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Bring your body care back to the basics with this very simple, 3-ingredient vanilla sugar scrub recipe. You can whip this up quickly before your shower or as a last-minute DIY gift!

Homemade Vanilla Sugar Scrub

I have been kind of obsessed with creating different kinds of body scrubs lately (like this pumpkin spice body scrub.) It's fun to experiment with different levels of exfoliation with different sugars or salts, and even more fun to test out different scents and ingredients that have benefits for your skin.

Sometimes, though, you've gotta bring it back to the basics - whether it's for the sake of simplicity, lack of ingredients, or just need a quick body scrub recipe because you are short on time.

This vanilla sugar scrub recipe only requires three ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen cupboards: vanilla extract, cane sugar, and oil. The type of oil you use should depend on what works for your skin - for example, I cannot use coconut oil on my face so I stay away from adding it into my scrubs. Coconut oil will clog pores and promote acne, as it is a comedogenic oil. Non-comedogenic oils that will not clog pores include: olive oil, sunflower oil, hemp seed oil, and grape seed oil. For this recipe, I used grape seed oil because it's what I had on hand.

Benefits of Using a Body Scrub

Using a scrub before washing clears your pores out of all that gunk, allowing your soap or cleanser to do it's job more effectively. The end result is smooth, cleaner skin that looks younger and more vibrant.

With all those dead skills scrubbed off, makeup application is also smoother, and you'll be able to get a closer shave.

I personally love using a scrub to help prevent acne & blackheads, and to moisturize my skin.

Best Method for Scrubbing

This is the method I have personally found works the best. You could use a washcloth, but I find that to be messier and not as easy to control.

Scoop up some of the scrub in your hands.
Using your palms, massage the scrub in circular motions onto your skin.
For your face, use your fingertips to massage the scrub in using the same circular motion, being careful to avoid your eyes.
Rinse the scrub off, and cleanse your body like usual.
Safety tip: Clean your shower floor with soap, as the oils in the scrub may cause it to be slippery.