Today I’m going to start our spa week with a simple Sugar Scrub. Last week, with my mistake on the Coffee Butter Latte Cream, I realized that testing and comparison are always needed to find your favorite products.
When making a sugar scrub, you need to choose the oil you want to use. Wait a minute! How do make a choice with so many different options out there? Our technical support staff helped me determine the three weight categories of fixed oils. The categories are as follows, light, mid-weight, and heavy. How do we determine the weight of an oil? We figure the weight of an oil by the texture and feeling as the oil is rubbed into the skin. Our personal evaluations gave us Coconut Oil Fractions, Colorless Jojoba, and Macadamia Nut Oils as our light oils; leading into the mid-weight were Rice Bran and Sesame oils. The mid-weight oils are Almond, Apricot Kernel, Grapeseed, and Sunflower. The oils between the mid-weight and heavy are Golden Jojoba, Olive, and Wheat Germ. That leaves the heavy oils, which we determined were Aloe Extract, Avocado, Hemp, or Shea Oils. Each oil you test will vary. I like to test new oils on the inside of my arm when I receive them. I write down in my notebook the feel of the oil. Did the oil feel light, velvety, or oily? What did the oil smell like? What date did I test the oil? The last question is important because an oil that I find nice and soothing in February will probably feel too heavy in August, the most humid month for us. I’ve chosen Colorless Jojoba and Olive Oil for my comparison project. Now what about the sugar? You can use any sugar that you want. We usually recommend using a white granulated sugar. You can use either brown sugar or white sugar. If you use brown sugar, I highly recommend that you use a fragrance oil that will work with the molasses scent of the brown sugar. Whoa! Did I just say something that didn’t make sense? Ok, try this. Imagine the nice warm smell of brown sugar and then someone adds a fragrance like Cool Water or Lilac. These fragrances simply do not mix with the molasses scent of the brown sugar. Fragrances that work with the molasses scent would be some with spice notes like Apple Jack, Gingerbread & Spice, and Welcome Home. You could also use fragrances with vanilla notes like Warm Vanilla Sugar or Vanilla Cream. Lastly, you could use fragrances with a simple citrusy note and create a wonderful baked dessert smell. For example, Raspberry would make a great raspberry oatmeal bar with a crumbly top or Cranberry for a cranberries and brown sugar glaze. I should stop because I’m making myself hungry. Just try not to combine brown sugar with blue/marine scents or green/herbal scents. You will need: Granulated sugar of your choice (I’m using white) Set out your mixing bucket. Measure 2 cups of sugar into the mixing bucket. Now we can add 1 cup of oil. Stir or knead the sugar and oil together. Once the oil and sugar have been mixed, you can add the fragrance oil. I added 2 mL of Oatmeal, Milk & Honey. After the fragrance oil has been thoroughly mixed into the scrub, you can now fill your containers. See! I told you it was easy! FAQ and Interesting Tidbits Did you know sugar is a humectant? Now before you think I’m using some weird foreign language, a humectant is simply a substance that promotes the retention of moisture.
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Can’t wait to try this easy peasy recipe!
What about using safflower oil in lotions and scrubs? It seems like such a clean light weight oil.
You can use any vegetable oil you wish. Just make sure that you test the oil on your skin to make sure you like the feel. Have fun!
What is an average shelf life of a sugar scrub? Can anything be added to prolong it?
As long as no water is introduced it will last as long as the oil can last without oxidation. Once water is introduced we recommend that the more water the faster you use it. Slight amounts of water won’t do anything to the scrub, but once you get dissolved sugar on the bottom, then there is potential for problem.
Thank you!
I’m new at making all these fun scrubs. Do you have a basic recipe for a sugar scrub? Also what is a good oil for a basic sugar scrub? I have been using olive oil and would like to kick it up a notch!
If you like the olive oil then try other oils. Some mixtures of butters and oils are good too. Just make sure you have good footing in the shower or tub.