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.
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Chris Rubin
I finally got a chance to try this out! I have been wanting to make this for months. I have to say though… I found it left a very buttery thick residue on my skin. And I really had to wash well to get it off. And while I didn’t feel like I was going to break my neck, It did make my tub slick. I did a test batch as is and then another with melt and pour to make cubes. The soap mixed in took care of the buttery oily residue and the tub wasn’t as slick, but it didn’t leave my skin as moisturized as the original recipe. I used everything exactly as is in the ingredients list except no preservative and I subbed the EO with a Fragrance oil. Any ideas why it would leave a residue and really need washing to get it off? Maybe if it was made without the beeswax? When I ran my finger nail along my skin it would come up as a soft butter consistency on my nail. Thanks for any tips. I really wanted this to work for me! I’m sure I did something odd.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Chris,
Yes, you could definitely try without the beeswax. I’m sure that making one with only the emulsifier, oils, and sugar would be fine.
I’m not ever sure I remember why I used the beeswax. I think most emulsified scrubs use some, perhaps to thicken the mixture. I don’t think it really needs to be that thick, though, and a thinner product might be easier to apply.
Maybe I’ll make a simpler version next time without the wax- and post the recipe if I like the way it turns out. 😉
If you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it goes for you too!
Enya
Hi,
I just made this scrub and it feels amazing, but when i rinse it off there’s a thin white lotion type “sheet” on my skin. What could this have come from and how do i change it? Do I add more of something to fix it?
Thank you! 🙂
Tracy Ariza
Hi Enya,
Well, yes, you are basically forming a lotion on your skin when you make this. The idea is to have conditioned skin afterward and not need to apply a lotion. It feels much nicer to me than normal oil-based scrubs that leave a very oily feeling on the skin.
If you really want to remove the lotion that you make when you apply it, you can use warmer water and rub it off with a washcloth or something like that. I prefer to leave it and pat my skin dry with a towel. Then, there is no need to apply any lotions to the areas where you have used the scrub.
Cara
I want to make this but want help clarifying which Olivem to use. I’m about to make an order at Lotioncrafter.com but they have several types. Which one would be best for this recipe?
Also…can you suggest a good formulation for a facial scrub? I purchased some Rapadura, whole cane suger. It was suggested by an article from the Formula Botanica site, I think. It has very very fine granules and is suppose to dissolve quick, so it should be gentler for facial scrubs than other sugers.
Thanks. Just getting started. I am almost done with the Diploma Skin Formulation course from the School of Natural Skincare. I am sick to say, it was NOT worth the cost. I need a lot more education and am thinking of taking some preservation and stability testing courses from Formula Botanica. It would be helpful to know which courses you got the most out of. I also want to learn how to incorporate lots of various comesuticals and especially high end serum (including working with different forms of Vitamin C, Retin A, Hyluaronic Acid, and all the AHAs.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Cara,
I’m sorry I somehow missed your comment before…
I have and normally use Olivem 1000. It’s great for making lotions.
Olivem 900 is normally used for water in oil vs. oil in water. I would guess, then, for a scrub that is oil based, it would also work well (but I’ve never used it)!
I didn’t really have any problems using any oil in water emulsifiers for my scrub, though.
I think any brown sugar would work fine for a facial scrub. (I’ve used my regular scrub for face without problems.)
If your skin is sensitive, though, yes, it’s especially a good idea to use a finer grind like the one you mention.
I’m sorry to hear you weren’t happy with the course you took. Yes, they tend to be expensive, and I think most focus on just base recipes. They may help a bit with formulation, but not much. I also took their (S of N SC) surfactant course and wasn’t thrilled with it either.
That said, I took the haircare courses of both places you mention and the one from School of Natural Skincare was much more thorough than the Formula Botanica one.
So, I’m thinking that S of N SC is improving and their newer courses may be much better than the older ones?!?!
I think they have stated they want to improve some of the older ones, but who knows when that will happen!
Cassi
Great recipe! How would you recommend doubling? Exact doubles of each ingredient? Also, could you use a dipping chocolate melter for the ingredients that need melted? I’m thinking of the Wilton’s chocolate melter that looks like a rubber pot dropped down into a warming base. Last thing, what is your favorite scale to measure ingredients?
Thank you in advance 🙂
Tracy Ariza
Hi Cassi,
Yes, you can double all ingredients. I’ve made it easier for you…
If you go to the servings box in the recipe card, you can type in how much you want to make and it should adjust the recipe accordingly! 🙂
I have several scales. This is probably the only one that is also available in the US. It’s kind of cool because the panel lights up so you can see the numbers better on some of the others. (Other ones I have bought locally here in Spain.) You can really use any kitchen scale for the bigger amounts. They aren’t going to be perfectly precise, but will be close enough. (Very precise scales are VERY expensive.) ?
The problem with kitchen scales is that they aren’t very good at measuring out the tiny amounts, especially if you have a lot of weight on them already. I like to use a jewelers scale for the tiny amounts. (They’re also super cheap. You can probably get one for around $10.)
As for the chocolate melter- It’s very possible that you could use it. What temperature does it get to? Another consideration is- can you remove the insert to clean it well. (Especially important if you will want to use it for food in the future.)
priyanka oza
Great information. Thanks for the wonderful article, it may be very helpful for everyone who is conscious
about.
Angela
Hi Tracy,
I would like to make this as a giveaway for a friend’s baby shower. Can you add food colouring to add colour?
Thanks
Tracy Ariza
Hi Angela,
I don’t see why not.
Because it has the emulsifier, the liquid food colors should incorporate well into the mixture. If you do add a liquid food coloring, though, it is more important that you add the preservative (Otherwise it isn’t really 100% necessary). Incorporating a liquid will encourage microbial growth.
Hope
Can I use brown sugar
Tracy Ariza
Hi Hope,
Yes, you can use brown sugar. It is less abrasive and will make for a milder scrub. 🙂
Jessica
Can I use “leucidal” as a preservative for this? Leucidal is a radish root ferment I found online.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Jessica,
I’ve used Leucidal before, but not in this sort of product. I’m not sure how well it will incorporate into this. The problem I see with using Leucidal is that you need more of it than what you’d need with some of the other natural preservatives. Also, it’s known to sometimes give issues with mold. I’ve never personally had problems with a product preserved with Leucidal getting moldy, but I’ve read many accounts of it.
I guess you’d just have to try it and see. As the preservative isn’t really 100% necessary in a product like this one- it’s more of a precaution for humidity that can get into your product, it’s probably not going to be a problem.
Erin
Thanks so much for this DIY! I haven’t tried it yet but look forward to having an emulsified scrub that doesn’t leave the greasy falling hazard that my regular scrub does. I was wondering: since the butters, oil, and wax all have a lower HLB value than the emulsifying wax, would there be any benefit in adding a low-HLB emulsifier like glyceryl stearate?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Erin,
That’s a very interesting question.
At first, I was going to look for a water in oil emulsifier, thinking that because these are all oil-based, that it wouldn’t work, but I haven’t had any problems using any of the various emulsifiers that I already had on hand.
I think what happens is that the real emulsion isn’t taking place until you use the scrub. So you are adding it to a lot of water. In the end, it appears to work pretty well with a wide variety of emulsifiers. (I’ve tried with a few and have never found any that don’t work well- yet!) 😉
Sonia
Hi I made a sugar scrub today with brown sugar,white sugar,olive oil and coconut oil I over did it with the oil and added more sugar to try and sort it out but then found I needed more coconut oil thinking it would thicken and smell lovey but now it’s very oily and I’ve put more sugar in but it’s still oily ? any idea what I can do to make it right or is only good for the bin now ? Seems to be bubbling now . Thank you
Tracy Ariza
Hi Sonia,
If you’re only using oils and sugar, the scrub will be oily. Some people have no problem with that. I used to use one occasionally but didn’t like the oily feel either. I’m not sure if there is any way to remedy that.
That’s why I made the emulsified one. It still may feel a bit oily going on, but as you massage it into your wet skin, it will basically give you a lotion feel. Perhaps if you made an emulsion with the oil and the emulsifier, you could add in your sugar scrub instead of the sugar alone- so that it doesn’t go to waste. I’m not sure how the extra oil would interact with this recipe, though- My guess is that it would feel a bit oilier going on, but that it would eventually emulsify into the rest.
I have no issues doing experimentation, but sometimes you just have to decide if you think it’s worth it or not. That’s really up to you.
Coral
Hi I’m new to using exfoliating scrub and I accidentally put my scrub in the shower with me and now it’s watery and I can’t feel crystal like feeling of the scrub , it feels like lotion , is there a way where I can restore it back , how it used to be thick and feel the crystal like feel of how an exfoliating scrub should be .
Tracy Ariza
Hi Coral,
I’m sorry to hear that happened to you.
You can’t take the top layer off and get to an uncontaminated part of the jar?
I’m afraid that once you’ve emulsified it with water, you’ve basically made yourself a jar of lotion.
The good news is that you can use it to moisturize your legs and body. 😉
Maria
Hi Sonia,
You can whip up some Shea butter and add to it 🙂 works well!