Essential Oil DIY Face Exfoliator and Body Scrubs

Chances are, you’ve at least seen one headline touting the benefits of using face exfoliators or a body scrub. While the benefits of using a scrub are well-known, many find that making DIY homemade scrubs can be a daunting, messy, and disappointing process with all the varying information and recipes available. You may wonder, what exactly does a scrub offer to your skincare routine and how often should you exfoliate?

You’ll find different answers if you research this because, when it comes down to it, we are all different. Some of us have sensitive skin, while others may have oily or acne-prone skin. Some people need more moisture than others, and some people want to focus on fine lines and wrinkles. Because we all need or want something different from our skincare routine, the same product will not work for all of us. The good news is that, with a little bit of information, you can determine what ingredients work best for your skin.

How can natural face exfoliators and body scrubs make you feel glowing and radiant?

What do face exfoliators and body scrubs do? Exfoliation is when you use an abrasive material (such as sugar, salt, or sand) or chemical (such as fruit juice, milk, or natural acids) to break down, scrub, and slough away dead skin, dirt, and bacteria along with the outermost layer of your skin.

How often should you exfoliate? While scrubbing off this outer layer of skin can help new, refreshed and younger skin cells emerge more quickly, exfoliating too often can lead to sensitivity, redness, and irritation. It will vary on the type of exfoliant you use, but most skin care experts agree exfoliating more than once a week can be damaging and risky. There may be rare circumstances where exfoliating more often can be helpful, but is not recommended unless specifically directed by a trusted healthcare professional. Best bet is to stick to once a week.

What are the proven benefits of exfoliating regularly? Body scrubs will naturally promote an increase in circulation and lymph movement in your body. Lymph fluid moves toxins and bacteria out of the body. This is important since the lymphatic system has no pump – it relies solely on when you move your body or massage areas where lymph fluid flows.

Removing the outer layer of skin also allows a bright and healthy layer of new skin cells to emerge – a result that you can see almost immediately after your first scrub. It’s not uncommon for people to feel as if they are glowing after each scrub. This refreshing of skin cells and the additional circulation from massage can also minimize the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and cellulite.

Lastly, massaging your skin and muscles with a scrub in a hot shower or bath increases relaxation and helps dispel tension. The addition of essential oils to your scrub can help influence your mood to promote calm, focus, and peace.

What to use for a DIY Face exfoliator and body scrub base?

So now that you know all the great reasons exfoliate – what should you exfoliate with? There are many different options, but for a safe, effective scrub, a good choice is probably already in your pantry.

For a scrub base, sugar and salt are both natural, eco-friendly ingredients that will not damage your skin if used sparingly (once per week). Salt and sugar are abrasive, but will also melt in water and heat, and will gently slough skin away. Plastic microbeads should never be used because they will not biodegrade and are wreaking havoc on marine environments and animals.

It is also important to remember that your skin will behave differently and will require different nourishment at different times of the year. In the summer air is warmer and more moist, and skin is exposed to more sun damage. However, in the winter the air becomes drier and colder, and your skin may need something more gentle.

Remember: no matter what your exfoliation blend includes, follow up every scrub with a healthy layer of moisturizer to nourish and protect the delicate new skin you’ve just exposed. You can also add toners and hydrosols before moisturizing for extra benefits and even more hydration.

Salt is more abrasive – beneficial for body scrubs, normal or rough (feet) skin, and oily/acne-prone facial types; calming for eczema and psoriasis. While you may think salt would be drying to the skin, the opposite is actually true. Salt helps to balance oil levels while also opening pores to improve circulation and water absorption. Salt scrubs are helpful to relieve dry and itchy skin, as well as soothe skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Rather than use table salt, which is just sodium and chloride, you can use either sea salt or Himalayan pink salts as these salts will have unique mineral compounds that are beneficial to the skin. Epsom salts are also beneficial for the skin, but are coarse and difficult to blend in a scrub, and the magnesium, takes time to absorb into the skin, making them better for soaking than scrubbing.

Sugar – good for face exfoliators; normal, dry, and sensitive skin; more gentle & hydrating; helps repair sun damage. Sugar is a natural humectant (it attracts moisture from the environment, pulling it into the skin), and will be more moisturizing than salt. It also has a lower melting/dissolving point, so it will be gentler to your skin. Sugar contains glycolic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid that is often used to treat sunburns, since it breaks down the connection between skin cells and promotes faster regeneration.

Different sugars can be beneficial for different skin types and conditions: brown sugar is softer, making it a better choice for facial scrubs and/or sensitive skin; raw sugar is more coarse and is usually only used on the body, if at all; and granulated sugar is beneficial for all skin types.

Recipes for Homemade Face Exfoliators and Body Scrubs
At Essential 3, we love a good scrub, so we tested out several recipes and came up with our favorite base – one that’s not too oily, stays mixed, and is easy to scoop out and rub into your skin without getting sugar, salt, and oil everywhere. Then we added some essential oil blends to turn our weekly exfoliation sessions into an aromatherapy spa escape.

DIY Scrub Base:
We found that the best base came from ultra-fine sugar or salt mixed with just enough oil to make it “clumpy.” This creates a mixture that stays combined, is easy to scoop out and apply, and does not leave an excess of oil on the shower or bath floor. To make your own personalized scrub, mix 1 batch of base with 10-15 drops of essential oil.

1 cup salt or sugar (OR ½ cup each)
1 Tbsp carrier oil (Sweet Almond, Fractionated Coconut, Jojoba, Rosehip, or Olive Oil are all beneficial to skincare)
*Store in an airtight container, in a cool, dark place when not in use. You can add 1 liquid Vitamin E capsule to each batch as a natural preservative. Each batch should last for approximately one month of weekly exfoliation.

Face Exfoliator Base
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp Sweet Almond oil

Sensitive Base
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup fine granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Jojoba oil

Soothing Eczema Base
1 cup extra fine sea salt
1 Tbsp Fractionated Coconut oil

Summer Body Scrub Base
½ cup extra fine sea salt
½ cup fine granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Calendula oil

Winter Body Scrub Base
1 cup fine granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Sweet Almond oil

Combination Skin Base
½ cup extra fine sea salt
½ cup fine granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Jojoba oil

Optional: 15-20 drops essential oil(s) or blend.

Essential oils we recommend:
For normal skin: Rose, Neroli, Lavender, Frankincense, Geranium, Sandalwood, German Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Carrot Seed
For oily skin: Lavender, Geranium, Neroli
For dry skin: Rose, Frankincense, Sandalwood, German Chamomile, Carrot Seed
For sensitive skin: Rose, Frankincense, Sandalwood, German Chamomile
For blemished skin: Lavender, German Chamomile
For mature skin: Rose, Neroli, Lavender, Frankincense, Sandalwood, German Chamomile, Carrot Seed

For a blend, use e3 Skin Care Blend, Female Harmony, Revitalize

Download our 23-second video to make sure you have the best consistency in your base: Facial Exfoliator and Body Scrub Base Consistency

Aromatherapy Body Scrub Blends

Lovers’ Bath Scrub
Love yourself and each other more – this scrub makes a perfect addition to a solo or couple’s massage/bath to promote sensuality and a healthy libido.

1 Batch sugar or salt scrub base
15 drops e3 Adventurous essential oil blend

Stress Relief Scrub
Unwind and refocus while you rejuvenate your skin to turn your weekly exfoliation into an aromatherapy spa experience.

1 Batch sugar or salt scrub base
15 drops e3 Stress Relief or Peace essential oil blend

Brighten My Day Scrub
Scrub away bad moods and dead skin to leave you glowing inside and and out.

1 Batch sugar or salt scrub base
15 drops e3 Pick Me Up or Revitalize essential oil blend

Bedtime Bliss Scrub
A warm bath or shower with a soothing aromatherapy scrub is the perfect way to relax and prepare yourself for a good night’s sleep.

1 Batch sugar or salt scrub base
15 drops e3 Sleeptime or Relax essential oil blend.

Seasonal Favorites

Summer After-Sun Scrub
1 Cup fine granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Calendula carrier oil
15 drops Lavender EE
5 drops Peppermint USA

Winter Warming Scrub
1 Cup fine granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Golden Jojoba carrier oil
10 drops Frankincense
5 drops Myrrh
5 drops Pine Needle

Springtime Freshness Scrub
1 Batch sugar or salt scrub base
10 drops Clary Sage
5 drops Lavender
5 drops e3 Sandalwood Blend

Fall Spice Scrub
1 Batch sugar or salt scrub base
5 drops Clove Bud
3 drops Lemon
3 drops Cinnamon
2 drops Eucalyptus Radiata
2 drops Rosemary

Give these essential oil DIY face exfoliator and body scrub recipes a try and let us know what you think. Do you have a question or a suggestion you’d like to share with us? Pop over to our e3 Facebook page and share it with us. And if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to sign-up for our newsletter and receive a 20% discount coupon. Make sure to the check the box if you also want to receive DIY Recipes in your inbox once a month.