Summer is now upon us and we’ve been in a heat spell as of late, making sundresses, tank tops and skirts my current wardrobe of choice which inevitably leads to baring more skin. I recently ran out of my last batch of Cappuccino Sugar Scrub so I figure time for a new batch, why not make a new scent? And here you have it, concocted from your childhood memories of ice cream truck music approaching in the distance on a hot summer day, my DIY Orange Creamsicle Sugar Scrub recipe. Sweet and citrusy, with a hint of cream from the coconut oil and vanilla, it smells divine in the shower and makes your skin oh-so-soft. The ingredients are super simple: sugar (duh), coconut oil, vanilla extract, orange essential oil and freshly grated orange peel. Pretty basic stuff, and the orange peel adds a fresh scent and gives the scrub a nice, bright orange yellow color.
Sugar scrub is easy, quick and cheap to make, perfect for a last minute gift idea. If you want to impress with your presentation, see alternate instructions and suggestions below recipe. If you’re making it for yourself and not trying to be fancy, just throw everything together, stir, and you’ll have a delicious smelling scrub ready to use in just a few minutes. I really love making my own scrubs; not many things in life provide such immediate gratification for very little time, money and effort. Sugar scrub, you’re the best!
While sugar might be the star ingredient and does its industrious job of sloughing away your dry skin, coconut oil is really the unsung hero here. If you are not aware of the plethora of uses and health benefits of coconut oil, then I recommend you look that up, stat. While I can’t promise that coconut oil will cure all that ails you, I can promise that it is a fabulous skin moisturizer and certainly one of the healthiest oils you can use for cooking and baking. I buy a large amount of coconut oil all at once because I found a great deal on Amazon for a 54 oz tub of organic extra virgin coconut oil. Cheapest I’ve found for coconut oil of this quality, but please share in the comments if you have the in on an even better deal. I’m always looking for a bargain!
DIY Orange Creamsicle Sugar Scrub Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1.5 c granulated sugar
- ½ c melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 10 drops orange essential oil*
- 2 tsp finely grated fresh orange peel*
*Fresh orange peel is optional but makes the scrub a nice color and adds a fresh scent. The scrub will need to be kept in the fridge if you use the orange peel, so if you prefer to leave it out simply double the amount of orange essential oil in the recipe and you can keep the scrub at room temp.
Method:
Mix all ingredients in 16 oz or larger jar or plastic tub with lid. Do not tamp down as coconut oil can harden a bit at room temp and you want to make sure your scrub is easy to scoop out. Keeps for up to 2 months refrigerated (or at room temp if you leave out the orange peel).
If you really want to do it up right to present as a gift, make the following changes. Mix all ingredients except the orange peel, divide the mixture in half, add orange peel to one half, then layer the two mixtures in jars to create a striped effect. Divide amongst smaller jars for party favors. Decorate with matching ribbon and labels. It’s also nice to include instructions for use and storage, and a wooden stir stick when giving as a gift — you can use a popsicle stick, mini wooden spoon or a chopstick for this purpose.
Directions for use: Rub small amount in circular motion over wet skin until sugar dissolves. Rinse with warm water. A tiny bit of oily residue may be present at first, but your skin will absorb this entirely once you’ve dried off and trust me, it’s a good thing! This recipe is a full body scrub and can be used almost everywhere, but is not formulated for use on the face.