Thursday, June 19, 2014

DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub


DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean
Homemade Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean

Despite the fact that winter's dry air is now well behind us, I noticed recently that I seemed to have retained a layer of crackly, alligator-like skin on my body.  I know from past experience that the best remedy for this has been to use a good sugar scrub in the shower a few times a week, but I didn't feel like spending a ridiculous amount of money for a tiny tub of product this time.  I've also been getting back into making more beauty and baby products at home since having Essley (you can see my DIY baby wipe recipe here).  It's easier than you think to avoid the harsh chemicals that come with a lot of store-bought skincare items just by whipping together recipes with things you already have in your pantry.

I decided to play around with my favorite skin care ingredient (organic coconut oil) and some other ingredients I had on hand.  Coconut oil and honey are both incredibly moisturizing, and are both naturally antimicrobial as well.  Sugar is an effective exfoliator that dissolves easily and isn't as harsh as salt.  And pure vanilla extract makes the everything smell amazing.  After some experimenting, I came up with the best sugar scrub I've ever used.  I'm not kidding you guys - my skin feels luxuriously soft now, and this stuff smells good enough to eat.  (Go ahead, taste it too.  It's delicious - like a freshly baked coconut cookie.) 

Homemade Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean

YOU WILL NEED:
  • 1 cup organic coconut oil
  • 2 cups organic white sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons organic honey
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • mason jar

Homemade Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean
DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean

1. In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until liquified. (Coconut oil is usually found in solid form.  If you live in a warm location or it's summer, your coconut oil may already be liquid, in which case you can omit this step.)

DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean

2. Pour the liquid coconut oil into a small mixing boil.  Stir in the sugar, honey, and vanilla extract with a fork until completely blended.  TIP: If the mixture gets too hard, use your hands.  It's the quickest way to get your ingredients blended evenly, and you'll be exfoliating and moisturizing your hands while you're at it!

DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean

3. Transfer your mixture to a mason jar and scrub that skin!  TIP: Make sure to shut lid tightly after each use.  The more airtight your container, the fresher the scrub will stay.  Use within 2-3 months for best results.

DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean
DIY Vanilla Coconut Moisturizing Sugar Scrub // Bubby and Bean
 photo DIYCoconutOilHoneySugarScrub_zps206408c6.png


I love this sugar scrub so much that I'm going to start making it to give as gifts as well.  If you try it, let me know how you like it!

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16 comments:

  1. So cool, thanks for sharing:)
    Pinning for later!

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  2. Making that this morning! I am going to smell delicious, thanks!

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  3. Sounds good enough to eat. Thanks so much for the instructions. :)

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  4. Great tutorial! Gonna do this for myself...and I'm feeling Christmas gifts coming on!

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  5. I should try this because the older I get, the drier and more sensitive my skin gets. Also, I'm wary of commercial exfoliants for a couple reasons. One, I think the thick goupy stuff clogs up drains. And two, some of those ingredients are not good for the environment either. I read a study not too long ago about those tiny plastic micro beads in lots of facial soap and shower gels and they found them in large concentrations in Lake Erie. I can't find the original article I read but here's another one: http://ecowatch.com/2013/10/28/study-shows-plastic-microbeads-facial-scrubs-pollute-great-lakes/

    Most major manufacturers have agreed to phase them out. One even said they hadn't really thought about the life of the product after it's intended use, which is something we really can't afford to do anymore, you know?

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    1. I just read something about that! It's so awful. Ingredient lists on so many commercial skin products terrify me, especially exfoliants. It's so easy to make them at home with sugar, which is so gentle on your skin.

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  6. Ahhh! Love this post! I'm going to try a batch this weekend! You have an amazing blog!

    GlamStarVintage

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  7. Gaaaaah this looks so yummy!! My skin is super dry too, can't wait to try this.

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  8. This sounds like it smells sooooooo damn good!

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  9. This looks really fantastic, Melissa! Especially for me, I seem to suffer from chronic dry skin. And yay, I have all these ingredients at home - can't wait to try this!! <3

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  10. Oh my gosh - I should say this but I can't help myself, this sugar scrub almost sounds (and looks!) good enough to eat. I'm not much of a DIY girl (not to mention that my bathroom is absolutely overflowing with scrums, creams, lotions and potions) but I'm still pretty tempted to give this recipe a go :)
    xox,
    Cee

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  11. I love this! It will work so great for my skin!! I love DIY's and this is a must try!! :)

    http://abeautifulheart07.blogspot.com/

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  12. Thanks for your comments everyone! It makes me happy that so many of you are going to try this. You'll be glad you did, promise!

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  13. Sounds great! I love all natural skin care :)

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  14. Love this post! It looks simple and I'm sure it will be effective too. Can't wait to try this and I can smell the sweet flavor already :-p
    Sandra

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