Make Every Type of Sugar Scrub at Home (Basic, Emulsified & Whipped)

You’re about to become the person who casually whips up gorgeous, spa-level sugar scrubs right in your kitchen. And honestly? It’s much easier than you think. Today you’ll learn how to make three types: the ultra-fast two-ingredient version we all start with, the luxurious emulsified scrub that feels like a body cream, and the whipped foaming sugar scrub that looks and feels like something straight from a boutique skincare line.

Grab your sugar, your oils, and a moment of curiosity. Your countertop is about to turn into a little spa workshop.

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Shopping List

For convenience I have listed the products I use when making homemade sugar scrubs.

Step 1: The Two-Ingredient Starter Scrub

Let’s start with the scrub that started them all. You only need granulated sugar and an oil you love. Almond oil is dreamy because it’s light, silky, and smells gently nutty, but coconut, jojoba, or olive oil all work beautifully.

Scoop 200 grams (about 1 cup) of sugar into a bowl. Pour in 50 grams (about ¼ cup) of oil. Stir with a spoon until every grain is glossy and coated. What you want is the texture of damp beach sand soft, moldable, and slightly crumbly. Spoon it into a clean jar and admire how quickly you just made a body scrub from scratch.

Use it on damp skin in the shower and rinse well. Since this one has no preservative, treat it like fresh food: keep water out of the jar to avoid contamination.

Step 2: The Emulsified Luxe Version

Now we’re getting fancy. Emulsified scrubs are what you find in high-end spas: they spread like a cream, exfoliate gently, and rinse away without leaving a greasy layer. This happens because the oils are combined with emulsifiers ingredients that help them behave like lotion when they touch water.

In a heat-safe bowl, combine 40 g mango butter, 30 g cocoa butter, 30 g almond oil, 30 g fractionated coconut oil, 8 g BTMS-25 or BTMS-50, and 4 g cetyl alcohol. Warm everything slowly until fully melted. Stir occasionally and enjoy the scent it’s like dessert without the sugar.

Remove from heat and whisk until the mixture looks glossy. Add 1 g Optiphen, 1 g vitamin E oil, and if you love a hint of aroma or color, add a few drops of lavender essential oil and a whisper of mica.

Now fold in 80 g of granulated sugar. The mixture will look soft and frosting-like. Let it cool and thicken. By the next day, you’ll have a smooth, creamy scrub that rinses clean and leaves skin velvet-soft. Once you try an emulsified scrub, it’s hard to go back.

Step 3: The Whipped Foaming Sugar Scrub

This one is for anyone who wants a skincare moment. It’s light, airy, bubbly, and ridiculously fun to use. Think whipped soap meets sugar scrub.

In a heat-safe bowl, combine 36 g SCI (your foaming surfactant), 20 g cocamidopropyl betaine, 15 g glycerin, 10 g sorbitol, 10 g mango butter, 8 g emulsifying wax such as Olivem 1000, 6 g stearic acid, and 14 g fractionated coconut oil. Melt everything slowly, stirring until the mixture turns into a smooth, shiny gel.

Remove from heat and let it cool until it looks opaque and thickened. Stir in: 1 g preservative Eco and 1 g vitamin E oil. Optional: add your dream scent and a touch of mica for color.

Now for the fun part: whip it! Use a hand mixer to beat the mixture until it turns fluffy and creamy, like whipped buttercream. When it reaches cloud-like perfection, fold in 80 g of granulated sugar (affiliate) and a teaspoon of poppy seeds for extra polish.

Spoon it into jars and swoop the top for a perfect swirl. This scrub cleanses, exfoliates, and leaves your skin soft and lightly scented.

More Sugar Scrubs

Using Your Homemade Scrubs

For basic and emulsified scrubs, scoop a small amount onto damp skin, massage in gentle circles, and rinse. The whipped foaming scrub lathers as you use it, so it doubles as a cleanser a perfect morning pick-me-up.

Once you’ve made all three, you’ll know exactly which one feels right for your mood, your skin, or even your gifting list. Homemade scrubs aren’t just skincare they’re a whole experience. And now you can make them anytime you like.

Make Every Type of Sugar Scrub at Home (Basic, Emulsified & Whipped)