Yes, we know there are a ton of face scrubs out there, but it’s hard to find exactly the right one to fit your skin type. Which means that making a custom one to fit your skin’s needs is the way to go. Plus, you’ll already have half of the ingredients in your kitchen. It’s a win-win situation!
We’ll walk you through the basic ingredients, and what they do. Then we’ve come up with five of our favorite versions that we’ll show you how to make step-by-step. Let’s get started!
First, you’ll need to choose your exfoliant. It comes down to sugar or salt, but as you know there are several varieties of each. We recommend four different types: plain white sugar, brown sugar, iodized table salt, and black lava sea salt. Sugar is less abrasive than salt because it dissolves more easily. Brown sugar is the best for sensitive skin, because it’s the softest. Salt exfoliates well and can help remove impurities and dead skin. And the black lava sea salt also removes dead skin along with helping increase cell activity.
The next ingredient you select is your oil. We chose five different oils that are great for your skin—olive oil, safflower oil, almond oil, avocado oil, and extra virgin coconut oil (our favorite!). To start off, all of these oils, except the avocado oil, are naturally antibacterial, which will help prevent any problems. Olive oil is good for really dry skin, and it won’t clog your pores. Safflower oil is a fatty oil that can help calm irritated skin and prevent clogged pores. Almond oil is fantastic because it can reduce the effects of UVB rays, and it can help improve skin tone. Avocado oil is actually extracted from the pulp of the fruit—not the seed—so it’s incredibly rich and will help your skin retain moisture. Finally, extra virgin coconut oil is packed with antioxidants and free radicals which help prevent aging. It’s one of our favorite multitaskers.
While you could make a scrub with just an exfoliant and an oil, we recommend adding in one of these five fruits and vegetables. They each have properties that will help your skin even more. Be forewarned that adding in a fresh fruit will reduce the shelf life of your scrub, and you’ll want to keep it in the refrigerator—not your shower. Keep that in mind before whipping up a big batch. Kiwis can help brighten your complexion, and the seeds in the fruit pulp can act as mini exfoliants on their own. Strawberries are best for evening and brightening your skin tone, and they are packed with vitamin C. Pineapple is best for acne prone skin; it has an enzyme that helps dissolve dead skin cells. Tomato contains lycopene which can help protect skin from UV rays. And finally cucumber can help reduce puffiness by reducing water retention.
To store your face scrub, either thoroughly clean out an old scrub container or buy a plastic container that has a lid insert like these. Believe us, it will help you keep your scrub fresh.
Now let’s make our masks!
Ingredients & Tools:
– sugar or salt of your choice
– oil of your choice
– fruit or vegetable of your choice
– muddler
Instructions:
1. Choose your container, and measure your exfoliant so that the container is 3/4 full.
2. Measure out your oil. You’ll want a 2-to-1 ratio. So, twice as much salt or sugar as oil.
3. Combine oil and salt or sugar in a bowl, and stir until just combined.
4. Add in the fruit or vegetable chopped as finely as you can get it, and muddle the mixture together until just combined. You don’t want to mix it too much or the granules will start to dissolve.
5. Decant into your storage container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
This scrub combines salt, tomato, and olive oil, and will help retain your skin’s elasticity.
Instead of slicing the tomatoes, we decided to scoop out the flesh and muddle it in. Also, it’s okay that this will separate a bit when you store it. Just give it a quick mix before you use it. And remember, keep it in the fridge!
Mix together sugar, safflower oil, and kiwi to get this brightening scrub.
Once again, scoop out the flesh of the kiwi. Avoid the core, if possible. Isn’t the color of this one beautiful?
Almond oil, strawberries, and sugar make this one of the best versions for evening out your complexion.
The strawberries smash up quite well, and make another beautiful scrub. It also smelled so good we were tempted to taste it!
We recommend this one, which combines brown sugar, avocado oil, and cucumber for sensitive skin. It’s incredibly restorative.
If your cucumber isn’t very ripe, you can also run it through your juicer and use the pulp in the scrub instead of mashing it into the brown sugar.
This scrub is the most serious of the bunch. The combination of the jagged black lava sea salt and the pineapple enzymes will really clarify your skin. Luckily the coconut oil is very soothing.
Because the pineapple is a tougher fruit, we muddled it first, and then added in the salt and coconut oil. It makes it easier to mix.
Have you ever tried making a homemade face scrub? Tell us what “recipe” you used in the comments!
