She tried everything under the sun – available at the stores. While apricot scrub didn’t give results, walnut scrub set in the allergies and the one nasty sand scrub was an expensive bad choice. When Livleen had allergies, she always went to this store and looked for beauty quick fixes available there. Her drawer was full of unused tubes, pouches and boxes that she thought will help smooth her skin and return her the pink glow she was fond of. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Once, when she was all ready to buy yet another product, her mom caught her and ask her to apply something that she had in her hands. She did so and found it good. ‘What is this pretty paste and where is it available?’ exclaimed she. Her mother took her to the kitchen and revealed the long lost secret of beautiful skin – Sugar and Salt.

The two simple yet magical ingredients available in the kitchen are the best for the skin – depending upon the type. Combine them with some other foods and you are ready for a scrub that is better than those that are available at the stores – without spending a bomb. I am a lover of all things homemade. While in one of my posts, I have advised to cut down on sugar consumption, here I will advise you to purchase a packet of sugar just to apply it on your skin!

Why Use Homemade Body Scrub?

My question should have been why to use scrub from the store. Homemade scrubs are full of ingredients that will give you long term results. The best part of these scrubs is that you can add or delete things that you like and those that you do not. You can make them smell lovely and even store them for later use.

The Difference Between Salt and Sugar

If you are confused between sugar and salt and their uses, then here is the something that will help you out. Salt is coarse in texture while sugar is smooth. Sugar scrubs help exfoliate the skin while salt scrubs are used for replenishing the tired skin. It helps in getting rid of dead skin cells that clog the pores and bring a shine to the otherwise dry skin. Sugar scrubs are generally advised to those people who have sensitive skin. Also, sugar scrubs are perfect for the face while salt scrubs are generally preferred as body scrubs. If you are looking for something to rub the hard skin (knees, feet or elbows), then the salt will be a perfect fit. Being antiseptic, salt helps in killing the bacteria as well.

Here are some of the scrub recipes that you can easily prepare at home to benefit your skin in several ways. You can prepare them just for your face or for hands and legs or the entire body.

1. Irresistible Banana and Sugar Scrub

To make this homemade body scrub, you require an overripe banana. Mash it completely using a fork. Now, add three heaped tablespoons of sugar. To make your skin smell fresh, add one-fourth teaspoon of vanilla extract. If you are not fond of vanilla, you can skip it completely. Mix again using a fork. However, make sure that you mash it lightly. Do not overdo mashing. This can be used for the entire body. For your face, you need to skip adding sugar. Apply it before a shower. Now, rinse this off using warm water. Or have a warm shower.

Bananas are rich in potassium and several vitamins as well. While sugar exfoliates the body, banana fortifies the scrub by making skin smooth and supple. This mix should not be kept for too long and used within two days of preparing it.

2. Ultimate Lemon and Salt Scrub

Just like a glass of lemon juice energizes you, a lemon scrub will energize your skin. For preparing this scrub, juice a fresh lemon after deseeding it. Add this to a cup of rock salt or sea salt. You can even use Himalayan salt if it is available. Add to this a third of a cup of your favourite essential oil. Your sea salt scrub is ready. Apply it before the shower, gently scrub the skin and wash it off with water.

Your skin will thank you a million times post this scrub. It makes your skin super silky and the citrus smell of lemon will invigorate your senses. You will feel charged up throughout the day. Use it during the times of the festive season to get the energy to execute the tasks. This refreshing treatment is no less than a spa. Salt helps in exfoliating the skin and nourish it at the same time. Rich in Vitamin C, lemons are the best thing for your skin.

3. Tempting Tomato and Sugar Scrub

My mother has been asking me for a long time to apply some tomato juice on my face. Tomatoes, they say, help in giving a nice glow to the skin. To prepare this scrub, thinly slice cleaned tomatoes. You do not need to prepare juice out of it. For this, you just need to dip the slices in sugar (spread in a dish). Make sure that the sugar has stuck to the slices. Scrub these sugary tomato slices on your face, neck and hands or even feet. Scrubbing in circular motions will help in charging up your skin. Do this gently for around 8-10 minutes. Now wash this off with water and pat dry. If you find this process messy, juice 2 tomatoes and add three tablespoons of sugar to it.

You need not moisturize your skin post this. Tomatoes being high in water content naturally hydrate your skin. They even act as a sunscreen, protecting the skin from harmful damages. Further, this scrub will help remove dead skin cells and tan that has been hiding the natural complexion. It even helps in making skin smooth. Thanks to lycopene in tomatoes, you can even enhance the complexion of the skin. If you regularly use this scrub, it will equip your skin to absorb oxygen and delay the signs of ageing. You can even keep acne at bay, thanks to the presence of vitamin C. Sugar, as I mentioned earlier, helps in exfoliating.

4. Caring Coffee and Coconut Oil Scrub

I still remember when I had applied coffee and honey on my face. My toddler started crying on the top of her voice and didn’t come to me for an hour or so. The dark coffee scrub might be messy but it is very good for the skin. To make homemade coffee scrub, add about a cup of coconut oil to half a cup of ground coffee. Add to this about half a cup of sugar and you are ready to use this invigorating scrub. To prevent additional mess, apply it under the shower and remove it with warm water.

The smell of coffee gets me going. The antioxidants present in coffee are not only good for the system but also the skin. Coffee helps in lightening the skin and minimizes the cellulite temporarily. Coconut oil, on the other hand, helps in moisturizing naturally. Sugar, once again, helps in exfoliation.

5. Mushy Minty Sugar Scrub

Do you know that you can scrub your lips once in a while? To prepare this scrub, mix two to three teaspoons of jojoba oil with castor sugar. If jojoba oil is not available, you can use olive oil. Castor sugar is the one that is quite fine in texture. Castor sugar can be prepared at home by pulsing it in a mixer grinder for a minute or so. To the mix of oil and sugar, add a few drops of peppermint oil. If you like the smell of vanilla, replace peppermint with vanilla. Apply this paste on your lips for a while. Massage it gently and remove it.

Scrubbing lips helps remove the dead cells that get accumulated with time. Oil helps in hydrating the lips while sugar helps in exfoliating it. This scrub will benefit your lips by making them soft and supple.

6. Nourishing Oatmeal and Sea Salt Scrub

Yes, oats are doubly useful – good to eat and lovely to apply. To prepare this scrub, take half a cup of oatmeal with two cups of sea salt. Mix around half a cup each of grapeseed oil and olive oil. Add essential oil of your choice to this mix. This scrub can be stored in a jar.

This scrub is well known for its exfoliating properties. It will help your skin relax from a tiring day. Oatmeal is granular in texture and hence, it helps in exfoliation while oils help in hydration. Sea salt helps remove dead skin cells and nourish the skin.

7. Plush Peppermint Scrub

Specially designed for foot, this is one of my favourites. It is quite easy to prepare too. If you have Epsom salt handy, it will work quite well as one of the ingredients. Take a cup of Epsom salt and mix it with an equal quantity of sea salt. A cup of baking soda needs to be added to this and around 10-15 drops of peppermint oil and just a teaspoon of tea tree oil. Tea tree oil is optional. However, I prefer it because it helps in preventing or getting rid of any infection. This is because tea tree oil has antibacterial properties. Mix all the ingredients in a glass jar. Just shake it well to use. Apply it after washing your feet with mild soap. Massage it for a while. Wash it with warm water.

This foot scrub has all the right ingredients to help your skin shine and soothe at the same time. if you constantly complain of rough heels, then the oil will help it smooth. Our feet face dirt and grime all day long. However, they are not washed as frequently as hands or face. Hence, this scrub will help remove dead skin cells that settle on our foot daily.

8. Easy Peasy Citrus Scrub

If you are not able to decide between salt and sugar, then this scrub will come to your rescue. You can interchange the ingredients here. Mix half a cup of sea salt (replace it with a cup of sugar if you want to) with half a cup of your favourite oil. Add a teaspoon of citrus zest to this mix. You can choose between olive, jojoba, coconut or even almond oil. This scrub requires the zest of citrus fruit. To get the zest, dry the peels of the citrus fruit of your choice. You can dry in the sun or keep it uncovered in the shade. When they dry up completely, you need to powder them in the mixer grinder. If you are not able to decide the fruit, take a mix of all of them. Take some scrub in your palms and rub on the skin. Make sure that you avoid the area around the eyes as this is a citrus scrub.

This is true ‘rise and shine’ scrub. It will wake your skin up and make it smile. The scrub has all the right ingredients. The citrus elements in the scrub give a glow to the skin along with a smell that helps you energize instantly. Sugar or salt helps in exfoliation. The oils used will give prolonged hydration to the skin.

Conclusion

Scrubs are the new way to get rid of routine pollution and dirt that we face. It is easy to prepare homemade face scrubs. It just requires a little massaging. Scrub massage not only helps in exfoliating the skin but also helps in blood circulation. I can understand that you get a little lazy in taking care of your precious skin. what you can do is prepare two to three types of scrubs in advance and store them in little glass jars (on days, when you are comparatively free). Now, whenever you need quick skin rejuvenation, pick up a jar and get going. Do not scrub your baby’s body with these scrubs as they might be abrasive to their delicate skin. We will discuss baby scrubs in another post. Till then, Happy Scrubbing!