My brother is a mechanic and all-round handy guy, so often has grubby hands. I made up a pot of this to give to him for Christmas. It’s lovely and moisturising for hard working, dry hands. It’s great to use after a day gardening, cleaning or even packing (I always find my hands get really dirty and dried out packing boxes). The sugar scrubs off all the muck, and the honey and olive oil do wonders to heal and moisturise the skin.
While I’ve mentioned uses of this as a hand scrub, it would also be great for your feet and probably the rest of your body too.
Hubby just tested it out on his hands after getting some grease on them and said they’re lovely and clean and soft…his words.
Sugar Scrub
makes 400ml (12oz)
1/2 cup olive oil*
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp honey
a few drops of your choice of essential oil (optional)**
Put the sugar into a bowl and add the olive oil and honey. Work it all together until it is evenly combined. It will be like wet sand. If you want to add some essential oil (I used peppermint), add it a few drops at a time and stir it in and check if it smells how you want.
Put into an airtight jar, ideally with a wide mouth so you can scoop a bit out with your hands when you need it.
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*Any good quality oil will be good for this recipe. Almond oil, macadamia oil or coconut oil would also work. If using coconut oil, melt it first.
**Any essential oil would be nice, but I think lemon, orange, lavender or peppermint are particularly nice. Instead of essential oil, you could also add a little bit of vanilla extract, for a delicious cakey scent.
Joan@chocolateandmore says
We love the sugar scrubs, I keep some by the kitchen sink and every night after the dishes are done, I give myself a 2 minute hand renewal. And my girls love making it for me when I run low. The peppermint extract is incredible in one of these.
Hugs!
thingsforboys says
I think I need to do that Joan, my hands are terrible at the moment. I used peppermint in mine too to make it smell like Christmas.
Sarah Humphreys says
What a wonderful idea! My Mum and i have always done a olive oil/sugar secret hand scrub before special occasions but to package it up for a bloke is thoughtful and clever.
Tullamore says
Is that 1 1/2 CUPS of sugar?
thingsforboys says
@Tullamore – thank you, yes it is cups.
Anonymous says
wow! wanted to try this for myself, so i made it and its WONDERFUL! i used orange & grapefruit essential oil and it smells amazing! left my hands feeling nice and soft afterwards… like i had put lotion on! once i run out, will definitely be making more of it 🙂 thank you for sharing how to make this 🙂
thingsforboys says
@Anon – glad to hear you love it. Orange and grapefruit would be delish!
Anonymous says
The best sugar scrub ever, and so easy to make 🙂 Thank you…
Pat says
Never mind smelling all fancy, it removed black bike chain grease with almost zero effort. A lot better than the commercial tough cleaners from Bunnings. Thanks Abby!
Anonymous says
do you melt the coconut oil before combining it?
thingsforboys says
Yes, you would need to warm the coconut oil and melt it first to make up the scrub. Once the scrub is made, your hands should be enough to soften it.
Chealsey Hersh says
I always mix aromatherapy oils whenever I make sugar scrub. But I have never tried it with coconut oil. Interesting.
Radakovitz Family says
This is so wonderful! I just made it using lime essential oil and added a few drops of green food coloring (because it needed to smell good AND be pretty too!)
Anonymous says
I tried it yesterday and used pure cane sugar as well as some essential lavender oil and let me say it was great!! Thank u for sharing your knowledge!!! – Andrea, NY
Anonymous says
If using food coloring to make it pretty wont that stain hands?
thingsforboys says
I haven’t put food colouring into the scrub, but you could try it. I think it probably would stain hands though, unless you use just a tiny bit for a pastel colour.
Anonymous says
Fantastic easy gift idea! Thanks!
Joan says
this sound great. how long will it keep?
thingsforboys says
I had mine for at least a 6 months no troubles. None of the items in it will ‘go off’ so it should last a while. If it gets any water in it, the sugar may crystalise and lump together, but otherwise it should be fine. HTH
Anonymous says
I can’t wait to try this.. I am a nail technician, and am always looking for a good hand scrub. Thank u 🙂
sheri says
I just made some and instead of using food coloring, I used colored sugar like u put on sugar cookies. It made all the sugar a lighter color of whatever color you use and the cookie sugar crystals stayed dark and stood out great
Jen says
I decided to make the scrub to package as Christmas gifts. I think it will be perfect for my mechanic/car enthusiasts to get the grease and gunk off their hands. I added coffee extract to the mixture and it smells INCREDIBLE! Of course I have tested it out on myself, and now my hands are so soft and moisturized. I’m pretty sure the men are going to LOVE it 😀
abby says
sounds lovely! You just reminded me I should make some more of it this year. Thanks for commenting!
Connie Anderson says
I want to make this scrub for my husband for Christmas. I wasn’t sure if there’s a certain way he will need to store it since it has honey in it. Please advise. Thanks so much!
abby says
No, honey doesn’t need to be stored in any special way. I had mine sitting on the kitchen counter for months and months with no problem. You can also leave the honey out if you’re a bit concerned.
Anonymous says
Honey will crystallise when it’s cold .so if it’s warmed up it’ll be fine. Or warmer in your room
Gina says
Just made this for my husband. He works on cars for a living. Hopefully it’ll take the gunk off!! I feel like his hands are permanetly stained.