4 DIY Body Scrubs

4 Homemade Body Scrubs Almost Good Enough to Eat

With a few simple, skin-friendly ingredients, you can make a body scrub that's moisturizing, detoxifying, and a real feast for the senses.

By Dr. Jessica Wu

Many ingredients from your kitchen can be used to make yummy-smelling face, body, and foot scrubs at home. Start with a skin-friendly exfoliant, such as oatmeal, cornmeal, sugar, or salt. Then choose a moisturizing, binding ingredient. I recommend honey and avocado, which are nonirritating emollients, for the face. Olive or coconut oil will work well on the body and feet, especially on dry, scaly, or flaky skin. However, if you tend to get breakouts on your chest or back, skip the oils and stick with honey or yogurt.
You can add other ingredients as well, such as fresh citrus juice (which acts as an astringent) or cucumber (which soothes skin). For a more aromatic scrub, add some fresh herbs or a few drops of skin-friendly essential oil. I love dessert, so I like cinnamon or vanilla in my scrubs — if you’re a chocoholic, try adding cocoa!
Below are a few recipes to get you started on your own scrubs:

Simple Cinnamon-Vanilla-Oatmeal Facial Scrub
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon plain yogurt

Cornmeal-Citrus Facial Scrub
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed citrus juice (lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit)
2 teaspoons honey
1 drop ylang-ylang essential oil (optional)
1 drop ginger essential oil (optional)

Avocado-Strawberry-Sugar Body Scrub
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup mashed avocado
1/4 cup mashed strawberry
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup minced fresh basil
1 drop rose essential oil (optional)

Rosemary, Mint & Salt Foot Scrub
1 cup coarse sea salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary (remove leaves from stalk)
1 cup minced fresh mint
3 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)
Mix ingredients together and gently scrub your face, body, or feet. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry.