This homemade sugar scrub paste recipe boasts a luxurious, creamy texture that you’ll love dipping your fingers into! Perfect for use in the shower, this scrub is formulated to leave your skin feeling smooth and pampered, without any greasy effect.

Benefits of Surfactants in Homemade Sugar Scrub Recipes

Thanks to the presence of SLSA, a mild and gentle surfactant, the scrub forms a soft, rich, and velvety milk upon contact with water, spreading easily without leaving any greasiness. After rinsing, your skin will be smooth and soft without a greasy residue, making it ideal for exfoliating not only your body but also your hands. You won't have to worry about any oily or sticky residues that could be bothersome.
If you want, you can replace it with SCI.

The Magic of Cetearyl Alcohol for Texture

Its luxurious consistency of this homemade sugar scrub is due to cetearyl alcohol, which creates an oleogel with a rich, velvety, and very pleasant texture. I love how it enhances the feel of the formulas that contain it! Cetearyl alcohol rinses off well, which is crucial for this type of cosmetic. It is similar to cetyl alcohol but richer.

Achieving the Perfect Consistency

Keep in mind that the final consistency is achieved a few hours after preparation, as the cetearyl alcohol takes some time to form the lipogel. Immediately after making the exfoliant, the consistency is fluffier. The next day, it becomes slightly firmer while still maintaining its creaminess.

Anti-Inflammatory and Soothing Ingredients

To counteract potential side effects of exfoliation, such as skin irritation, I've added anti-inflammatory, soothing, and regenerating oils like calendula and rice bran oil. Feel free to use other similar oils or infused oils, like chamomile-infused oil, if you wish.

Alpha-bisabolol was also included for its anti-inflammatory and regenerating properties, along with vitamin E to delay the oxidation of oils. Additionally, I added a touch of lavender essential oil, which is soothing and has a universally pleasant aroma.

Choosing the Right Exfoliant

For exfoliation, we'll use sugar, which dissolves easily in contact with water and doesn't clog pipes. Its grain size is suitable for the body. You can use it for the face as well, but a gentler exfoliant like jojoba beads or orange peel powder would be preferable.
Looking for more DIY sugar scrub recipes with sugar? Try my lip balm and sugar scrub duo, my Barbiecore lip scrub and my body solid sugar scrub bar formulas.

Preserving Your Homemade Sugar Scrub?

Oil-based cosmetics don’t typically require preservatives, but since this homemade sugar scrub is used in the shower and may come into contact with water, I added a liposoluble preservative (Naticide) as a precaution. If you don’t have it (as liposoluble preservatives can be hard to find), you can omit it.

Gentle Homemade Sugar Scrub Paste Recipe

These are the ingredients you'll need in order to make your homemade sugar scrub:

Hot Phase:

• Cetearyl alcohol: 17g - 17%
• Rice bran oil: 36g - 36%
• Calendula oil: 20g - 20%

Cold Phase:

• Alpha-bisabolol: 0.5g - 0.5%
• Vitamin E: 0.5g - 0.5%
• Lavender essential oil: 0.4g - 0.4%
• Sugar: 15g - 15%
• SLSA (Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate): 10g - 10%
• Naticide preservative: 0.6g - 0.6% (optional)
  
  

Procedure:

• Melt Ingredients: Begin by melting the cetearyl alcohol and rice bran oil in a double boiler.
  
  
• Add Calendula Oil: Once the cetearyl alcohol has fully melted, incorporate the calendula oil. This step prevents overheating and potential damage to the calendula-infused oil. Mix thoroughly.
  
  
• Cool and Combine: Remove the mixture from heat. When it cools to around 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), add the cold phase ingredients. Stir well until you achieve a dense, creamy consistency.
  
  
• Pour and Store: Transfer the final mixture into a container. Your homemade sugar scrub is ready!

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