Welcome, readers! This extensive introduction to body scrubs is perfect for those who are wanting to know more about body scrubs, whether you want to make them for yourself, gift them, sell them for a business, or simply be able to make better informed purchases when you buy body scrubs. We will be getting into the following information:
Without further adieu, let’s get into it!
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A body scrub is a scrub for the body (as the name suggests) that uses a chosen physical exfoliant to remove dead skin cells, built up oil, dirt, and other nastiness from the surface of your skin. This often leaves your skin feeling softer, smoother, and generally refreshed, with the added benefit of smelling nice (if the scrub is scented).
There’s tons of benefits of using body scrubs! In general, scrubs are used to smoothen the skin, scrub of nasty built-up dead skin, and assist in moisture retention. However, there’s tons of variation in how people make body scrubs, and this in what they’re used for, so here are some examples to show a wider scope of body scrub usage:
After wetting your skin (ideally letting your skin soften under warm water for a few minutes), scoop up a bit of the scrub with your fingers, spread it across your hands, then gently rub onto the body using circular motions for up to 30 seconds.
Body scrubs can be used on the face, but users should be careful to only use face-specific scrubs, as regular body scrubs are often too abrasive for the face. Face scrubs usually use chemical exfoliants or very soft physical exfoliants such as microbeads, oats, or brown sugar.
It is generally recommended to not use a body scrub after shaving, as it may irritate your skin. Scrubs are typically used 1-3 times a week. Overuse of a body scrub (especially of a particularly abrasive one) can cause irritation and microtears on the skin.
For the base, salt and sugar are by far the most popular choices. Whatever you use, just make sure that it is finely ground, not coarse. For salt, common choices are sea salt, himalayan salt, table salt, and even epsom salt. For sugars, use white/granulated sugar or brown sugar. (Do NOT use powdered/icing sugar, because powder has no exfoliating properties.)
Sugar scrubs are gentler on the skin and are generally used all over the body. They also help to condition and moisturize the skin. Salt scrubs are more abrasive and tend to be used to soften feet and elbows, and to clean and detoxify armpits.
For more information about whether a salt or sugar exfoliant base suits your needs, check out our Salt vs Sugar Scrubs post! There we discuss all the general information, benefits, and differences to help determine what works best for you.
Other options include coffee grounds, pumice, ground macadamia, and oats. Some manufacturers use microbeads in their scrubs. I personally do not use these as they are not environmentally friendly, but if that is what your skin prefers then there is nothing wrong about that.
There are also chemical exfoliants such as glycolic acid and salicylic acid, however this post focuses on physical exfoliants.
The main purpose of oils and butters in body scrubs is to act as a lubricant, helping to spread the scrub across your skin. Otherwise, you would just be rubbing dry salt or sugar into your skin (ouch).
Oils are the more beginner-friendly option for body scrubs because most people already have a skin-safe oil in their kitchen. The most commonly used oil is coconut oil, but you can use any skin-safe oil that you happen to have around the house. Depending on your skin type (normal, dry, or oily) you may find that a variation of light oils and/or heavy oils works best for you.
If you want a thicker and smoother scrub, you could use butters in your formulation. Not pancake butter-butter, but butters that you use on your skin! The most popular choices for butters include shea butter, cocoa butter, and mango butter, but there are tons of options to choose from when developing your formulation.
The only difference between using oils or butters is that butters result in a thicker/harder scrub. Oils and butters are the liquid and solid versions of each other, with their defining quality being that they’re made of fats. Some people even use animal fat, with most formulators opting to use beef tallow.
These allow oil-based ingredients and water-based ingredients to properly mix. Without it, your beautifully mixed skincare concoction will separate and just be awkward jar roommates. In terms of body scrubs, using emulsifiers allows for:
With a formulation that includes water (or will have water introduced to it later), a preservative is also necessary in order to keep the product safe.
My preferred preservatives are Germall Plus and Optiphen, which are both broad spectrum preservatives and can be used on their own. (Broad spectrum means they are effective against bacteria, yeast, and mold. Some preservatives need to be combined with other preservatives to be completely effective against microbes and yeast.)
Even if you make a scrub without a water-based ingredient (puree, juice, etc), the scrub will still be introduced to water when you use it in the shower. Therefore, the best practice of utmost safety is to add a preservative to your formulation, especially if you plan to sell your scrubs.
Without the use of preservatives, you are risking the chance of microbial growth in your scrubs if you do not use it in a timely manner, namely within a week. If you intend to sell body scrubs, it is in your best interest to use a preservative to protect yourself and your customers from that risk. If you wish to not use preservatives, be sure to use your scrub within a few days of making it. This can be achieved by only making a little at a time.
On another note, vitamin E/tocopherol, various essential oils, etc are NOT preservatives! These are antioxidants, which work to prevent things from going rancid, but only preservatives can prevent bacterial and fungal growth.
Did you Know:
Experienced scrub makers know the risks of not including preservatives in their formulations, but will often still leave out preservatives in their products to cater to all-natural buyers. Which is understandable, but bacteria and fungus are also natural, and any preservative you choose to use is certainly healthier on your skin than bad varieties of microbes that are ready and willing to find a home in your scrubs.
While technically unnecessary, adding a fragrance changes the game of body products. While you can absolutely have a fragrance-free scrub, most people enjoy having that added element of luxury. You can use essential oils or fragrance oils for your scrubs.
For essential oils, my favorite suppliers are New Directions Aromatics and Edens Garden. For fragrance oils, my preferred suppliers are Nature’s Garden and Brambleberry. Be sure to check out the reviews on each essential oil or fragrance you’re interested in. Getting detailed information on safe usage is super important as well.
Micas or skin-safe dyes are generally used as colorants for body scrubs and other skincare products like lotion, soaps, and so on. My personal favorite supplier of skin-safe micas is Mad Micas, who only supplies ethical, cruelty-free, vegan mica powders. There are TONS of color options to choose from, and they are super affordable.
If you want to make a gift set, using colorants is perfect for customizing to fit the style you want.
“Additives” kind of sounds like a bad thing, as it is often associated with words like “filler” or “junk”. But that’s certainly not the case here! Depending on what special powers you want your scrub to have, you can make a scrub that caters
A fun way to incorporate these additives is to infuse your oils or butters with them! Just pick an oil, pick your additive, and choose your preferred method of infusion (cold or hot). Then use that infused oil/butter for your formulation. This is a common technique used by expert skincare formulators. However, the use of infused oils is also commonly seen in cooking. Check out Herbal Academy’s post on Hot vs Cold Infusions for a quick guide of this technique.
Now that you’ve made your scrub, you need to know how to store it! Most people reuse jars of previously purchased body scrubs. If you don’t have any, there’s tons of glass and plastic jars available online for purchase.
I want to caution against glass and metal containers. The glass will get wet and is more likely to slip and break, and metal can rust.
Make sure to store your scrub in an air-tight container, preferably where it can’t get wet when you’re not using it. Too much excess water in your scrub means that the preservative becomes less and less effective.
The shelf life of your scrub (and of anything you make) is the shelf life of the item with the shortest shelf life. For example (using made up numbers), if you use sugar with a shelf life of 2 years, coconut oil with a shelf life of 6 months, and lemon juice with a shelf life of 1 week, then your scrub has a shelf life of 1 week.
Now that you’re fully informed on all things body scrubs, you want to make your own scrubs? You’re just in luck! In this FREE body scrub recipe book, you’ll get beginner friendly body scrubs for every season. I’ve also included a guide of resources for getting started including ingredients, jars, application tools, and more!
You can purchase my extensive body scrub guide, “Ultimate Body Scrubs Guidebook – 20 Nourishing DIY Body Scrubs”.
In this premium guide, you’ll have access to 16 MORE recipes, with 5 total unique recipes for every season, along with a greater variety in formulations. Not only that, but I have created unique and printable labels for each scent, and have included a curated list of packaging ideas to top off the look of your scrubs.
Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you think below~~
