Olive Oil Sugar Scrub

We have forced air heat so the house can get pretty dry.  I also have very sensitive skin so I have to watch the products I use on.  Seriously, most hand lotions make my skin burn.  It’s a little ridiculous.  I also love to save a few bucks by making my own stuff around here as we all know.

So yesterday I decided to make my own olive oil & sugar scrub.  The olive oil is a great moisturizer with lots of antioxidants and the sugar gently scrubs away the dead cells.   I have done basic versions in the past so I figured I would jazz this one up a bit adding scents like vanilla and lemon.

Our ingredients are olive oil, white sugar (in the blue & white canister) , brown sugar (optional), vanilla extract or lemon zest (not shown), and an empty jar.  I have used all organic ingredients here except for the brown sugar (I was using up a small chunk I had left over) because that’s what I have.  It also means my scrub will be organic which isn’t a bad thing.

Let me first start by saying there is no recipe.  This is not hard.   Just make it up.

Take a bowl, put some sugar in it.  Then pour olive oil in and stir until you get a paste.  That’s it.  Really.  You could stop here and use it.  Or you could add few things and get fancy.

I’m not big on perfumes so I stick to food smells.  I split my mixture into two bowls to try different scents.  In one bowl I added vanilla.  How much?  Well TB walked by as I poured it in and said “Wow, that’s a lot of vanilla!”  You aren’t going to eat it so it doesn’t have to taste good, just smell good.  Put it in until you like the way it smells, I’m guessing a teaspoon or so but I probably put more.  Whatever.  It smells awesome.    In the other bowl, I put lemon zest and a splash of lemon juice and mixed.

This is the consistency you are looking for.  You want to be able to grab some from the jar in the shower without it running down your arm.

Grab a jar (or two in my case) and put the mixture in.  My jars are being reused from my face cleanser that I love (also organic) from Suki Beauty.  I have been saving the empties since they are nice glass jars knowing I would find a use for them some day.

Here are the two mixes – vanilla on the left and lemon on the right. The little brown speckles are from the chuck of brown sugar I was using up that had formed into a solid rock.  I microwaved it then beat the hell out of it with my ice cream scoop but the best I could get was little chunks.

To use, wet skin in the shower and then scrub gently on the body, but avoid the face.  This will be a little too much for your face.   Some people just rinse off and let the olive oil sink in but I feel slimy after that.  I kind of use this as a pre-treatment and then wash with soap lightly to get the excess oil off while still get the moisturizing effect.

I of course love my label maker and never miss an opportunity to use it.  It also avoids TB constantly asking what’s in the jar.

This is so easy and you can change it up with whatever you have.  Essential oils would be nice here.  Almond extract instead of vanilla would also work.  You don’t need a fancy jar, just use something that seals you would use for leftovers.  It’s all food so when you’re done you can put the container back in the kitchen.  I have read that it will last at least a month but I have no idea where I read it so don’t sue me if that’s not right.  I make small batches and use it pretty quickly so I have never had it go bad.

It’s really nice to know what goes into the things that you put in and on your body.  No crazy chemicals here!  Happy scrubbing!