Emulsified Body Sugar Scrub

Summertime is a great time to exfoliate the body. Exfoliation has many benefits. It helps with clearing dead skin and prepares the skin for good hydration.

There are many types of body exfoliators. Some of them are soaps-based, like this one. Some are only oil-based.

From my experience, the oil-based scrubs are less comfortable to use since they leave an oily residue in the shower, which is slippery, and you will need to be extra careful not to slip in the shower. So, we will make emulsified scrubs to obtain the moisturization effect while getting a good body scrub and avoiding the oiliness.

When we add emulsifying wax to this product, we create a more cream consistency when in contact with water, and it will become a creamy moisturizing scrub that leaves the body smooth and soft.

Sugar scrubs can be colorful. You can use cosmetics mica powders (micas are made from a mineral called muscovite. Muscovite is a silicate mineral with a naturally shimmery property).

I colored my sugar scrubs with infused oils and oils that have very strong colors. For the blue scrub, I used indigo-infused olive oil.

For the orange scrub, I used buriti oil (buriti oil has a very strong orange color), I used 4g of the buriti oil and combined it with 25.5g of sweet almond oil. You can choose your combination depending on the intensity of color you want to reach. Buriti oil can be very intense. A small amount gives a very vibrant orange color. Another oil you can use for the orange color is buckthorn oil.

I used sweet almond oil infused with green oxide and nettle leaves for the green scrub. I used 6g of the infused oil and combined it with 23.5g of sweet almond oil. You can choose your combination depending on the intensity of color you want to reach.

You can see that you can choose any carrier oil you have and use it in this recipe. If you want to infuse oils in the cold method, read here on infusing oils.

I paired each scrub with a different fragrance to compliment the color.

For the blue scrub, I choose eucalyptus essential oil. This is one of my favorite scents that makes me feel fresh. For the orange scrub, I choose a chocolate-orange fragrance oil. For the green scrub, I choose frozen margarita fragrance oil.

You can choose any fragrance you like. Just make sure it's a skin-safe cosmetic-grade fragrance or essential oil.

If you have very sensitive skin, you can skip the fragrance and add the amount to the carrier oil. You can reduce the amount of fragrance and add the amount subtracted from the fragrance to the carrier oil.

The amount of sugar you add depends on how much exfoliating you want your scrub to be. You can add 50g of sugar to 50g of the base or 150g of sugar to 50g of the base. Start by adding 50-75g of sugar and check if you're happy with the result. If you want, add more sugar until you get the perfect scrub. If you're making 100g of the base, you can add between 100-250g of sugar.

For more alternatives, go to the notes section at the end. This recipe is for 50g base plus 100g granulated sugar.

Method:

1. In a heat resistance beaker, add phase A ingredients.

2. Place phase A beaker into a double boiler on medium heat until everything is melted.

3. In a different container, add phase B ingredients and set aside.

4. Once phase A is completely melted, remove from the heat and stir to combine.

5. Let phase A cool down. Once the temperature is less than 40 degrees Celsius, you can add phase B. Stir to combine.

6. Add the sugar and mix well.

7. Pour into a container.

8. To use the scrub, scoop a small amount with your dry hands or, with a spoon (to avoid water contamination), rub it onto damp skin and buff it in circular motions. Rinse with water.

Notes:

• You can use any emulsifying wax you have. Consider that different emulsifying waxes will give different textures and volumes to the final product. Read this post about basic lotions/creams to learn how different emulsifying waxes affect the final products.

• You can swap the cetyl alcohol with cetearyl alcohol.

• You can replace the shea butter with mango butter or kokum butter.

• You can swap the stearic acid with emulsifying wax, add 1g to the 4,5g emulsifying wax, a total of 5.5g emulsifying wax for 50g base.

• Use any carrier oil you like. You can use jojoba oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, macadamia nut oil, fractionated coconut oil, safflower oil, hazelnut oil, or avocado oil.....

Related articles:

• Whipped Sugar Scrub from Soap Scraps

• How to Make a Basic Lotion / Cream

• Ingredients and Tools to Start Making Your Cosmetics

• Infusing Oils (no heating)

• Face Scrub