Homemade Moisturizing Body Scrub
The following is a guest post from Mindy of Simply Designs.
(Mindy has a lovely blog I think you will all enjoy. I hope you will pay her a visit.)
I am so excited about what I am going to share with you today! I have recently been exploring the yummy world of natural skin and beauty care. I say “yummy” because most of the things that I have been experimenting with have included using edible ingredients. For instance, did you know that you can use raw honey to wash your face? And it works GREAT! Especially if you follow it up with this facial toner of one part water and one part lavender vinegar. My skin is feeling and looking better than it ever has! And I’ve been spending less money also – so it’s definitely a win-win!
Out of all the natural skin care experiments that I have tried, this Homemade Moisturizing Body Scrub, that I am going to share with you today, is probably my absolute favorite! It leaves your skin feeling SOFT and SMOOTH like you’ve never experienced before! (At least like I had never experienced before! :-)) It is meant to be used in the shower, and you honestly don’t even need to use any moisturizer when you get out. You will absolutely be glowing!
To get started on making the body scrub, you will only need four simple ingredients. If you don’t have some of these ingredients on hand, a great place to purchase them from is Mountain Rose Herbs. I highly recommend their products, and I know that Stacy does too. (And yes, all of these ingredients are edible, although I don’t think I have ever actually eaten shea butter!)
INGREDIENTS:
-
1/2 cup Shea Butter
-
3 TBSP Olive Oil
-
3 TBSP Coconut Oil (melted, but not hot)
-
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
METHOD:
Begin by filling a 1/2 C measuring cup with shea butter, making sure to pack it down tightly. Transfer the shea butter to a small pan, and gently heat, using the double boiler method, until the butter is nice and soft. You don’t want to melt the butter, but just soften it to make it easier to work with.
Next, transfer the shea butter to a stand mixer, and beat on high speed until it has a whipped consistency and doesn’t feel grainy when rubbed between your fingers. This will take around 3-4 minutes. It should look like firm whipped cream when it is done. (If you think your tempted to eat it now, just wait till later!)
Combine the olive oil and melted coconut oil together in a small container with a spout. SLOWLY pour the oil into the bowl of shea butter, while beating on high speed. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides as you go.
Once all of the oil is incorporated into the shea butter, continue mixing on high speed for 1-2 minutes until it is nice and fluffy and looks like a soft, delicious whipped cream. If desired, you could also add some essential oils now. I usually don’t, because I like the smell of just the coconut oil and brown sugar, but you could experiment with adding some if you would like.
At this point, you really could just stop, and use this as an after-shower moisturizer. I have done this before, but my favorite way to use this is as an in-shower moisturizing body scrub. It is just so nice, and makes your skin feel AMAZING! (Have I already said that? Please excuse me if I’m repeating myself!)
To turn this into a body scrub, you just need to add something that will exfoliate. This step is very flexible, and there are many things that could be added here. My favorite thing to use is brown sugar. It gives it a wonderful smell, and it does a great job at exfoliating. Some other things that you could consider using instead of sugar would be salt, coffee grounds, ground up oats, etc. Anything that will provide you with a gentle scrub can be used in place of the sugar. You could even do a combination of exfoliators if you would like.
So add the brown sugar (or whatever you decide to use) to your whipped butter and gently mix it in. (If you use brown sugar, make sure that there are no clumps of sugar before you add it to your bowl. It will be a lot easier to mix in this way, and you will not end up with any big sugar clumps in your exfoliator.)
That is all there is to it! And although, you could eat this, I think it would serve it’s purpose better on your skin! To use, simply rub the body scrub all over yourself while you’re in the shower, rinse off, and dry. You don’t need to use a lot – a little bit will go a long way. When you get out of the shower, your skin will feel like silk, and you will be glowing!
This recipe makes around two cups of moisturizing body scrub. I like to store mine in glass ball jars. For a simple gift idea, fill up a 1 cup ball jar with your homemade body scrub, sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top (just for fun!), seal it with a lid, and decorate the jar with a cute ribbon and/or a homemade gift tag. Everyone loves receiving handmade gifts! I made some recently as a special treat for my friend who just had a baby, and she loved it! But make sure to save some for yourself, so you can have beautiful, glowing, soft, smooth, radiant skin too! Enjoy!
Stacy's note: Doesn't this look delicious? I love how easy it is to put together and think it would make a lovely gift! Thank you Mindy for teaching us how to make a moisturizing body scrub.
Wow, that looks amazing! I thought it was a coffee drink until I read the caption. I will have to bookmark this so I can come back and get the recipes. Sure would save alot of money buying at the spa!! I am a new follower of your blog thru RSS Reader, Facebook and Twitter. I would love a follow back on all three of these also when you get a free moment. Thanks so very much and have a great weekend!
Mary@http://www.mmbearcupoftea.com
What a great tutorial!
♥Sweet Tea Serendipity
What a great idea!
Stopping by from the Friday hops to say hello.
You can visit me at
http://poshonabudget.com/2011/08/friday-friend-connect-3.html
Have a great day!
POSH
Hi Stacy! I just discovered your blog and added you to my reader…I’m looking forward to checking out all the goodies you seem to have on your blog, I like it already! : )
I just sat down at my computer to decide whether or not to make lotion or be content using my apricot oil for one more week. I am guessing God is getting a good laugh. It seems he always knows just what we need, and when. I will be making this today! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Nicole! I’m glad that God sent this post your way at just the right time 🙂
Hi Stacy! I’m a new e-mail subscriber and twitter follower from FL, via the Friday Blog Hop!
I like the idea of homemade body scrubs, great for exfoliating summer skin!
Barb
FL Mom’s Blog
Stacy, Thank you for allowing me to post this on your blog! I hope that you and your readers will get a chance to try it and that you will love it as much as I do!
You have such a wonderful blog for moms to come for encouragement and support – thank you!
i love this! what do you think the shelf life is?
Hi Suzannah, I have kept this for at least a month before and it is still good. I’m sure that it would even be good for a couple of months, and even longer if you kept it refrigerated between uses. Hope this helps!
This is a wonderful scrub. I’ve probably made it now six times and gone through several tubs or blocks of shea butter. It’s simple, pure, and works like a charm. In the summer, I don’t even need lotion, though I use a little to seal in the moisture. I only put a small container of it in the shower in warmer months. I have a really cold walk in closet where I store the small supply most of the year. The larger amount goes in the fridge and I take it out in small batches as needed. It takes so little and leaves my skin so silky. This was my first real bath and body diy product and it’s a winner. I like making my own products because I know what is in them, I give them as gifts, and just making them is relaxing. Really lovely photos and an inviting site.
What a wonderful idea! 🙂 Going to try this afterwards.
Do you know how long will the scrub last? I’d like to give some to my bridesmaids as their ‘thank you’ gifts.
I’ve been making body butters for a few years now. Just whipped up a triple batch of this! One jar for me and the rest for gifts. So easy! Great job!
My husband is allergic to coconut, is there anything I can substitute for the coconut oil?
Hi Elizabeth,
I have a friend who is allergic to coconut oil so I replaced it with Almond Oil when I made one for her. She loved it and I couldn’t really tell a difference.
Best of luck!
Brittany
{brittanykimmell.com}
That’s great! Thanks for letting us know!
Mine just seems to harden back up to a body butter, what am I doing wrong?
Coconut oil seems to harden after a little while. I haven’t tried this recipe but I do make a coconut oil body butter. If I want it soft or whipped I usually just mix it in the mixer again. That usually last a few days. Hope it helps!
Johanna
It hardens up a bit because it’s a fat, like butter. It becomes oil or at least soft when heated. Sounds like a wonderful recipe. I’m going to make it!!
I am thinking of making this as a mother’s day gift, however, wouldn’t the sugar melt soon after it was added to the wet ingredients? Just checking since I have to mail this. Thanks.
This is a guest post from my friend Mindy, so I would need to check with her, but I don’t think the sugar would melt. I have never had sugar melt in any of my body scrub recipes.
I might be a little nervous to mail this. Coconut oil goes to liquid in high temperatures, so it would definitely be softer going through any warm places.
Thanks for the tip Stacy. Maybe I’ll make this for myself and find another scrub for mother’s day.
I made this scrub recently for a client who wanted a moisturizing treatment. Not sure what happened in
the whipping process, since my batch did not whip as Mindy’s did. The smell was off-putting, not sure if
it was the shea butter, which had a strong smell, and included a beaswax. I have made other salves with
beaswax and noticed how difficult it is to remove from the skin and utensils. I used the scrub on myself that morning and found it to be heavy on the skin. My client said it smelled like cooking oil, probably the olive oil.
So, the scrub is not one I would recreate. Thanks anyway.
I have been making skin care products for over 20 years creating my own recipes and have learned a lot.
If you use too high heat with oils, they will have a bad smell. In this particular recipe, very little heat is best, incorporating the coconut and olive oil to Shea, try to incorporate when all are within 5 degrees of each other.
Give it another try!
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Could you make this without the shea butter and just whip the coconut oil?
I don’t think it would work very well since the shea butter is very thick and gives it body. It is also less prone to melting.
I’ve never tried it though, so I can’t say for sure. If you try it let us know how it turns out.
Another great recipe for shea butter!
Hi!
I found this on pinterest and decided to make it for my sisters birthday but after adding the coconut and olive oil i can’t get it to that fluffy state. what am i doing wrong? i’m afraid my coconut oil wasn’t cool enough but i don’t know. can i fix it?
please help, the shea and coconut oil is kind of expensive here in sweden, i’d hate for it to go to waste..
Thanks alot!
kind regards
Mikaela 🙂
I’m new at homemade scrubs using shea butter and the like… Would you call this a beginner recipe? Can I achieve the same results with a hand mixer?
Thanks!
Ashlee
Hi Ashlee,
Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. Did you try the recipe?
This is a begginer’ish’ recipe. It can be tricky to get the consistency right.
I haven’t tried it with a hand mixer so I’m not sure, but I think it would work.
Can I use cocoa butter instead? I live in Fairbanks, Alaska and can’t find pure shea butter. What brand of shea butter did you use?
I just made this and it is FANTASTIC — Thank You so much for this recipe I absolutely love it !
How about using this on your face? Good idea? Bad idea? Thanks. 🙂
I LOVE your font for the title of this post, do U mind me asking what its Called?
Hi there!
The font is called Patrick Hand SC. It is one of the Google fonts.
I might be changing it very soon. So, if you want to see what it looks like, it’s here.
Hope that helps.
I just tried this today and I love it! Thanks! Easy and super quick to make. I may only use it during the evenings from now on as it’s a little thick but it feels great. I also might add essential oils next time as I am not sure about the smell so far.
Thanks again!
Is this okay for the face? I tried some on it today but wasn’t sure if I should continue.
It’s probably OK to use on the face in small amounts. But, I think it is generally a little heavy for facial application.
Glad you made it and liked it!
I tried this this evening. I followed all the instructions exactly but was unable to get to the whipped cream consistency. So, since I didn’t want to just give up, I added A LOT more brown sugar and white sugar to make a serious exfoliating scrub. Looking forward to trying it tomorrow in the shower.
That’s a great idea! Sorry it didn’t turn out the way you expected. I hope it’s lovely anyway.
How do you store this scrub?
For those of you having a hard time. It is most likely because your shea and coco were not chilled. after you melt all the oils down – and i recommend to melt them totally. then you ( then add the olive oil- i love sweet almond or jojoba too) cool it on the counter top for 10 minutes. After that you can chill in freezer for 10 mins and when you see it starting to come together again (will look caramel colored and solidifying), you take it out and use a hand mixer or any mixer and mix for about 3 mins and you will see it is whipping. Then re freeze for 3-5 minutes and mix again. Do this until you get as whipped as desired. You WILL get whipped butter IF you follow her recipe and these instructions. I do it all the time. Great recipe. THANKS!
Hi there,
We recently featured your article on a blog post titled ‘top 10 Top 10 Best Homemade Moisturizers’
You can find it here: http://www.naturalandhealthyliving.com/top-10-natural-homemade-moisturizers/
Please share if it’s ok with you! I’ve also sent you an email about this via the contact page!
Thanks,
http://www.naturalandhealthyliving.com
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I have been making this for a couple of years. It is fantastic and when I don’t use it, I can tell because my skin feels drier. You only need to use a little body lotion after this scrub to seal in the moisture, so you save money. Don’t dry all the way. The oil seals in the water and the lotion seals in the oil. I only use it a couple of times a week, but it makes a big difference. I also keep it in the fridge and take out what I need for a week or two. It looks so delicious when you’re making it. Then you have to clean up all the oily utensils. Worth it, though.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I appreciate it.