I have seen sugar hand scrub recipes many times in the past in magazines and on tv and such. I finally got around to experimenting with a few myself and I was so pleased with the results. I really do recommend trying one of these scrubs out – I bet you are hooked!
I do crafts with the kiddos and DIY projects all the time so my fingers are quite regularly covered in paint or glue or glitter… Plus I get dry hands in winter from washing them so often and then there are always those cooking odors- onion and such that can stick to your hands even after washing.
So here are two recipes to try depending on what you preference is. These are both very easy and very inexpensive to make.
Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub
- ⅔ cup of sugar
- ¼ cup coconut oil or olive oil (fractionated coconut oil is best or use standard coconut oil that has been melted to a liquid state in the microwave.
- 15 drops of lemon essential oil or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Your final consistency should be semi-dry- like sand that is just a little damp.
You will need to make adjustments at this point to get the right texture. This should be nice and creamy and not too dry but yet not runny. So continue to add more sugar and or more lemon juice/ oil until it looks like a thick hand cream. Hand sanitizers are important deals and they are also available on Walgreens sales ad regularly.
And that is it!
If you want to dress it up a bit more, you can zest a lemon and add that into your sugar scrub or try adding some drops of Rosemary or Lavender essential oils.
I liked this scrub a lot and I love the freshness of the lemon and the pretty color of the mixture.
Homemade Mary Kay Satin Hands
This next sugar scrub I really loved and it is even easier to make! We did this awhile back in MOPS and I wound up giving away the jar that I made. Now I wish I had kept it!
To make this recipe takes 2 ingredients and about 10 seconds. Just Dawn Hand Renewal Dish Soap and sugar.
The process is identical. Just dump about 2/3 of your container full of sugar. Next add the Dawn Dish Soap in slowly until you get the right texture. Approximately 1/3 of the final product is going to be Dawn.
Don’t get nervous about quantity because you really can’t mess this up. If you use more sugar the scrub will be grainier on your hands and if you use too little sugar it will just be a bit silkier. So really no matter what there will be a nice result.
Now the Dawn is great for many reasons- it is a soap so your hands are getting extra clean. It also has magical properties for softening hands (whatever stuff they add in is really nice), it comes out this pretty light pink color and it has a nice smell.
So you could use other varieties of dish soap but this is the one that is the best because of the extra hand softening magic in the bottle.
I found it easier to stir with a knife instead of a spoon and again just add more sugar or add more Dawn until it gets to be the right consistency.
If you want to add a few drops of essential oils that is also really nice. I like Lime, Lemon, Lavender or Peppermint.
And that is it!! Add the lid and pop on a bow and you are good to go with a cheap and cheerful homemade gift!
To give you a very rough idea I used about 3 oz of Dawn when I made the container you see above. That container was from some farm stand jam we bought over the summer and I just repurposed the little jar it came in. I am guessing it is an 8oz jar.
Here is the final product- just use a spoon or your fingers to scoop a bit out, rub over your hands and wash! Please note the scrub will need a quick stir before each use as the contents can separate as pictured above. I prefer to use a smaller size jar to make this so I don’t need to stir. If you are packaging this in a large jar as a gift, I would suggest taping a little wooden spoon to the side with Washi or tying it on with ribbon.
Update: Prices can change at any time, but if you are looking for jars for your scrubs there is a great deal on Mason jars from Amazon here.
You can find some fun little wood spoons for your craft projects here.
And find some fun options for baker’s twine here.
And here are assorted sizes of mason jars that are perfect for this project.
I hope you will consider following me on Pinterest for more fun projects.
Here are some other things you might like:
Homemade Body Butter-– just like the Body Shop
Super simple Eucalyptus Vapor Bath Salts
I have become addicted to making homemade sugar scrubs over the last few months. They are the only thing I have found to help my Eczema that doesn’t sting and burn my skin, and they are neons cheaper than all the expensive Eczema creams I have bought over my lifetime. I love making these:
Strawberry Sugar Scrub:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
4 drops strawberry extract( I just use McCormick)
Almond Sugar Scrub:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
4 drops almond extract
Both smell amazing!!! Thanks again for this post!
Is this made with “cooking grade” Olive Oil?
Laura- I have EVOO in the cupboard so that is what I used. If you plan to make a large quantity you might want to grab Star or whatever is inexpensive. I only made a small batch to test it out so the EVOO was fine.
I have using the EVOO and sugar for about a month and a half…love this!!! After I rinse the sugar off I keep a bit of EVOO and add some Auqapure or CVS version of the same. MY hand are now Baby bottom soft and smooth! I will have to try the Coconut Oil I have.
I just made this and after it sitting unused it separated, is this unevitable?
No Alyssa I did not have that happen on any of the batches I have ever made. Did you use Dawn and plain white sugar and stir well? What temperature did you have it stored at? Mine is right by the sink for weeks and it looks exactly the same.
When I worked for Western Airlines we were known as the Champagne Airline bc we served champagne on every flight. At the end of the day, we would use several sugar packets and fresh lemon juice to scrub our hands and pour the leftover champagne as a rinse… we had lovely soft hands!
Beth that sounds wonderful! What a great memory 🙂
Do you use pure cane sugar or granulated
Amanda I use the cheap-o regular white granulated sugar that comes in a 4lb bag for $2. 🙂
I have been using this since my boys were in the boy scouts in the 70’s. They told me it would take the smell of fish off your hands. I put a spoon of sugar and some dish liquid in my hands and scrub away. I wonder if you could use this with the coconut oil as a facial scrub. Maybe with some liquid Dove soap instead of the dish detergent. I’ve always used Dove soap.
I have been using this since my boys were in the boy scouts in the 70’s. They told me it would take the smell of fish off your hands. I put a spoon of sugar and some dish liquid in my hands and scrub away. could you use this with the coconut oil as a facial scrub. Maybe with some liquid Dove soap instead of the dish detergent.
We try to watch “sharks” every week on TV. there was a young woman who stated her own company by making sugar scrubs. The only competition was a company who charged 90.00 o a small bottle, and hers was $12.00. I believe Mark Cuban went into partnership with her. His son has skin issues and itches all the time.
FYI
love sugar schrub making favors for my grandughter holly cuemuain
I just made the sugar scrub, I didn’t have almond or strawberry extract. I did have vanilla extract and pillar box red food colouring. Looks like you could eat it, and smells so good.
I made the Dawn version. 2 different size jars and both seperated which makes it really annoying when you want to use it. I love it and the outcome but wish I didn’t have to stir each time. Especialy the larger jar I used. Harder to stir because there is more sugar.
I just love making sugar scrubs: I made coconut-lime, and is smells really nice. Next up vanilla/lavender.
Sorry Angie that has not been my experience at all. Mine I have not needed to remix.
Separation problems: I wonder if maybe there’s too much oil to the amount of sugar? Just a thought.
I will be making a scrub today with coconut oil, almond extract, and regular sugar…hope it turns out well! 🙂
If you will mix the coconut oil with a mixer for about 20 minutes it will liquefy and stay that way.
How long do they keep?
Amy- the dish soap one will last for ages. I have had a large jar on the sink for weeks and weeks at a time. Just seal it securely each time.
These sound wonderful. Thank you for sharing at Share It One More Time. Cathy
Love this! I love home based products over those you buy in the store and I have all the ingredients here! I can’t wait to try out the Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub. Thanks for posting on Great Idea Thursday Blog Hop!
Jeannine
I love homemade cosmetic products! You know exactly what you put on your skin! Thanks for coming and linking up at The Weekend Social. All posts get pinned on our pinterest board! Please be sure to come back next week starting Thursdays at 9PM EST on culinaryflavors.gr ! I hope to see you there!
I keep a ceramic shell shaped soap dish on my guest bathroom counter with a small seashell tucked halfway in the scrub so my friends don’t have to dig in with their nails to get the scrub. I also keep a small wicker basket with small sheets of pretty paper towels folded in half for those times they use a bit too much and it saves my hand towels from absorbing extra oil.
Great ideas Midge!
Hi, wondering how long these last? Looking to make as gifts I will give in November.
Also, for those of you that use olive oil, any particular type? I know there is pure olive oil, evoo….not sure which type would be appropriate for these recipes.
Hi, I tried the Mary Kay satin hand scrub and it is wonderful. The only problem is that when it is left unattended next to my sink, it separates?? Any ideas? I hate to give it as a gift and it does this….thanks!
Really? I have not found that to be the case. Did you use Dawn or another brand? Also did you stir the heck out of it? Did you start with sugar at the bottom? Mine stays together- I usually make smaller batches in mini jelly jars and they last a few weeks with no issues. I wonder if you need to adjust the sugar ratio to make it a little higher. I have a really heavy sugar in mine- sort of like walking in wet sand at the beach.
I did the Mary Kay Satin Hands also. I love it but yes it did separate. I used 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup Dawn. I will try with more sugar next time. Great on feet, legs and arms too!
I haven’t made any of them yet but I want to. I was thinking a lot of people could be having separating issues due to room temperature or maybe higher or lower elevation levels. I know it can effect what temperature you have to cook at in an oven.
I also tried the Dawn scrub and mine separates as well…very disappointing. However I feel better seeing I’m not the only one that this happens to.. I might try adding more sugar??? but it all seperates and the top is smooth like its right out of the Dawn bottle..not grit at all. Dang…
Hi Renee-
Sorry you are so disappointed. That hasn’t been my experience at all. It isn’t the end of the world though right because you either scoop it with your fingers or with a spoon anyway and you can sort of give it a quick stir or a little stir as you are getting it out? Perhaps the climate is the reason or the size of the container used?
I purchased some feminine wash to use every day as I shower because things had been ‘not so fresh’ down there. But recently it not only had not been eliminating the odors, but the tender flesh was becoming irritated. I keep in my shower a scrub I made of 2 different sized salt crystals and sugar (the grains are different sizes that way) and virgin coconut oil. I have been using it with success on body AND face, so I decided to try it for the nether regions. The coconut oil is soothing, the salt is NOT irritating and I step out of the shower feeling moisturized down there and with no discernible odor. I had had an olive oil + sugar scrub that I also tried (a sample size from a girl’s get-to-gether) and it also did good job. No more feminine wash products for me!
the hand scrub ideas are awesome im going to use them for Christmas presents this year so thanks.
Awesome- so glad to hear it!
I am really looking forward to trying one of these hand scrub recipes for Christmas gifts. I purchased the small mason jars to use. Can’t wait to get started! You girls are the best! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I was wondering, how long do the scrubs last that are made with the extracts? I have made the soap and sugar and i would love to try extracts.Thanks.
Hello! I just tried the sugar hand scrub with Dawn. I used a small Hermes jar. I’m hoping the seal is good enough! It’s part of an online book group gift exchange so it has a way to travel! It looks and smells wonderful, but I’m wondering if my consistency is correct. Is it supposed to shift or be think like body butter? I was surprised by the amount of dissolved sugar. I filled my container with sugar – 1 cup – removed 1/3 cup and started adding the Dawn. When it was all said and done I’d added all the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Also it seems really frothy right now. Do you think I should add more sugar? It moves rather freely.
Thanks! This was a fun idea.
Hi Stacy- I would try it on your hands and see what you think. If you want a rougher scrub, add more sugar. If you want a smoother, creamier scrub- use less sugar. You really can’t go wrong 🙂
Thank you! Since it’s a gift I just didn’t know if there was a universal preferred scrub consistency! hehe I think I may add more sugar.
I love this stuff but sad the color isn’t as vivid as I would like to see. If you use food coloring does it dye your hands?