Two Ingredient Sugar Face Scrub

on January 28, 2013
in All Posts

I was so not a ‘bath person.’  Then I had a baby, and now I am 100% a bath person.  My love affair with baths started when I began to give Henry ‘big boy’ baths.  It looked so fun and relaxing that after I tucked him into bed, I would go take my own bath.  And that’s when I discovered that baths rule!  It’s peaceful and quiet, and I get to read a book.  Sometimes I even eat dinner in the bathtub.  That explains the quinoa stuck around the edges.

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You think I’m joking, but I’m not.

 

Anyway, part of my bath routine is giving myself a nice sugar face scrub.  Remember when I gave up all forms of primping for 60 days last year?  As a result, I don’t own a lot of beauty products anymore. Lots of stuff got tossed in the aftermath of The Naked Face Project, and I never replaced my near-empty tubes of moisture and creams.  But this winter has been rough on my skin, especially my face.  So dry and scratchy!  This two-ingredient face scrub has been a lifesaver because I always have the supplies on hand.

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It’s super simple:

 

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted for 20 seconds in microwave

3 tablespoons white sugar

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Combine, rub on your damp face, and make little circle motions while you read a good book in the bath tub. I’m really in love Divergent right now!

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Actually, my two ingredient face scrub has four ingredients because I like to add in a drop of vanilla extract and a dash of cinnamon.  Not sure these ingredients ‘do anything,’ but they sure smell nice.  And yeah… I eat the scrub off my fingers when I’m done rubbing it into my face…

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I let it sit on my face for about 10 minutes and then rinse it off.  I don’t use a soap.  The nice thing about this scrub is that the sugar acts as an exfoliator while the coconut oil acts as a moisturizer.  Your skin will feel SO soft when you’re done. I only do this at night because then I can go to bed with a coconutty face.

 

I make it in small batches (and keep any leftovers in the fridge) because coconut oil is expensive.  I’ve seen other recipes online that use olive oil; if you were seeking a total body scrub, I’d go with olive oil just because of cost.

 

As I tell Henry all the time… I may not have toys in my bathtub, but I do have sugar face scrubs, books, and glass of wine.  It’s hard to get me out of the bathtub these days.

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Booyah.

{ 81 comments }

 

  • Alex @ Raw Recovery January 28, 2013, 11:59 am

    Vanilla actually calms the skin and can help with any redness…so it is doing something!

  • Lee January 28, 2013, 12:02 pm

    My husband takes a bath every day instead of a shower!

  • April January 28, 2013, 12:10 pm

    I am not much of a bath person. This week end my body gave into a cold, so I took a bath with essential oils. My youngest daughter came in and asked what I was doing. I told her “trying to take a relaxing bath.” She said, “Where’s the candles? You need candles for a relaxing bath.” No sweetie, I need to be left alone for a bit to take a relaxing bath.

    • Caitlin January 28, 2013, 12:16 pm

      Bawhahahhahahahahha!!!

  • Sarah W. January 28, 2013, 12:11 pm

    If you or somebody you know has a costco membership – ask them to pick up the HUGE tub of coconut oil! Its a BARGAIN!

    the tiny jar from TJ’s is about $6.

    Costco’s is $16.99 for 54oz of the glorious stuff.

    I use it for scrambling eggs and cooking. But you can be sure that once my current face scrub runs out, I’m making my own with lime, coconut oil and sugar!! #winning

    • BeepieRuns January 28, 2013, 12:44 pm

      I was just going to say the same thing! I buy those tubs at Costco too – but here it’s $15.99 (yay!) I use it for EV – ER – Y – THING! My husband jokes that it’s a magic elixir 🙂

      • Claire January 28, 2013, 1:42 pm

        I know… I seriously can’t imagine buying things like quinoa, coconut oil, almond butter, various organic canned goods etc. etc. at a place like TJ’s. The prices just seem astronomical in comparison to Costco! My grocery budget would be ridiculous if I shopped there.

  • Nina January 28, 2013, 12:18 pm

    The sugar scrub is great, but you may want to reconsider your stance on moisturizers, especially in winter when your skin can chap. One with SPF could really be beneficial for your skin! Maybe WF or EF has a good natural line?

    • Caitlin January 28, 2013, 12:25 pm

      I’m thinking you’re right! Thanks to winter + breastfeeding hormones, my skin is dyin.

      • Casey January 28, 2013, 2:56 pm

        I definitely agree–I think a daily moisturizer is a must for healthy skin during all seasons, even if you don’t want to wear makeup. I wouldn’t consider a daily face lotion a “beauty product”—I consider it as essential as a daily shower! One containing SPF is definitely a must.

        • Faith A. January 28, 2013, 5:28 pm

          I just had to chime in to agree with this – especially on the SPF. I can’t imagine not using a moisturizer as a dry skinned person – it’s not vanity, taking good care of your skin is important to your overall health. And it’s def. important to use SPF year round – treat yourself to a new bottle, you deserve to have nice, SPF’ed, non chapped skin. 😉

          • Ali January 29, 2013, 8:18 pm

            Like you, I try to stay away from all the synthetic stuff – I seem to react to pretty much everything! It doesn’t have SPF, but I use straight-up jojoba oil on my face. It’s pretty inexpensive from TJs, and a little goes a looong way. I love that it’s totally unscented and only has one (natural) ingredient. Woo!

          • KateEKat April 24, 2013, 12:21 pm

            Coconut oil naturally has SPF 7 with no additives

  • Helene @healthyfrenchie January 28, 2013, 12:37 pm

    I ahven’t taken a bath in ages! But one of my friends got me some natural bubble bath product for my birthday so I should take the time!
    Wine and a book sounds ideal right now! What is this book about?
    Also, cinnamon is really good for your blood flow so it is doing something 🙂
    Love that the scrub is also edible 😉

  • Sarah @ Yogi in Action January 28, 2013, 12:47 pm

    haha I love that you eat the scrub off of your fingers- that sounds like a great perk of making your own scrub.

    I love baths, especially during winter. It’s just so nice to have a hot bath, as it’s pretty much the only time you can do absolutely nothing for an extended period of time.

    I will definitely be making that scrub- and a bath is never complete without a glass of wine 😉

  • Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed January 28, 2013, 12:47 pm

    I’m in love with coconut oil!

  • Lauren @ Eat Like An Elephant January 28, 2013, 1:02 pm

    I have a big jar of coconut oil sitting in my pantry and I’ve been seriously needing some new uses for it. Definitely going to try the scrub!

  • Vikki January 28, 2013, 1:08 pm

    Popping in to say that Divergent is awesome. And after you finish that series, you should read Paranormalcy….That is all.

  • Alexis January 28, 2013, 1:14 pm

    I need to make this!

  • Natalie @ Free Range Human January 28, 2013, 1:25 pm

    Love Divergent! The second one is even better. I can’t believe we have to wait until fall for #3!

  • AS January 28, 2013, 1:38 pm

    I order Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil on Amazon. It’s much cheaper than buying little jars in the store, shipping is free, and I get the “subscribe and save” option so it just shows up on my door every couple months!

  • Allison January 28, 2013, 1:42 pm

    My goodness, if I had those 3 things I would NEVER get out of the bath tub!

  • Lisa January 28, 2013, 1:43 pm

    I love that book series! It’s really good.

  • Amanda K. January 28, 2013, 2:04 pm

    thanks for the face scrub recipe!
    i also use coconut oil and sometimes i get bummed about the price, but then i remember than my old face cream cost like $20+. and i’m pregnant, and i use it on my belly…and my belly lotion was like $13 for a smallish tub.
    so though coconut oil is expensive, it’s way cheaper than all that!

  • Whitney January 28, 2013, 2:17 pm

    Thanks for reaffirming that I do NEED a bathtub in my master bathroom(for the house we are building). Hubs is trying to replace for a sauna, haha don’t think so! 🙂

  • Katie @ Talk Less, Say More January 28, 2013, 2:53 pm

    I love a good bath but I find it so easy to just in there that the water often gets cold or the bubbles so away. I still need to come up with a fix for that! 😉

  • Sara January 28, 2013, 2:56 pm

    I keep a jar of coconut oil in the bathroom for deep conditioning my hair. I try to do that at least once a month. Just smoosh enough into your hair to decently coat it, clip your hair up, and do other stuff around the house for two hours. Then shampoo it out. Voila! Keep in mind that coconut oil melts once it reaches 75 degrees..I learned the hard way not to leave the house in the summer with it on my hair because it starts dripping down my neck.

    As for face cleaning, I swear by the oil cleansing method — 25% castor oil, 75% jojoba oil (you can do 50% castor if you have oilier skin since it’s quite drying). Massage your face, then soak a washcloth in hot water and rest it on your face to soften the oil. Wipe the oil away, then repeat the washcloth step until your face is clear of oil, but still feeling moisturized. It seems counter-intuitive to put oil on your face, but my skin has never looked so clear!

    • Tara August 19, 2013, 4:23 am

      Oil cleansing method is the BEST – and you can add anything you want into the mix! My favs are tea tree oil to help with breakouts and tamanu oil (although expensive) because it is seriously so healing.

      One thing about coconut oil on the face – while its LOVELY (one of my fav body oils), its comedogenic, so it can cause pores to clog and thus breakouts! If that does happen, I think jojoba or argan oil would be excellent swaps 🙂

      Happy scrubbing!

  • Rachel January 28, 2013, 3:00 pm

    Divergent is a wonderful book!

  • Cindy January 28, 2013, 3:03 pm

    We just got some coconut oil so I am definitely trying this out tonight. I wish I could take a bath- right now we have some serious mould issues and the tub is seriously ewwww despite my bleaching attempts. (We have to have the bathroom redone completely 🙁 )

  • Erika January 28, 2013, 3:16 pm

    Hi Caitlin,

    I’ve been reading your blog for a few years and was recently trying to find the post on the books that you read while pregnant. I can’t find it. Can you point me in the right direction or tell me which ones you read? Thank you!!

  • Liz @ circletwentytwo.com January 28, 2013, 3:25 pm

    Since you love dystopian society books, you will LOVE that Divergent trilogy!! I read the first two books in about 10 days! Amazeballs!!

    Actually, I wrote a review on them. I’m by no means a big-wig blogger, but I like to write when I can: http://circletwentytwo.com/?p=3786

    PS- I know I need more pictures up there, I just don’t always have anything beyond my iPhone on me to snap photos 🙂

  • Laura Ann January 28, 2013, 3:35 pm

    Love this recipe, but I have to ask —- does your cat go crazy for your face afterwards? When I put coconut oil on my face, my cat practically likes my face off. Gross, I know… but also kind of cute. 🙂

    • Caitlin January 28, 2013, 3:40 pm

      hahah groooossss!

  • Sharon January 28, 2013, 3:36 pm

    I’m a shower person but every once in a while I love to take a quiet bubble bath and read running magazines in the tub. It feels like such a luxury.

  • sara @ fitcupcaker January 28, 2013, 3:43 pm

    this sounds interesting 🙂 I like to try new products!

  • Emily January 28, 2013, 3:47 pm

    I really need to read Divergent! I’m a student teacher in an English class and my students cannot get enough of this series. I think it’s going to be the next Hunger Games – apparently dystopian novels are the new “thing.”

    I never take baths, especially not in my college apartment where too many other people have used my tub. It sounds sooo nice though – maybe I’ll have to take one next time I go home, and try that face scrub!

  • emma January 28, 2013, 4:04 pm

    love this! i had leo in september and my skin is going through that post-pregnancy dry spell so i’ll give this a go! thanks 🙂

  • eliz@ourcrazysweetlife January 28, 2013, 4:07 pm

    Great idea. I bet quinoa would be an excellent grain to add to your scrub, in fact – good for exfoliation! And I agree – when I see my daughter relax into her tub, I think “hmmm…”

  • Anna January 28, 2013, 4:10 pm

    I used to be a shower person too, then I started taking baths late at night.. I always sleep like a baby afterwards! So relaxing. I need to try out your scrub, sounds simple enough for me not to screw up and I prefer homemade scrubs over ones were the ingredients list seems never-ending with at least 7 chemicals thrown in along the way.

  • Steph @ Upbeat Eats January 28, 2013, 5:12 pm

    Mmm that face scrub looks great! I might have to whip that up, my face could use it in this dry winter.

  • Karen @ Runner Girl Eats January 28, 2013, 5:17 pm

    I love baths but rarely take them. I may need to try this scrub though. Lately my face has been a mess :/

  • Amanda January 28, 2013, 5:28 pm

    I’ll definitely have to try this! (Though I wont have a coconut face, since I don’t have coconut oil–I’m an olive oil gal.)

  • Kayla @ Lovely Ride January 28, 2013, 5:46 pm

    Great idea. I melted coconut oil and maple syrup together the other day to make granola and it tastes amaze balls!

  • Cate January 28, 2013, 7:02 pm

    I just started Divergent last night. Likin’ it already…

  • Sarah (The Simple Dietitian) January 28, 2013, 7:15 pm

    There’s just *something* about a bath. I love sipping tea and reading a magazine and using an extra special, scented lotion afterwards. It feels absolutely luxurious. 😀

  • Laura January 28, 2013, 7:45 pm

    Baths rule!!! My dog is obsessed with the bubbles and stares at me while I’m in the tub until I give her some bubbles to eat

  • Erin January 28, 2013, 9:18 pm

    Divergent is awesome! Insurgent is just as good….I cannot wait for the third one. 😀 I love the whole future with a strong female thing. 🙂

  • Cassandra F. January 28, 2013, 9:50 pm

    Excuse me while I put down the iPad and go do this, starting…now.

  • Jessica R @ From the Kitchen to the Road January 28, 2013, 10:08 pm

    The thought of you eating a face scrub off your fingers made me laugh. The. I thought about it and realized I probably would too.

  • Amanda January 28, 2013, 10:15 pm

    Have you ever been to Lush? They make bath bombs…. Sounds like something you’d like!

  • luv what you do January 28, 2013, 10:25 pm

    I love this! My mom gave me a homemade hand scrub that I have been loving (it uses baby oil and leaves my old lady looking hands so soft) but I have never made my own. This would make a great gift!

  • Rebecca January 28, 2013, 10:42 pm

    I bought my sister body scrub stuff as part of her Christmas gift and I’ve used it a little bit of it. I might have to try making my own, although I’m not a fan of coconut stuff… Not to mention I don’t take baths much, but that might have to change… 🙂

  • Emily @ Hungry Delights January 28, 2013, 11:03 pm

    Dystopian novels are my favourite! Going to have to try and find this one – read the reviews on Amazon and it sounds great 🙂
    xo Emily

  • Mai January 29, 2013, 12:12 am

    ooh! i am so tempted to go try that scrub now but am about to fall asleep.
    definitely tomorrow!

  • Angela January 29, 2013, 12:47 am

    This sounds amazing! I would love to do this right now!

  • Orla January 29, 2013, 4:34 am

    I tend to take baths once in a blue moon – but always feel great after one. Need to start scheduling it into my week.

    I made my own body scrub – using olive oil, brown sugar, a little vanilla and some lavender oils. I swear, the second I open the jar I relax. I bought a cheap little kilner clip lid jar from IKEA and store it in that. Stir it up before using and it is great. Plus it is about €15 cheaper than the one I used to buy. Before I had a mortgage. I miss those days….. 🙂
    Will definitely be trying the coconut oil for a face scrub. thanks for the idea.

  • Jenny January 29, 2013, 7:41 am

    Sounds AWESOME. Totally doing this tonight!!

  • My Neon Running Shoes January 29, 2013, 7:44 am

    Thanks for sharing! It’s such a simple recipe and a huge money saver I’m sure!

  • Emily January 29, 2013, 9:39 am

    I’m a bath girl in the winter and a shower girl in the shower! There is nothing better in the freezing cold months than a relaxing bath!

    I keep coconut oil in the shower too for when my hair is SUPER dry in the winter months. I’ll have to try this 🙂

  • elizabeth January 29, 2013, 10:38 am

    I’m LOVING Divergent right now too! I’m about halfway through and totally sucked in… Are they making a movie out of this series?

  • Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) January 29, 2013, 6:46 pm

    That would smell amazing!

  • catie January 29, 2013, 10:59 pm

    I love coconut oil! I’ll have to try out that scrub…sounds awesome! I also just downloaded Divergent on iTunes and I cannot WAIT to get into it! I’ve heard raving reviews!

  • Angela January 30, 2013, 1:45 am

    I love these! They’re all very attainable…you go girl!

  • Sasha January 30, 2013, 11:18 pm

    It’s nice to hear you’re into baths and natural face scrubs. You deserve it!
    You may want to re-think the vanilla extract though – most extracts are alcohol-based and alcohol can dry out your skin. You’d be better off adding some vanilla bean powder or paste, or maybe even vanilla essential oil for the fragrance?
    Adding some lemon juice would help as it is acidic and great for clearing blemishes when used consistently over a period of time.

    Did you know that even milk cream is great for the skin as it is rich in Vit E? I use it all day long on my skin (not as a scrub, I just rub some cream into my skin) and I wash it off gently with a little chickpea-flour mixed with water and it leaves my skin feeling fresh and soft.

    🙂

  • Elaine January 31, 2013, 12:01 pm

    I’ve had oily skin since I was a teen and even now that I’m 30, I still have oily skin, though not nearly as bad. I tried this scrub Monday night and LOVED the way my skin felt afterwards. I even used what was leftover on my body (it was awesome for shaving my legs!). I liked it so much, I decided to use a little coconut oil on my face as a moisturizer the next morning.

    Let me tell you, this has been a revelation of a lifetime! Normally during the day, I have to use those oil absorbing sheets cause my face gets oily, but after moisturizing with coconut oil I didn’t need to use them. I tried the OCM method before with olive oil and castor oil but it made me break out and my skin didn’t feel nearly as soft!

    Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

    • Caitlin January 31, 2013, 12:05 pm

      Yay!

  • Cindy May 3, 2013, 8:05 pm

    I LOVE this recipe! Thank you so much for posting, but how much does this make????

  • Tracy Gates July 20, 2013, 12:33 pm

    I am curious if baby oil would work as well. I used to rub down at the end of a shower with straight baby oil and then rinse and dry off … I loved the way it made my skin look andfeel but my husband complained that it made the tub slippery. I know baby oil is thinner than olive oil and have heard that the olive oil can be quite messy. Would love some input on this. Thank you.
    Tracy Gates

  • laleine July 20, 2013, 10:27 pm

    hi’..i was reading you blog and so interested with this 2 ingredient facial scrub but i have oily skin.. is it also good to use on oily skin ? Im from philippines.

  • Rebecca October 6, 2013, 4:32 pm

    Hi I was looking at your face scrub and I noticed you said that coconut oil is expansive but I know that my local Sam’s club has been selling a hug jar of it for very little cost just so your readers know to maybe check their local Sam’s and Costco clubs.

  • Erica November 16, 2013, 8:34 am

    Trader joes has a really good price on coconut oil. It is about 1/2 the price of giant! I always buy my coconut oil there

  • Jammy June 3, 2014, 11:53 pm

    Do you scrub every night or just a few times a week?

    • Caitlin June 4, 2014, 7:49 am

      Twice a week!

  • Robin December 7, 2015, 2:59 am

    This is the best recipe for body scrub I have found!!! I have tried at least 3 others and all seem to be so oily.

    Thank you!!

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