Homemade Christmas: Vanilla Sugar Scrub

While the majority of our homemade Christmas gifts were edible this year, I wanted to try making something for the girls besides more candy.

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I thought about doing flavored olive oils, but after seeing that I had some leftover Ball Jars from this summer, I decided to make a homemade sugar scrub they could use this winter to keep their skin silky smooth.

My little sister used it the other day and told me her hands were incredibly soft! I’m so excited it actually worked, because it was the easiest thing I’ve ever made.

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Vanilla Sugar Scrub

To make one 1/2 pint jar:

  • About 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 – 1 cup light, unscented oil (i.e., safflower, etc)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  1. Pour sugar into jar until it’s about 1” from the top of the jar.
  2. Add 1-2 Tbsp of oil – it will sit on the top of the sugar at first, just be patient! You’ll need to keep adding oil, a little at a time, and wait for it to seep down into the sugar.
  3. Keep adding oil and waiting until you can stir the sugar to get it all coated with oil.
  4. Once you have enough oil in the jar, stir in the vanilla, add any additional (if you need more), and put the lid on.

15 comments

  1. I love this idea girl! I am an exfoliating junkie. I bet this smells amazing.

    • Yes, it does!

      I thought about buying fancy essential oils, but I wasn’t sure what scents every one would like and they’re $10 for each little jar! So I just used vanilla – and I’m glad I did. So much more subtle than peppermint or lavender.

  2. Oooh, good idea Brandi! I sort of want to make this for myself. I might use cinnamon extract though :)

  3. What an awesome idea. I’ll have to remember this.

  4. I made all of my Christmas gifts this year too. This idea is a great addition for next year :) So simple, yet thoughtful!

  5. What a great gift idea! I might have to do that next year!

  6. This is awesome! I’m going to make this for every birthday this year!!! :)

    Jen

  7. I made a salt scrub for my mother a year or so ago and agree with you, they are SO easy to make. I ended up going with some grapefruit essential oils that I found in whole foods. The essential oils are actually pretty moderately priced there. I was SHOCKED at how easy and cheap it was to make. It makes you never want to buy a packaged scrub again.

  8. I love how easy most homemade beauty products are. There’s a bag of coarse salt in our shower, which I’m pretty sure is one of my housemate’s DIY exfoliating experiment. Yours probably smells better!

  9. I have never made a beauty product. I have to try this :) It would be a perfect gift for my girlfriends!

  10. I used to have a big jar of vanilla scrub from Bath and Body Works and absolutely loved it. I never thought of making it myself- how amazing! Thank you! :)

  11. I made a scrub last year for Christmas and it was a total bust – yours looks so much better! I’ll be saving this one.

  12. Looove this idea!! Homemade is always best in my opinion.

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