These DIY Body Scrubs Are, Like, So Easy to Make (2024)

I’ll be real with you: Until recently, DIYs were never really my Thing. I mean, all that ingredient mixing and recipe following for a skincare product I don’t even need? Nah, I’m good. It wasn’t until I started seeing so many DIY body scrub tutorials on YouTube though, that I realized homemade exfoliators are pretty effing genius. Most of ’em are super-easy to make (like, throw-everything-into-a-jar easy) and typically only require a few ingredients that you definitely already have in your kitchen (think: sugar, salt, coffee).

And as long as you aren’t using them on your face (gritty scrubs can create literal micro tears in your skin!), DIY body exfoliators are a great way to slough off your dead skin cells on your legs, arms, and back for softer, brighter-looking skin. Just make sure you’re using them sparingly (once a week max) and always follow up with a heap of moisturizer. Down to give one a try? Keep reading for the absolute best DIY body scrubs, including recipes for dry patches, dull texture, and muuuch more.

1. This DIY body scrub bar

One of the downsides of body scrubs? They're kiiinda messy, which is why I'm so obsessed with these DIY bars. This recipe from YouTuber WholeElise involves melting down a combination of cocoa butter, almond oil, and almond wax, letting it cool in the fridge, and topping it all off with coarsely ground oats and essential oils. Promise: It's way simpler than it sounds—and it basically makes your exfoliation routine 100 times easier. Here's what you'll need:

The ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cocoa butter
• 3 tablespoons almond oil
• 4 teaspoons almond wax
• 4 teaspoons coarsely ground oats
• 1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
• vanilla and orange essential oils

These bars are pretty much the best of both worlds: The vitamin E, cocoa butter, and almond oil all come together to hydrate and soften your skin, while the ground oats provide gentle (but effective!) exfoliation. Gently run the bar up and down your legs and arms and it'll leave your skin soft as hell (no clean up required, tyvm).

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2. This DIY foot scrub

If you're anything like me, you've probably spent the last year perfecting the art of the at-home pedicure. This DIY foot scrub recipe from Our Oily House is a godsend for leveling up your spa routine—it helps slough off dead skin with pink salt, leaving your feet ridiculously soft and smooth. Down to give it a try? Keep scrolling for everything you'll need (spoiler: the ingredients list is surprisingly simple!):

The ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pink Himalayan salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 20 drops peppermint essential oil

Even though salt is a bit too harsh for ultra sensitive or dry skin, it's really great for exfoliating tougher areas like your heels and feet. And when combined with hydrating coconut oil and soothing peppermint essential oil, it becomes a super relaxing scrub. Soak your feet in warm water, lather up with your DIY scrub, and follow with a big dollop of moisturizer or foot cream after you rinse it all off.

3. This DIY strawberry body scrub

Heads up: This DIY body scrub from Shundara Castion is a g'damn treat for rough skin on your legs and arms. And not only does it leave your skin softer and glowier, but it also looks good while doing so (like, it's pretty enough to make a cameo on your Instagram feed—just sayin'). You might need to put in a quick Amazon order before you get started (unless you happen to have a bag of strawberry powder lying around), but the results are def worth it. Get ready to take notes:

The ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tablespoon strawberry powder
• 1 tablespoon glycerin
• 1 teaspoon orange essential oil
• ½ cup sunflower seed oil
• 20 drops miracle glow oil

One more time for the people in the back: If you've got super-sensitive skin, you'll probs want to skip this salt scrub (it's a tad too abrasive, sorry) and keep scrolling for a more gentle alternative. But if you're working with tough skin that's not super reactive, you'll love how this combo of salt, vitamin C-rich strawberry powder, and hydrating glycerin leaves your skin soft to the touch. Bonus: The added essential oils make it smell great too.

4. This DIY body scrub for sensitive skin

This DIY body scrub from vlogger WholeElise is the perfect lightweight exfoliator for folks with sensitive skin. Instead of harsh and abrasive exfoliants like sugar or coffee, this one relies on three incredibly simple (and gentle!) ingredients to hydrate, soothe, and soften. This is what you’ll need:

The Ingredients:

• ¼ cup oats
• 1 teaspoon glycerine (or honey)
• 2 tablespoons water

The hero ingredient in this recipe is oatmeal, which has soothing, anti-inflammatory properties that help minimize dead skin cells and hydrate dry patches. And when combined with a little bit of water and a dash of moisture-locking glycerin, you’ve got yourself a super-solid scrub.

5. This DIY body scrub for dull skin

If you’re looking for a DIY body scrub that’ll help make your blah, dull texture look super glowy, you’ll love this tutorial from vlogger Recipes by Carina. It’s incredibly easy to make (like, you need only four ingredients and you definitely already have them in your kitchen), and it leaves your skin looking bright and dewy every time you use it. Here’s the drill:

The Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup raw sugar
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ½ cup olive oil

The combo of white and raw sugars gives this body scrub its exfoliating abilities (shout-out to that natural glycolic acid), while the coconut and olive oils help deliver tons of moisture. Mix all your ingredients into a bowl, and gently rub the formula on clean, dry skin to lift your dead skin cells. After you rinse it off, slather on a thick layer of moisturizer to rehydrate your skin.

6. This DIY body scrub with coffee

There’s a reason you keep seeing DIY coffee scrubs all over your social feeds. When gently scrubbed on your body (reminder: not your face), ground coffee helps minimize the appearance of dark spots, sun damage, and cellulite in a couple of ways. Massaging the grinds along your skin can stimulate lymphatic drainage, and the caffeine can actually temporarily tighten and plump. This recipe from YouTuber Lindsey Melville is a great place to start:

The Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coffee grounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

This tutorial is pretty much as intuitive as it gets—all you’ve gotta do is combine everything in a small bowl and mix until you get a medium-consistency paste. If your mixture looks a little watery, just add more brown sugar as needed. And before you mix anything: Keep in mind that coffee grounds can do a number on your drain, so to be on the safe side, you’ll want to apply this one outside of your shower.

7. This DIY body scrub with aromatherapy oils

Looking for a body scrub that’ll help soothe your skin and chill you the hell out? Yeah, you need to try this DIY recipe from YouTuber Christine Kobzeff, which is spiked with lime essential oil for an ultra-relaxing experience. Draw yourself a bath and make sure you have these ingredients on hand:

The Ingredients

• 1 cup fine ground sea salt
• 2 or 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 limes, zested
• 20 drops sweet lime essential oil

The prime exfoliant in this scrub is sea salt (it’s not as gentle as sugar, but if you’ve got “tough” skin, it’s great for sloughing off dead skin cells), which you’ll combine in a bowl with hydrating coconut oil, essential oil, and dried lime zest. Psst: You can even mix this scrub into a cute little mason jar to make a fun gift.

8. This DIY body scrub with turmeric powder

K, it might sound a little weird, but turmeric powder is kinda an epic ingredient for a DIY body scrub, thanks to the fact that it’s an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that helps gently brighten discoloration. In this tutorial, vlogger Shundara Castion combines turmeric with a bunch of hydrating ingredients (see: glycerin and vitamin E oil). This is what you’ll need:

The Ingredients:

• ½ cup almond flour
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoon glycerin
• 2½ teaspoons vitamin E oil
• 25 drops lavender oil
• 25 drops tea tree oil

Real quick: Even though Castion puts this mixture on her face, I suggest using it only on your body (the essential oils will likely be too irritating for most faces). Got it? Cool. Once you’ve secured all your ingredients, carefully mix them in a bowl, adding more vitamin E and glycerin if the consistency is off. Slather the finished product on clean, dry skin, let it sit for a few minutes, rinse it off (while rubbing it in to get the exfoliating properties), then follow with moisturizer.

9. This DIY body scrub with cucumber

Wanna feel like you’re at a spa without, you know, going to a spa? Prepare to master this DIY body scrub from beauty vlogger Wamika Beauty, which not only smells really effing good but also feels next-level relaxing. Here are the deets:

The Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 drops eucalyptus oil
• 5 cucumber slices
• 5 mint leaves

Kick things off by combining all your ingredients—minus the sugar—in a blender. After you’ve blended the mixture into a thin paste, add in your white sugar and blend once more (no more than five seconds because you’ll want to maintain some texture). Pour it into a jar or bowl, smooth it over clean skin, and the exfoliating sugar granules and cooling cucumber will help leave your skin noticeably softer when you rinse it all off.

10. This DIY body scrub for dry skin

Trust: If you’re dealing with dry skin and rough patches, you definitely want to stay away from gritty-ass body scrubs (unless you want to make your skin drier, which, uh, no thanks). Instead, go for this gentle DIY body scrub from YouTuber Abetweene, which combines melted sugar and hydrating butters and oils. Here’s what you’ll need:

The Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons mango butter
• 2 tablespoons shea butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar

FYI, the key to nailing this DIY body scrub is using a hand mixer to whip your butters and oils into a creamy, fluffy texture—sry, a blender won’t really cut it here, but you can def find an affordable hand mixer on Amazon if you’re willing to commit. Once you’ve melted and mixed your base, combine your white granulated sugar (which, btw, is loaded with glycolic acid to help exfoliate and brighten your skin) with a spoon. And since the end result is more like a cream (think: it’s basically an exfoliator without the grit), you can smooth it over clean, dry skin and let it soak in overnight for maximum hydration.