DIY Sugar Scrub

Any time I’ve had super dry hands, or the kids got into a good mess, or Husband came home with particularly dirty hands (he’s a plumber… so… yeah…), I make a paste with sugar and olive oil to scrub those hands!

The sugar exfoliates dead skin and scrubs down deep to lift off all the dirt and gook for a deep clean then the oil moisturizes and soothes the skin.

IT. IS. HEAVEN.

You just massage about two teaspoons all over your hands, taking care to get your cuticles, in between your fingers and the backs of your hands. Then you rinse it away with HOT water (as hot as you can stand) and towel dry. No need to use soap to wash off the oil, your skin will absorb it!

I also like to keep a little pot of this in the shower to scrub my elbows and feet and those other bits that tend to take on that lovely chicken skin effect from time to time.

So anyway, I thought it would be GREAT to make for my friends so this weekend I picked up little jars at the local craft store to make these surcies for my buddies!

Are you wondering what the crap a ‘surcie’ is? A surcie (pronounced SIR-see) is a Southern phrase for
a small, unexpected gift! I have no idea what the proper spelling is and google’s not helping me much. I’ve seen it surcie, sersie, surcee, sercie, sersey… you name it, I’ve seen it but however you spell it, it always means the same thing and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face if you’re lucky enough to receive one. There's nothing like hearing the words, I brought you a little surcie 😊

I bought some lemongrass and lavender essential oils to jazz things up a bit and decided to use coconut oil with the lavender for variety’s sake. I will say I was disappointed with the scent of the oils I used. I found the lemongrass to smell more like Lemon Pledge and the lavender was very… herbal? Next time I’ll shop around and visit some shops I can actually smell the oils before purchasing. Or I think using lemon, vanilla, orange or almond extracts (you know? the kind you cook with?) would be great! I know those smell divine!

Lemongrass & Olive Oil Sugar Scrub
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
8-10 drops lemongrass essential oil (or lemon extract)

Lavender & Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
8-10 drops lavender essential oil

Combine ingredients and stir well. Store in any container you choose. To use, massage about two teaspoons all over your hands, taking care to get your cuticles, in between your fingers and the backs of your hands. Rinse with HOT water then towel dry. No need to use soap to wash off the oil, your skin will absorb it!

Notes:

• Sugar scrub does not have to be stored in an airtight container. I have some in my guest bath in a little crystal dessert bowl.
• Feel free to use other types of oils. I prefer olive oil as I think it leaves my hands a bit silkier than other oils.
• The color of the Lemongrass & Olive Oil Sugar Scrub pictured above is 100% about the olive oil (your scrub will be the color of the oil you use).
• I think using lemon, vanilla, orange or almond extracts would be great to use in place of the essential oils too.
• You can add a drop or two of food coloring to tint your scrub if you like.

This project was featured at the Weekend Potluck!

PRINTABLE RECIPE