This cucumber mint sugar scrub recipe is made with ingredients skin loves like cucumber seed oil and aloe and has a refreshing cucumber mint fragrance. Because it’s emulsified it doesn’t feel oily on skin – making it the perfect option for exfoliating skin this summer! It’s so easy to create and makes a great homemade gift too!
Why cucumber seed oil?
Cucumber seed oil is a carrier oil rich in vitamins B and C, essential fatty acid and minerals. As such, it is prized for its properties when used in both skin care and hair care applications. This highly moisturizing oil is beneficial for those with troublesome skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema. It is also prized as an anti-inflammatory and for it’s anti-aging properties.
Aloe vera oil, which differs from aloe vera gel and is also a key component in my natural baking soda free palmarosa + lime deodorant recipe, is commonly used to treat skin inflammation as well as chapped skin. It’s also beneficial for burns, including sunburns, and can help to reduce the appearance of scars due to its high vitamin E content.
Cucumber Mint Sugar Scrub Recipe
© Rebecca D. Dillon
Ingredients:
28.5 oz. white granulated sugar
2 oz. cucumber seed oil
6 oz. aloe vera oil
1 oz. refined shea butter
1 oz. emulsifying wax
.5 oz. cucumber mint fragrance oil
1/2 teaspoon jade green mica powder
Instructions:
You will need a digital scale to weigh out the ingredients for my emulsified cucumber mint sugar scrub recipe.
This recipe will yield three 9 oz. jars. I used 9 oz. clear straight sided glass jars with silver metal lug caps for this project. You can find these jars at SKS Bottle & Packaging here.
Begin by weighing out the emulsifying wax and shea butter.
Combine in a large 4 cup Pyrex measuring cup and heat at 50% power in the microwave until melted. Alternately, you may use a double boiler.
Remove from heat.
Weigh out the cucumber seed oil and aloe vera oil and stir into the melted wax and shea butter.
Follow with the fragrance oil, weighing it first, then mix in.
Next, in separate container, weigh out the sugar.
Using a measuring spoon, measure out the mica powder.
Add the mica powder to the sugar and mix well with a fork until the mica is evenly distributed throughout the sugar. (If your tub stains easily I recommend using Polysorbate 80 to help prevent staining and/or using a lesser amount of mica powder.)
Now slowly pour the sugar into the wet ingredients, whisking with a fork until all the sugar has been moistened and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Spoon the scrub mixture evenly into three 9 oz. clear straight sided glass jars and screw on the lids.
Label as desired for personal use or gifting. (I used clip art I purchased from Mellenes Art on Etsy for my labels.)
It is important to note that as this is an oil based product, I did not include a preservative in my cucumber mint sugar scrub recipe. However, as your completed cucumber mint sugar scrub is likely to come into contact with water during usage, I highly recommend that you include a preservative if you are not using it all at once, are gifting this product or are planning to sell this product. There is a wide array of preservatives available on the market.
The preservative you use is your choice. I recommend choosing a preservative that is best suited for the makeup of this product and that fits your personal lifestyle choices. (One popular preservative is Optiphen Plus which is both paraben and formaldehyde-free.) The usage rate of your preservative will be recommended by the manufacturer at a percentage. Simply total the weight of all the ingredients in your cucumber mint sugar scrub then multiply by that percentage to determine the amount of preservative your product will need. Add at or below recommended temperature. You will want to use a food thermometer for this.
If you are selling your finished cucumber mint sugar scrub, then you will need to label your product according to FDA guidelines. If you are unsure about labeling laws then I highly recommend the book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, by Marie Gale.
Interested in more homemade sugar scrub recipes? You can find more of my homemade sugar scrub recipes on Soap Deli News blog here. Or, discover more similar recipes on my DIY Bath and Body Pinterest board. You can also find and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram. Or sign up to receive new posts from Soap Deli News blog to your email via FeedBurner so you never miss a post.
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