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5 Christmas: Sugar Scrubs

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5 Christmas: Sugar Scrubs

Pamper your skin with these 5 Christmas sugar scrubs! Made with just a few simple ingredients and ready in under 10 minutes, these scrubs will leave your skin glowing and refreshed. Plus, they make the perfect homemade Christmas gift!

We're always looking for a way to make our regular skincare DIYs festive and seasonal around Christmastime.

Homemade sugar scrub is a must-have recipe for keeping our skin healthy, fresh, and glowing.

It’s made even better with delicious holiday scents and pretty, festive colors!

These 5 Christmas sugar scrubs are our new holiday essentials. Each one smells amazing and leaves our skin feeling great.

Be sure to make plenty of extras to share! These scrubs make a beautiful homemade gift.

We're sure you’ll love them as much as we do, and so will your friends and family!

They’re on our list of homemade gifts for teachers, neighbors, and coworkers too, because a little jar with a ribbon around it is about the easiest gift there is.

Why You’ll Love Them

Homemade gift: Homemade gifts are such a fun way to be thrifty, thoughtful, and creative during the holidays! These sugar scrubs make a lovely homemade gift for nearly anyone on your list. Make them for a hostess gift, stocking stuffers, or add them to a Christmas gift basket.

Healthy skin: Exfoliation is an important part of skincare as it removes dead, dry skin and reveals the healthy, fresh skin underneath. You will love your skin after using sugar scrubs; we always notice a remarkable difference immediately after exfoliating!

Festive recipe: It’s so fun making seasonal recipes around the holidays! These sugar scrubs each have a unique look and scent that make it feel like Christmas.

5 jars with homemade christmas scrubs on a red striped towel.

Key Ingredients

  • Sugar: Sugar is a gentle abrasive that helps exfoliate dead, dry skin. We use regular organic white sugar. You can also use brown sugar for a gentler option or coconut sugar for a more abrasive scrub.
  • Jojoba oil: Jojoba oil will give the scrub its necessary texture and help moisturize and soothe the skin as you exfoliate. We chose jojoba oil because it’s a gentle, noncomedogenic oil with loads of benefits for the skin. Jojoba is moisturizing, antibacterial, and it has anti-aging properties.
  • Essential oils: Essential oils give these sugar scrubs their signature Christmas scents without any artificial fragrance.

5 Christmas Sugar Scrub Recipes

1. Cranberry Pine

If you love the smell of a fresh-cut Christmas tree, you will love this scrub. The piney scent of Douglas fir and spruce essential oils is uplifting and perfect for wintertime.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 1/2 tsp green mica powder
  • 4 drops Douglas fir essential oil
  • 4 drops spruce essential oil
A jar of Christmas tree sugar scrub with pinecones and red berries.

2. Candy Cane

We can’t get enough candy cane scent this time of year (that’s why we're also making peppermint bath salts and candy cane soap!). If you love the cooling scent of peppermint as much as we do, you’ll love this refreshing sugar scrub.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 1 tbsp red sprinkles
  • 10 drops peppermint essential oil
A jar of candy cane sugar scrub on a red and white towel with a candy cane and label tied to the jar.

3. Sugar Cookie

Who doesn’t want to smell like a Christmas sugar cookie fresh from the oven?! This sugar scrub has a sweet and citrusy smell that is incredibly warming and relaxing.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 3 drops vanilla essential oil
  • 3 drops orange essential oil
  • 2 drops lemon essential oil
  • 1 drop cassia essential oil
A jar of sugar cookie scrub with a label tied on with twine.

4. Chai Spice

This sugar scrub will have you craving a chai spice latte! The warm and spicy fragrance of real chai spice gives this scrub its delicious, comforting smell.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 1 tbsp chai spice
A jar of chai spice sugar scrub with a label tied on with twine and a beige towel.

5. Cinnamon Orange

Refreshing orange essential oil combines with the spicy scent of ground cinnamon in this invigorating sugar scrub. This scrub reminds me of hot cider or a holiday stovetop potpourri; it’s so cozy and comforting.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 oz) sugar
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 10 drops orange essential oil
A jar of orange cinnamon sugar scrub with dried orange sliced and cinnamon sticks on a wooden board.

How to Make Sugar Scrub

Stirring sugar scrub ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1. Combine the sugar and jojoba oil in a bowl and mix. Then add the essential oils, spices, and additional ingredients, and stir well.

Scooping sugar scrub into a glass jar with a spoon.

Step 2. When the ingredients are thoroughly combined, transfer the sugar scrub into an airtight jar and add a label.

How to Use Sugar Scrub

  1. Wet your skin with warm water and put a dime-sized scoop of sugar scrub in your palm.
  2. Gently scrub it into your skin and allow it to sit for 1-2 minutes.
  3. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.
  4. Follow up with some moisturizer. We like to use homemade face moisturizer on our face and homemade body cream on the rest of our skin.
Christmas sugar scrubs with handmade labels tied to the top.

Helpful Tips

  • These sugar scrubs can be used on your arms, legs, back, and face. It’s always a good idea to do a patch test first, especially if you have sensitive skin. Never use sugar scrub on broken or irritated skin.
  • Exfoliating with sugar scrub is very beneficial to your skin, but it’s important not to overdo it. Limit use to about twice per week.
  • These sugar scrubs make a lovely handmade Christmas gift. Feel free to get creative and dress up the jar as you like. We like to attach a label with twine and add a decoration such as a mini candy cane or a dried orange slice. You can use a different container, add a cloth jar cover, or anything else you can imagine!
  • Be sure to download your free printable labels for each sugar scrub in our membership resource library! These are especially helpful if you’ll be giving the scrubs as holiday gifts.

Recipe FAQs

Can we use sugar scrub on our face?

Sugar scrub is relatively gentle, even on tender skin around the face. It’s a good idea to do a patch test first, however. If you have very sensitive skin, brown sugar can be substituted as a gentler option. Yes, you can!

How long does homemade sugar scrub last?

If stored properly, sugar scrub will last up to a year. It’s important to store it in an airtight container so the scrub doesn’t dry out and harden.

Can we use a different oil?

Absolutely. You can substitute the jojoba oil with any other liquid carrier oil that works well for your skin type.

More Christmas DIYs

If you tried these Christmas Sugar Scrubs or any other tutorial on our website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

5 from 1 vote

5 Christmas Sugar Scrubs

By the studio Ascher Active: 10 minutes minsTotal: 10 minutes mins Yield: 1 Jar (8 oz.) Christmas sugar scrubs with handmade labels tied to the top. SaveSaved Pin Print Pamper your skin and enjoy the holiday season with these festive Christmas sugar scrubs! Easy to make and lovely to use, sugar scrubs make great homemade gifts.

Equipment

  • 8-ounce jars

Ingredients

Christmas Tree

  • 1 cup sugar, 8 oz
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • ½ tsp green mica powder
  • 4 drops douglas fir essential oil
  • 4 drops spruce essential oil

Candy Cane

  • 1 cup sugar, 8 oz
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 1 tbsp red sprinkles
  • 10 drops peppermint essential oil

Sugar Cookie

  • 1 cup sugar, 8 oz
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 3 drops vanilla essential oil, or vanilla fragrance
  • 3 drops orange essential oil
  • 2 drops lemon essential oil
  • 1 drop cassia essential oil

Chai Spice

  • 1 cup sugar, 8 oz
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • 1 tbsp chai spice

Cinnamon Orange

  • 1 cup sugar, 8 oz
  • 0.5 oz jojoba oil
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 10 drops orange essential oil
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Instructions

  • Combine sugar and jojoba oil in a small mixing bowl.
  • Add essential oils and spices (if applicable) and stir well.
  • Transfer to an airtight jar and add a label.

Notes

To use sugar scrub: Wet the skin with warm water and gently rub the sugar scrub in. Allow it to sit on the skin for a minute or two before rinsing with warm water. Pat dry and moisturize. These sugar scrubs can be used on your arms, legs, back, and face. It’s always a good idea to do a patch test first, especially if you have sensitive skin. Never use sugar scrub on broken or irritated skin. Limit use to about twice per week. Be sure to download your free printable labels for each sugar scrub in our membership resource library! These are especially helpful if you’ll be giving them as holiday gifts. Tried this recipe?Mention @our_oily_house or tag #ouroilyhouse! This recipe is for your own viewing pleasure and is not meant for healing purposes. Readers must perform their own research and tests before making any recipe.

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