Not only is Pinterest a perfect place for the beauty-obsessed to scroll through updo ideas and smoky eye tutorials, it’s a gold mine for discovering DIY beauty recipes. From face masks to lip balms to bar soaps, we could all put Sephora out of business if we had endless spare time.
Despite being a total beauty product addict, I had never experimented with whipping up my own ingredients. Beets as lip stain? Sure. Putting pantry items on my skin? Not so much. But, since I’m always up for a challenge, I decided to try my hand at making some body scrubs.
Homemade scrubs seem to be the most popular type of DIY pins on Pinterest, and the ingredients were all easy to find. I picked the most interesting recipes I saw, and set out on a five-day scrub-a-thon.
Day One: Red Wine Body Scrub
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup red wine
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp of melted coconut oil
Instructions:
Combine the brown sugar and red wine together in a large bowl, then spoon honey and melted coconut oil into the mixture. (If you like thicker scrubs, add more sugar until the scrub reaches your desired consistency.)
I decided to start off with a scrub that incorporated one of my favorite things: red wine. Red wine contains the antioxidant reservatrol—so I figured bathing in it couldn’t hurt. (Fun fact: New York Knicks center Amar’e Stoudemire does this on the reg.)
I started with the red wine, mixed in the coconut oil and honey), and then added the brown sugar (our natural exfoliator). I poured my concoction into a wine glass and headed for the shower.
This wasn’t the prettiest scrub—not to mention it was slightly runny—but I was surprisingly pleased with how it felt on my skin. I used the scrub on one arm and compared it to my other arm, and the boozy arm was definitely softer to the touch! By the time I was done, my body was silky smooth, which is something I’ll always cheers to.
Day Two: Coconut + Coffee Scrub
Ingredients:
¾ cup coarsely ground coffee
1 ½ cups Epsom salt
¾ cup melted unrefined coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Mix Epsom salt and ground coffee, then stir in unrefined coconut oil. (Unrefined oil has a stronger coconut scent than refined, but either works!) Then mix in the teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Related: Shea Moisture’s Coconut and Hibiscus Hand and Body Scrub smells heavenly.
Full disclosure: I’m not a morning person. But this scrub certainly helped. Its strong aroma jolted my senses awake and made my entire bathroom smell like a coffee shop. The combination of the ground coffee and Epsom salt gave the scrub a super grainy consistency, making it perfect for intense exfoliation. Although it was a little too rough to use all over—especially on my face—it was a great option for a deep clean and really made my skin glow.
Day Three: Cucumber Body Scrub
Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
¾ cup chopped cucumber
A few basil leaves
¼ cup of melted coconut oil
Instructions:
Wash cucumber and basil, pat dry, slice into small pieces, then blend. Add sugar, then coconut oil, and blend until smooth.
From flavored waters to slices for your eyes, cucumbers and spa treatments go hand in hand. “They have a high water content,” says Dr. Zeichner. “They also contain vitamin C, which helps brighten the skin and lowers free radical damage.” Thanks to these soothing properties, it came as no surprise that cucumbers turned my shower into a spa-like experience.
Related: Acure’s Brightening Facial Scrub uses argan stem cell and chlorella to renew skin.
This recipe took a bit longer since it required chopping and blending. The end result looked more like green juice than body scrub, but despite the fine consistency, the cucumber and basil gently sloughed away dead skin. It turned out to be great prep for my legs before shaving! One drawback: The tiny pieces of basil stuck to my body and were pretty tough to rinse off.
Day Four: Peppermint Foot Scrub
Ingredients:
1/3 cup white sugar
½ cup melted coconut oil
8-10 drops peppermint essential oil
1 mint teabag
Instructions:
Slowly stir coconut oil into sugar, then add peppermint essential oil. Finally, cut open a mint teabag and stir its contents into the mixture.
Next time my feet are aching from high heels, this will be my go-to. Peppermint oil is known for its soothing and revitalizing properties, and contains antioxidants vitamin A and C. Talk about a winning combo for sore soles. As soon as I massaged it on, I felt an immediate cooling sensation. The sugar gently buffed my heels and softened my calluses so my feet felt brand new. Note of caution: Make sure you wipe off all leftover residue to avoid slipping!
Related: Guys, Shea Moisture’s Groom and Shave Three Butters Wash & Scrub won’t leave you smelling like a cocktail.
Day Five: Pumpkin Spice Body Scrub
Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup melted coconut oil
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Combine brown sugar and coconut oil. Then, sprinkle in pumpkin pie spice and vanilla and stir thoroughly.
If you love pumpkin spice lattes so much you could bathe in your venti Starbucks cup, this is your scrub. Just one whiff had me daydreaming of freshly baked pumpkin pie. Honestly, it didn’t feel quite as exfoliating as the others, but since it was mild I lathered it all over and really soaked in that divine autumnal scent. The best part: I could still smell a faint touch of pumpkin hours later.
After a week of overloading my bathroom with smells and making a bit of a mess in the kitchen, my skin feels pretty darn good. You can bet I’ll be making that Coconut + Coffee scrub and Peppermint Foot Scrub next time I get the itch for a little at-home pampering.
Ain’t got time to whip up your own scrubs? Check out our variety of skin products here.