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Unlike sugar scrubs made with only oils and sugar, emulsified sugar scrubs become a creamy exfoliating lotion upon contact with water, leaving no oily residue, but only soft, supple skin behind.
One of the most common DIY beauty products that can be found online is sugar and salt scrubs. Perhaps the main reason that these products are so popular is that they are very easy to make. Basically, you take some oil and mix it together with either sugar and salt, and you’re essentially done. Sure, you can customize your recipe with different oils, sugar types, essential oils, and/or add in other exfoliants or colorants, but most of these recipes are essentially the same.
I’m not going to criticize these recipes. In fact, one of the first DIY recipes on my blog was a brown sugar lip scrub. As you may have guessed, I mostly used it to exfoliate my lips, but also tried using it in the shower to exfoliate my skin.
The benefit of emulsified sugar scrubs
The problem with regular sugar scrubs is that they tend to be messy to use. The oil doesn’t provide a lot of structure for your product, so it’s usually hard to scoop into your hands to use in the shower. Sure, you can use coconut oil to give it more body, but as soon as the weather warms up, you’re back to a more liquid product.
You could, of course, add some butters and/or waxes to the scrub to thicken it, but we’re still left with the main problem with sugar scrubs, the oily residue. Because it’s an oil-based product, you usually end up with oil all over your hands, and body, and shower, as well as the container you’re using for your sugar scrub. I liked the smooth feeling of my legs and arms after exfoliating with my homemade sugar scrub but didn’t like the feel of the oily residue all over my body.
Emulsified sugar scrubs don’t leave that sort of oily residue behind. Because they include an emulsifier as one of their ingredients, when the oils and waxes of the product come in contact with water, they basically form an emulsion, or a lotion, on your skin while you are exfoliating away. In the end, emulsified sugar scrubs are like exfoliants and lotions in one product. You’re essentially making an exfoliating creamy cleanser right on your skin as you scrub away.
If you’re lazy like I am, and don’t like having to exfoliate, rinse, and then use lotion once out of the shower, this emulsified sugar scrub is the perfect solution. It leaves your skin clean, smooth, and lotioned up. (Is that a word?)
Watch me make this easy, emulsified sugar scrub:
Should you add a preservative to your sugar scrub?
Because this is still an oil-based product, without any water in it, you technically don’t have to add a preservative to it. The problem with not using a preservative, though, is that you use this product in a very wet environment and likely scoop it out of the jar with wet hands. The likelihood of moisture contaminating your product is very, very high.
That’s why preservatives are usually added to these types of products, and why you have to be very, very careful using it if you choose not to add a preservative. You could even consider adding less sugar and less wax to the scrub so that you end up with a thinner product that you could more easily dispense from a silicone travel tube dispenser or another type of flip cap dispenser. That would allow you to dispense the product without touching it and would help keep water from contaminating your product.
Customizing the emulsified sugar scrub
There are several ways that you can customize this recipe to better suit your taste.
Changing the exfoliant: Salt, sugar, or brown sugar?
While I made this a sugar scrub, you could just as easily add salt to the recipe instead. Salt tends to be a bit more abrasive because the granules aren’t as round and it takes longer for the salt to dissolve, but it really depends on the coarseness of whatever you choose to use. Brown sugar usually has smaller granules and tends to be a lot less abrasive, making it a great option for exfoliating your face.
How much sugar should I use?
When I first made the recipe, I used 120g of sugar and found it to be a nice texture. The next time I made it, I decided I would add more sugar, around 30g more, thinking I’d end up with a thicker scrub (and more of it). In the end, I think it may be a bit on the thick side (as you can see at the end of my video when I’m applying the scrub). It still works well, especially if you are applying it to wet skin, but is a bit harder to apply if it isn’t thinned out with a bit of water. I think somewhere between 120g-150g is a good guideline, and you can adjust the amount to achieve the consistency you prefer.
Customizing the fragrance
I used a combination of lavender, rosemary, and lemon essential oils because I tend to favor citrus herbal scents. You can change the essential oils, though, to suit your tastes. I like lavender because it is calming and soothing for relaxing after a busy day. Lemon can be both soothing or invigorating depending on what you mix it with and when you use it. I don’t normally measure out my essential oils, but use my nose to help decide how much to add.
Which emulsifying wax should you use?
You can use any emulsifying wax that you may happen to have on hand. If you make your own homemade lotions, you should already have one or two of them at home.
If you are very concerned about making a very natural emulsified sugar scrub, consider using an emulsifying wax like olivem. Olivem is a vegetable based emulsifier that is derived from olives. It is allowed in natural, organic products that use the ECO-CERT certification. Olivem is a great option for an emulsifying scrub, too, because some people say that it has a bit of a soap feel to it. In the case of a cleanser, that is more of an advantage than a disadvantage.
Basic, Easy Emulsified Sugar Scrub
Emulsified Sugar Scrub
Ingredients
- 50 g oil I used sweet almond oil
- 10 g cocoa butter
- 10 g shea butter
- 10 g beeswax or candelilla wax
- 15 g emulsifying wax Olivem is a great choice for this!
- 1 g essential oil (I used lavender, rosemary, and lemon)
- 1 g cosgard or other natural preservative used at the recommended dose
- 150 g sugar (Use less for a slightly thinner product)
Instructions
- Weigh out ad mix together the first 5 ingredients: the oil (but not essential oils), butters, and waxes.
- Melt the oils, butters, and waxes over a double boiler (or in the microwave, if you prefer).
- Once melted, remove from the heat, and stir occasionally as the mixture cools. You can use a mixer to help blend everything together and make a creamy mixture, but it’s not essential.
- Once your mixture has cooled down quite a bit (ideally below 45ºC/115ºF), you can begin to add the essential oils and preservative.
- Make sure the essential oils and preservative are well incorporated into your oils and then begin to add the sugar. Add slowly, and stir constantly, so you can gauge the consistency of the product. Add as much sugar as you like to achieve the desired consistency. (I like it somewhere between 120-150g.)
- To use your sugar scrub, scoop out a small amount in your hands and begin to rub over your wet arms and legs (or any areas you want to exfoliate and hydrate) in a circular motion. As the mixture comes into contact with the water, a lotion will be formed, and the sugar will begin to dissolve, making the product smoother and less abrasive. Rinse any remaining sugar crystals off, and pat your skin dry. Your skin should now feel smooth and hydrated.
What are Bitters, and How to Make Them
Hailey
it’s a good base recipe. I made it once with the beeswax and didn’t like it at all. it was so waxy with no glide. I omitted the BW on the second try and used cetyl alcohol instead. I used olivem 1000 to emulsify. if you double the recipe you get 4x4oz jars.
Hannah
Hi, I’m just wondering if PEG40 (Hydrogenated Castor Oil) would work as a substitute emulsifier instead of the Olivem1000 and if so, what sort of ratio? Thanks!
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Hannah,
PEG40 is not an emusifying wax. It is a co emulsifier or solubilizer.
It can help incorporate some oils into a liquid, but doesn’t have the same function as an emulsifying wax would.
Ann
Can you use fragrance instead of essential oil?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Ann,
Yes, of course! Just make sure that it’s a fragrance oil that is suited for cosmetic use.
Anne
Hi there!
How would you recommend if I want to add colours to my scrubs?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Anne,
I would just add them at the very end, little by little, so that you can see how much to add without going overboard on color.
winnie
So there is no water in this recipe?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
No! The emulsification happens when you get it wet on your body!
Chrissie
Hi I’m making several different blends as gifts. I’m making a citrus, tropical fruits, floral woodland and a mermaid one. Could I add a little dried ground citrus peel to the citrus blend for effect and added exfoliant, and poppy seeds to some of the other blends. I’m planning also for effect on sprinkling just a little coloured sugar to them too in appropriate colours to the blend? Thank you for your input
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Chrissy,
I’ve never used either, but you can experiment and see. The issue I see with those is the clean up. The sugar dissolves away, leaving no residue. People may not like finding poppyseeds all over their shower or bathtub.
Val
Question,
My scrub accidentally came out too oily, is there anyway I can fix?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Val,
For body butters, etc., It is generally recommended to add starches like arrowroot powder to reduce the greasy feeling. It could work here too, but I’ve never tried it personally so I don’t know. I’m not sure if it would make a mess when mixing with water.
These are oil based products, so otherwise, there isn’t much you can do. I find it feels a lot less greasy to me than the standard oil and sugar scrubs.
simone
I can source OliveM 900 & Olivem1000 locally here. Which one would work best?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Simone,
Olivem 1000 is the “regular” (oil in water) emulsifier. Olivem 900 is a w/o emulsifier. I’d normally say to use olivem 1000 unless you’re making a thick body butter and only want a little water in a bunch of oil based ingredients. In this case, though, since you’re using mostly oils, but will be doing the emulsion on your skin when hit with water, I’d assume either would work. I’ve used olive 1000 here and it works well. I haven’t tried with olivem 900, but I’d assume it’s fine here too.
Annabel Tiu
Hi can i use other emulsifiers like btms 50 or Emulsifying Wax NF
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Yes, they should work fine, but you may need to experiment to get the desired texture.
Valencia Jalil
Thank you so much for taking the time to share all of this information! I was wondering if it was possible to use the recipe for the emulsified sugar scrub as well as your emulsified body butter, as a base recipe? I would like to create bases to keep in storage and then just add fragrance, coloring and maybe other butters to it as needed for different recipes. You said that the shelf life for the butter was only 2 – 3 months. If I wanted to use this as a base to store is there a way to extend that?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Valencia,
That should be fine. I say 2-3 months because I’m using natural preservatives and don’t do microbial testing on my homemade products, so I give that general guideline for all of my cosmetics that use water and use a preservative, to err on the side of safety. That said, if making something like this without water, I consider the 2-3 month shelf life to begin the moment the product is mixed with or contaminated with water. So, if you plan on making this as a base and don’t plan to mix it with water right away, it should keep much longer. (Take a look at the shelf life of your ingredients, using the ingredient with the nearest expiration date to give you an idea of how long the finished product will keep!)
Shyha
Hi im new to scrub making..may i ask is it possible to use beeswax to substitute the cocoa butter and shea butter?
Tracy Ariza, DDS
Hi Shyha,
I wouldn’t add more beeswax or it will feel hard and maybe even sticky.
You can replace them with an oil, but your scrub will be slightly softer in texture.