten and tone tissue, and also help eliminate toxin build up, one of the causes of cellulite.

Peppermint mocha scrub

• 1 cup ground coffee
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 10 drops peppermint pure essential oil
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup coconut oil

6. Energize with citrus

The citrus salt scrub provides a good energy jolt if you’re sluggish. The invigorating fragrance from the citrus zest and essential oil will wake up your senses while the salt exfoliation stimulates nerve endings in the skin.

Citrus zest scrub

•  1 cup dead sea salt
• 1/2 cup jojoba, almond, or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon citrus zest or ground dried citrus peels
• 5-10 drops citrus essential oil

Combine the sea salt and oil, mix well in a bowl until the salt is saturated with oil. Then add the teaspoon of zest and mix. Store in a covered jar and use as needed all over your body. Rinse and towel dry.

7. Even out skin tone with grapefruit

Apply this scrub all over your body and let the salicylic and citric acid from the grapefruit juice permeate. Fruit acids help slough off dead skin and allow new cell growth to happen to even out discoloration and give your skin a fresh glow.

It is best to apply this at night as all citrus fruits may make you more sensitive to the sun.

Grapefruit skin scrub

• 1/2 grapefruit
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Juice 1/2 of a grapefruit and add above sugar and grapeseed oil measurements. Fold ingredients over with a spoon.

Use this scrub in its entirety when you mix it because of the fresh juice, it should not be stored for later use. Or you can increase the oil amount and add a few drops of grapefruit essential oil as a substitute for the fresh juice.

8. Treat ingrown hairs with tea tree oil

Ingrown hairs are the worst. And they’re usually in spots that get a lot of friction (yep, talking to you bikini line), making them especially uncomfortable. Applying a sugar/oil ingrown hair scrub will exfoliate the area while tea tree oil is antimicrobial and reduces helps bring down swelling and inflammation.

Tea tree ingrown hair scrub

• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ cup of coconut oil
• 10 drops tea tree oil

9. Flush toxins with ginger

This spicy, warming ginger scrub will get the blood flowing and your lymphatic system moving, which helps your body metabolize and get rid of toxins lingering inside.

Ginger body polish

• 1/2 cup Epsom salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

Combine roughly chopped ginger and 1/2 cup Epsom salt in a food processor. Pulse a few times until the ginger is ground and combined. Remove to a small bowl and add lemon juice. Put down a towel and apply scrub before soaking in a detox bath.

10. Erase dry patches with olive oil

And olive oil is a pantry staple that deserves a place in your beauty routine. The omega-3 fatty acids in olive oil moisturize both skin and hair. Use a grapefruit or a lemon half to let the scrub work its magic on your elbows, knees and rough patches.

Easy olive oil scrub

• 1/2 grapefruit, lemon or orange
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 1/2 cup salt or coffee grounds

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 reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.