It’s easy to make this Orange and Vanilla Exfoliating DIY Body Scrub to help give your skin an extra boost and keep it soft and smooth!
If there’s ever a time when our skin needs a little TLC, it’s December (and January and February and in Michigan, March too). This Orange & Vanilla Exfoliating DIY Body Scrub is one of my favorite ways to help do away with dead, dry skin and keep it soft and smooth.
And the best part? Sugar scrubs are non-toxic, eco friendly and this one is made of natural ingredients. The more homemade products I can use with things that are good for my body and good for the planet, the better.
This year I’ve made this Orange & Vanilla Exfoliating DIY Body Scrub not only for me, but also as a gift. I think this will make a great gift for not only friends and family but also for my children’s teachers. (In addition to this Vanilla & Peppermint Foot Scrub!)
How can orange juice benefit the skin?
Winter is citrus season in the Northern Hemisphere so adding in orange felt appropriate adding it as a component and a scent in this exfoliating DIY body scrub.
Plus, there’s so many benefits to using a bit of 100 percent orange juice on your skin. It not only can help to hydrate your skin but also contains naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds (phytonutrients) that help keep your skin healthy, according to flordiacitrus.org.
The Vitamin C in 100 percent fresh orange juice can actually collagen productions and carotenoids can help neutralize free radicals that can damage your skin.
Also, the fresh citrus scent can be a mood booster- something I personally always need in the winter.
What else is in the exfoliating DIY body scrub?
My Orange & Vanilla Exfoliating DIY Body Scrub is gentle on your skin too because it’s made from simple sugar. I prefer sugar when I’m making scrubs for my body because they can be less abrasive than sea salt scrubs, which I love for my feet.
Sugar body scrubs work perfectly for exfoliating your skin by removing dead skin cells and lifting away excess dirt. They also help stimulate circulation and the naturally occurring glycolic acid won’t strip your skin of important oils while it cleanses.
Carrier oils
When creating an exfoliating DIY body scrub, you also need a carrier oil to help moisturize. I used both coconut oil and olive oil in this scrub because I love the benefits that each one provides.
Coconut oil is moisturizing and has anti-viral and antibacterial properties. Use unrefined coconut oil or fractionated coconut oil since it can be less greasy and comes in a liquid form. Mine has unrefined coconut oil in it, which can be a bit more difficult to work into the sugar since it is a solid, but I had it at hand. I also just order {THIS} fractionated coconut oil.
Olive oil penetrates the skin deeply so it’s perfect for overly dry skin in the winter. It is also a humectant. This means olive oil draws moisture into your skin and is good for itchy, dry skin.
I prefer it over a lot of other oils because it’s cheaper and easier to have on-hand if I get the inkling to make something.
Other types of carrier oils include:
- Apricot oil
- Avocado oil
- Sweet almond oil
- Hazelnut oil
- Sesame oil
- Jojoba oil
A lot of these can be more expensive that coconut oil or olive oil too so when making large batches as gifts, I prefer to go with the ones that are readily available, proven to work well and not overly expensive.
Additional ingredients
In my Orange and Vanilla Exfoliating DIY Body Scrub I also use the following:
Fresh squeezed orange juice – Not the kind in the container in the refrigerator. I squeeze an actually orange to get a little bit of it straight from the course. Oranges have a little bit of citric acid in them so it makes them work in a similar fashion to lemons and lime when it comes to acting as a natural preservative.
Orange zest – The zest is another way in include some actual orange in this exfoliating DIY body scrub and the peel also has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. Make sure to wash and dry the orange really well before zesting.
Castile Soap – This is an actual soap that is made from plant-based fats and oils. It is gentle but it actually works well as a cleanser. It also helps with acne or harmful bacteria. This is the one I use {HERE}.
Sweet Orange and Vanilla Essential Oils – These will give the scrub it’s lovely scent! The vanilla is warm and comforting while the orange is light but bright and happy.
Mica Powder – Mica Powder is one of the most important ingredients in colored cosmetics, including in the natural and organic space. It is made from naturally occurring minerals mined from rock. It is often used in lipstick, eye shadow, blush, mascara, body glitter, etc. It can be used on all skin types according to thedermreview.com unless you have an identified allergy to it. It’s often referred to as “nature’s glitter”. I have this set of Mica powder {HERE}.
Packaging and storage of exfoliating DIY body scrub
The Orange & Vanilla Sugar Scrub will last a few weeks in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. I don’t recommend just leaving it in the shower after use. In fact, the refrigerator might be the best place for it and will even extend the life of the product a few more weeks.
When it comes to packaging, I use these 8 oz. storage jars with the lids {HERE}. I love the way these close and they help to keep the product fresher, longer. I also attached a wooden spoon to help scoop the product out. I wasn’t going to but my daughter begged me because she thought they made the packaging look so cute. 🙂 You can find those {HERE}.
Lastly, I made a label for the tops of the jars as a free printable. You can download them here: Orange and Vanilla Sugar Scrub
To print them, use the Avery labels found {HERE}.
Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! You can find the full recipe for the Orange & Vanilla Exfoliating DIY Body Scrub below. If you have any questions you can leave them below or contact me on Instagram @rachelquenzer or @sugarmaplefarmhouse.

Ingredients
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. Castile soap
- Zest of 2-3 oranges
- 2 tsp. orange juice
- 30 drops sweet orange oil essential oil
- 15 drops vanilla essential oil
Instructions
- Combine half the sugar and coconut oil and work together. If you're using unrefined coconut oil this might take a little longer than if you're using fractionated coconut oil.
- Add in olive oil, orange juice, orange zest and Castile soap. Mix well.
- Add the other half of the sugar and mix well to combine.
- Combine the essential oils and mix well.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Oh nice, what a great gift idea. I would love to make some for myself as well! I love a good scrub.
That’s absolutely an amazing gift idea. Thanks for sharing.
Wow! That was a really great and amazing gift idea! I love it!
I am looking for a good scrub, this is so perfect my sister would really love this for sure! Such a really great gift idea thanks for sharing this with us!
I love homemade body scrubs and I can only immagine the smell and the pleasant feeling when using this orange and vanilla scrub!
This body scrub looks and sounds lovely! I am going to try and make it!
Orange smells really good and cant imagine how good this would be as a scrub!
This sounds amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
What a fresh and fantastic gift idea for the holidays. Perfect to pair with some cozy socks or fresh new towels
Is there another oil I could use? Husband is allergic to coconut.
You can try olive oil in place of the coconut oil.
I bet this would smell amazing, and aesthetically the overall look of the scrub is super pleasing.
My favorite perfume (Safanad) is orange and vanilla. I’d love to try a body scrub that had them too!
I really love a good sugar scrub. I bet this smells amazing!
This makes such a great gift idea !
I love this and love that you made it yourself! I love things like this and DIY is my go to. Love that it is all natural too using things you have on Gand and this makes a great gift too with some pretty packaging!
I love the body scrub! It’s awesome.
It sounds like an amazing gift for your mom and your sister. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Can I leave out the soap?
Yes, you can. The soap is there too just help it clean a little better.