Inside: Here are recipes for the best Halloween chocolate DIY sugar scrubs to make with your kids and grandkids. Unique ingredients, easy directions, and loads of fun! Discover tips on how these elements impact the skin and ways to teach your kids critical thinking skills as they create these fabulous sugar scrubs!
DIY Sugar Scrubs: Halloween
Have you ever made a sugar scrub with your kids/grandkids, or teens? They are amazing for the skin and will keep it glowing and healthy! Here is a fun Halloween recipe for DIY sugar scrubs to make with your grandkids, teens, or tweens.
And, don’t hesitate to make these with your sons/grandsons. The men’s grooming movement started in 2002. In a nutshell, men came to the realization that there is more to grooming than using a toothbrush. They are interested in having good skin, too.
Here are some fun facts, recipes, and more about scrubs.
DIY Sugar Scrubs for Halloween—What Are They?
Scrubs are ingredients (sugar, oatmeal, cornmeal, salt, etc.) that when gently rubbed on the face or body remove or exfoliate the dead skin cells that have built up on your skin.
1. Why scrubs?
Exfoliation is necessary because as the dead skin cells build up, they mix with bacteria and oil and clog the pores and create blackheads and breakouts. This dead skin buildup can also cause your complexion to look dull and blotchy and for girls, their makeup will not go on as smoothly.
Sugar scrubs gently exfoliate without damaging the skin and depending on the ingredients you use, they have a wide range of skin benefits. They are easy to make and are less expensive than commercial scrubs.
2. How Often Do You Use Scrubs?
When you’re young, use scrubs 2-3 times per week. Young skin makes new, plump skin cells as fast as the old ones get sloughed off.
As you age, exfoliate only once a week. The process of making new skin cells slows down and the dead skin doesn’t get sloughed off as quickly or as evenly. Too much exfoliation will cause your skin to dry out and thin faster.
3. What is Needed in DIY Sugar Scrubs?
Scrubs require two main ingredients: an exfoliant such as sugar, salt, oats, or cornmeal. And something to bind these ingredients such as coconut, apricot, almond, grapeseed, or olive oils. You can also add essential oils, fibers, or powders for color, fragrance, and texture.
Ingredients you need for this Halloween Sugar Scrub
4. Why Natural Ingredients?
Use natural and fresh ingredients and eliminate the unnecessary chemicals found in commercial scrubs. And, you’ll save money. When using essential oils try oils from Young Living or from dōTERRA®.
5. Healthy Diet = Healthy Skin
Your skincare regime should include a healthy diet of fruits, veggies, and water. Also, watching your sugar consumption will help immensely because too much sugar will cause your skin to age more quickly.
6. Throw a DIY Sugar Scrub Party!
Help your grandkids or teens plan a “Sugar Scrub” party for their friends. These recipes are simple to follow and luscious to use. Encourage your tweens, teens, and grandkids to experiment with the recipes. Creativity and imagination are born from experimentation.
Benefits of DIY Sugar Scrub Ingredients
Scrub ingredients have many benefits including:
1. Sugar
Sugar is a mild exfoliant and will not harm the skin. Its rough texture helps eliminate dead skin cells that can cause breakouts while cleaning out dirt from the pores. And it has a natural antiaging effect on the skin by not allowing toxins to enter the skin.
2. Oats
To keep the scrubs simple, I did not include oats. However, they work great as an exfoliate and are powerful for radiant skin. Why? Oats contain proteins called saponins and they help to dissolve oil on your skin and loosen dirt from your pores.
If you use oats in any of these recipes, grind them into flour in your blender. Don’t use instant oats—they don’t mix well with wet ingredients.
3. Cocoa Powder
The Halloween scrub calls for cocoa powder. The flavonoids in chocolate help to filter out UV rays and it’s high in antioxidants that destroy free radicals associated with aging.
It’s also an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and D. Vitamin A heals damaged skin and reduces the appearance of wrinkles. Vitamin C increases collagen production in the skin. Vitamin D creates healthy skin cells and improves skin tone.
4. Grapeseed Oil
As a facial scrub, grapeseed oil helps to:
- soothes acne
- tightens skin
- helps diminish dark circles around the eyes
- moisturizes
- reduces scars
- restores collagen
- fights aging
5. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil, like olive oil, contains fatty acids that will replenish your skin’s natural protective barrier without irritating the skin or causing a rash. Coconut oil prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots. For these recipes, use food-grade coconut oil–not a cosmetic grade.
6. Dead Sea Salt
Dead sea salts promote the healing of skin tissue and are essential for cell metabolism. They are harvested right from the Dead Sea in Israel.
Application Instructions
- When using a scrub—be gentle. You don’t want to end up with red or irritated skin.
- Pay attention to the “Options and Substitution” section on the recipe.
- Use body scrubs in the shower—if you’re concerned about something going down the drain—use a drain trap.
DIY Sugar Scrub Recipe for Halloween
I’ve taken my favorite ingredients and created this yummy chocolate Halloween scrub. It makes a great holiday gift and your teens, tweens or grandkids will love making them.
NOTE: Usually when I make a scrub, it’s a 2:1 ratio of sugar to oil. However, when adding powders or oats, they absorb more liquid so the number of fatty oils may need to be increased. If you live in high elevations–you will need more oil as well.
This recipe makes about one batch of scrub. I get my fragrance oils from Majestic Mountain Sage. Or try Amazon for the following:
Halloween Chocolate Orange Cinnamon Scrub
The combination of chocolate, orange, and cinnamon in this scrub is luscious.
Watch this video to see how this Halloween Scrub is made:
- 1 cup granulated sugar (or organic sugar or a combination)
- ½ cup coconut oil (melted) or grapeseed oil
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
- 15 drops Orange Essential Oil (if you're using Young Living or dōTERRA® oils, use less)
- 5 drops Cinnamon Essential Oil (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder)
- Mix the coconut oil and the orange and cinnamon essential oil
- Mix the sugar and the cocoa powder together
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together
- Can be covered and stored in the refrigerator.
- To use: you may have to add a bit more coconut oil if the scrub seems dry from being in the refrigerator.
- Gently scrub over your body while in the shower.
- Rinse well
- Options & Substitutions:
- Substitute ¼ cup ground oats for ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add: 1T dead sea salt to the recipe
Packaging Your Scrubs
Think up clever ways to package your scrubs—jars, bottles, or other fun containers. When giving these as a gift, include several things in the basket: the scrub, herbal teas, candles, a rejuvenating gel mask, a loofah sponge, and of course a fun label giving directions on how to use everything.
You can give the scrub by itself or you can make the gift more like a “spa” gift–complete with teas, mugs, candles, loofah sponges, and other things for a fun pampering activity!
Have you ever made a sugar scrub with your kids/grandkids, teens, or tweens? Please share your ideas and comments in the section below.
Check out these additional fun Halloween posts:
- How to Make the Best Stovetop Potpourri with Your Kids
- Here are the Best Soapmaking Recipes for Halloween & Kids
- Spooky Scary Halloween Music for Kids to Play in the Dark
Want to remember this? Post “How to Make the Best Halloween DIY Sugar Scrubs with Kids & Grandkids,” to your favorite Pinterest board!
FAQ’s
How do you make homemade sugar scrubs?
Homemade sugar scrubs are super easy to make. Using a 2:1 ratio of 2 parts sugar to one-part oil such as coconut, apricot, almond or even olive oil. However, if you add powders or oats, or live at high elevations, you will need more oil. Take 2 cups sugar to 1 cup oil, mix and apply to your face and body. Sugar scrubs act as a safe exfoliate for the face and body; are easy to make and much less expensive than store-bought varieties.
How long does DIY sugar scrub last?
They can last several months if kept in the refrigerator. However, it’s wise to make them up in small batches—such as 2 parts sugar to 1-part oil, mix, apply and store in the refrigerator. Each of my 4 recipes will last for 4 scrubs in the shower using half per shower. Most people use sugar scrubs at least once a week, so this recipe will last a month.
What is the best sugar to use for sugar scrubs?
Any sugar works fine, but I like using organic sugar because the granules are larger and will make a coarser sugar scrub that is perfect for the body. Using gentle motions, you can also use it on the face. Regular sugar is more refined and works well on the face for a less coarse scrub.
How do you make a sugar scrub without coconut oil?
Use other oils in your sugar scrubs such as almond, apricot, grapeseed oil, or olive oil. All of these oils have skin benefits; smell great and blend perfectly with sugar to create a wonderful sugar scrub for the body and face.
Such great ideas for up-coming holidays! Love your gift-giving packaging ideas!
Thanks, Cheryl! I wish I lived closer–I’d make you one of these–they really are nice. I think my favorite is the Christmas scrub.
These are fabulous gift ideas!!! Thank you for sharing, can’t wait to try some of these out!
Thanks, Thena–they are amazing and extremely easy to make!
Thanks, Tiffany! I was thinking of doing the same thing this year–a DIY Sugar Scrub party! But, these are easy and quick to make so I think making something else along with it would be fun, too. i”m glad you like the videos– I actually like the Pomegranate Cranberry video the best–it’s in the Protected Resource Library– you should have the password. Thanks for your support!
What a fabulous post idea, Sharlene! I’ve yet to make my own DIY scrub and have always wanted to try it. I like the idea of throwing a party and doing it together with some friends. Each year I throw a Pinterest Party where we make a craft and I think this would work perfectly for it. Sounds like a ton of fun in my opinion!
I very much appreciate the videos you’ve put together to go along with this post, as well. They’re perfect for my visual mind! Thanks again for a wonderful post.