Aloe Vera Scrub Recipes: Guide + 3 Simple DIY Recipes

Aloe vera is renowned for its soothing and healing properties, making it a prime ingredient for your skincare routine. Incorporating this versatile plant into a homemade scrub can provide you with a gentle yet effective exfoliating product.

By creating your own aloe vera scrub recipe at home, you have the advantage of knowing exactly what you’re applying to your skin, ensuring the use of natural ingredients without the added chemicals often found in commercial beauty products.

• Embracing DIY skincare allows you to personalize the experience according to your skin’s specific needs.
• Crafting this scrub at home is straightforward and can be a rewarding addition to your beauty regimen.

Whether you have sensitive skin or are simply seeking a more natural approach to beauty, an aloe vera scrub recipe might be the perfect solution to enhance your skin’s natural glow.

Benefits of Aloe Vera for Skin

Offering a blend of hydration and anti-inflammatory effects, aloe vera is a solid choice when it comes to skincare. Let’s dive into that a bit deeper.

Hydrating Properties

Your skin can greatly benefit from the hydrating qualities of aloe vera. This plant’s gel is rich in water, helping to moisturize and soothe the skin without leaving a greasy feel. Its gentle composition makes it suitable for nearly all skin types, promoting a supple and hydrated complexion.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

If you’re dealing with inflammation or irritation, aloe vera can be a soothing balm. It possesses anti-inflammatory compounds such as acemannan, a polysaccharide that can help reduce redness and swelling, making it effective for skin nourishment.

Phytochemicals

Aloe vera is loaded with a number of phytochemicals and antioxidants.

Choosing Ingredients

When crafting a homemade aloe vera scrub, selecting quality ingredients is crucial for an effective and skin-nourishing exfoliant. It’s important to understand what each component brings to your scrub to tailor it to your skin’s needs.

Base Components

Your scrub’s foundation consists of a moisturizer and a gel to hold the exfoliants in place. Aloe vera serves as a perfect gel base due to its hydrating properties and is often used for its vitamin-rich profile.

An oil like coconut oil or olive oil can be included to further enhance the moisturizing effect of your scrub.

• Aloe Vera: Serves as the gel base and moisturizer. It also contains vitamins and minerals. We like using aloe vera since multiple family members either have sensitive skin, eczema, or both. Aloe is gentle, light, and hydrating all at the same time.
• Oil (Coconut, Olive, Almond): Acts as a complementary moisturizer alongside aloe vera. You could also use jojoba, rosehip, grapeseed, or a wide variety of other oils.

Exfoliants

The exfoliating component is critical for removing dead skin cells.

• Sugar is a popular choice as it’s gentle on the skin yet effective at exfoliating.
• Colloidal oatmeal, finely ground sea salt, or even baking soda could also serve as exfoliants.
• Additionally, enzymes like papin or bromelain can be included for their ability naturally dissolve and exfoliate dead skin cells.

Additive Oils and Essences

To further enhance your scrub, consider adding essential oils for their therapeutic properties and pleasing scents.

Patchouli, lavender, palmarosa, tea tree, and many other essential oil varieties and blends will complement your DIY scrub recipe with refreshing fragrances, as well as the skin benefits of EOs.

Remember: With essential oils a few drops go a long way. Less is more.

The beauty of DIYs is that you’re able to customize your skincare mixtures precisely to your skin needs. That may mean using specific essential oils, exfoliants, carrier oils, and so on.

Creating Your Aloe Vera Scrub

The process to create a homemade aloe face scrub is super simple (in case you haven’t done it before). We’ll guide you through some initial considerations below before moving on to the recipes.

Preparing the Aloe Vera

To start, ensure you have fresh aloe vera gel, which is the foundation of your scrub. If you’re using a fresh aloe leaf, slice it lengthwise and scoop out the gel, removing any green remnants to avoid skin irritation.

Feel free to purchase aloe vera gel from reputable online retailers as well. We prefer using 100% organic certified ingredients for skincare recipes whenever possible.

Mixing Your Ingredients

In a mixing bowl, combine two teaspoons of aloe vera gel with one teaspoon of granulated sugar.

The granulated sugar acts as an abrasive, helping to scrub away any dead skin cells. For an extra gentle exfoliating experience, you could powder the sugar in a mortar and pestle to make a finer consistency.

If you’re looking to create a larger batch, maintain this ratio to keep the consistency balanced.

Consistency and Texture

Once mixed, your paste should have a slightly gritty consistency overall, but perhaps a bit finer if you powdered the sugar as mentioned above.

Tip: If it feels too thick, add more aloe vera gel or even some gentle carrier oil.

Conversely, if it’s too runny, add granulated sugar in small increments until the desired consistency is reached. You could also use any of the other exfoliants we mentioned earlier. We especially like using colloidal oatmeal since it’s easy to make, gently exfoliates, and calms irritated or otherwise sensitive skin.

The final product should be a homogenous mixture that glides smoothly over your skin, effectively removing dead cells to reveal underlying fresh skin while also providing moisture.

When applying the aloe vera gel scrub, use gentle circular motions to avoid irritation – this is crucial to achieving proper exfoliation without damaging the skin. Always test a small patch of skin for sensitivity before applying to larger areas.

3 DIY Aloe Scrub Recipes

1. Gentle Aloe & Oatmeal Soothe Scrub (Sensitive Skin)

This scrub is designed for sensitive skin, using gentle colloidal oatmeal as the exfoliant, manuka honey, and a light soothing carrier oil.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

• 1 tablespoon colloidal oatmeal (use more according to your preference)

• 1 teaspoon jojoba oil or sweet almond oil (non-irritating oils for sensitive skin)
• 1 teaspoon manuka honey (regular honey is okay if you don’t have manuka honey)

• 2-3 drops of chamomile essential oil (optional for extra soothing properties)

Instructions:

• Mix the aloe vera gel with colloidal oatmeal in a bowl.

• Add the jojoba or sweet almond oil to the mixture.

• Optionally, include a few drops of chamomile essential oil for its calming effects.

• Apply the scrub to your face in gentle, circular motions, being careful around the eyes.

• Rinse with cool water and pat your face dry with a soft towel.

2. Revitalizing Aloe & Coffee Kick Scrub

This scrub uses coffee grounds to invigorate the skin, paired with nourishing oils for a rejuvenating experience.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

• 1 tablespoon finely ground coffee beans

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

• 2-3 drops of peppermint essential oil (optional for a refreshing scent)

Instructions:

• Combine the aloe vera gel with finely ground coffee in a bowl.

• Stir in the coconut oil until well-mixed.

• Add the peppermint essential oil for an energizing fragrance if desired.

• Gently massage the scrub onto your face, avoiding the eye area.

• Rinse with lukewarm water and enjoy the fresh, revitalized feeling.

3. Citrus Aloe & Sugar Glow Scrub

This scrub pairs the exfoliating properties of sugar with the brightening effects of citrus, perfect for a radiant complexion.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 2-3 drops of orange or lemon essential oil

Instructions:

• Mix the aloe vera gel and granulated sugar in a small bowl to create the base of your scrub.

• Add in the olive oil for additional moisture and to help bind the mixture.

• Incorporate the orange or lemon essential oil for a natural citrus scent that can also help brighten the skin.

• Using gentle circular motions, apply the scrub to your face, avoiding the delicate skin around your eyes.

• Rinse off with warm water, making sure all sugar granules are washed away.

• Pat your skin dry with a clean towel and follow up with your usual skincare routine.

This Citrus Aloe & Sugar Glow Scrub is a delightful way to exfoliate and brighten your skin, leaving it feeling smooth and refreshed with a subtle, uplifting citrus aroma.

Application Techniques

Proper application techniques can maximize the benefits of your DIY aloe vera scrub for various skin types. Here’s how to streamline your approach for effective use on the face and body, adhering to skin type considerations and frequency of use.

Suitability for Different Skin Types

• Sensitive Skin: Use gentle, non-abrasive ingredients with your aloe vera and apply with care to avoid irritation.
• Oily Skin: Include ingredients like baking soda, finely ground salt, or activated charcoal to help absorb excess oil. Apply in a moderate, circular motion without over-scrubbing, which could stimulate more oil production.
• Dry Skin: Combine aloe vera with hydrating agents like almond oil. Ensure gentle application to nourish and exfoliate without stripping moisture.

Frequency and Method of Use

• Skincare Routine: Integrate the aloe vera scrub into your routine once a week or even once every two weeks. Replacing harsher exfoliants with this DIY method instead. Exfoliation isn’t actually something we need to do frequently. Over-exfoliation can be counterintuitive.
• Method: We’ve mentioned this a few times, but it’s worth mentioning again in case you missed it. Apply your scrub in a soft, circular motion to lift dead skin cells. Do not press the mixture into your skin with a lot of pressure. Instead, lightly move the mixture over the surface of your skin.

Optimal Application for Face and Body

• Face Scrub: Use your fingertips to softly work the scrub into your skin, focusing on the T-zone and avoiding the delicate eye area.
• Body Scrub: Extend the exfoliation to your body using broader strokes. Pay special attention to rough areas such as elbows and knees. If you’d like to exfoliate your feet, add additional exfoliants like salt or coffee.

Aftercare and Skin Health

After using an aloe vera scrub, following a proper aftercare routine that supports skin moisturization is crucial. Attention to moisturizing and protection against damage can help maintain the skin’s elasticity and youthful appearance.

Moisturizing After Exfoliation

Following exfoliation with an aloe vera scrub, apply a moisturizer that complements your skin type to hydrate and replenish any lost moisture.

Moisturizing is pivotal in maintaining a glowing complexion and reinforcing the skin’s natural barrier. For optimal results, use a moisturizer that contains ingredients known for their hydrating properties, like hyaluronic acid or glycerin.

Lukewarm water should be used when rinsing off any scrub to avoid stripping away essential oils, and moisturization should be done immediately afterward to lock in hydration.

Protecting Skin From Damage

Immediately after exfoliating, your skin may be more susceptible to damage. Hence, it’s essential to protect your skin from environmental stressors.

• If you used any citrus ingredients or any EOs that could cause photosensitivity (grapefruit, lemon, orange, bergamot), be sure to avoid direct sunlight for at least 12 hours. If you know you’ll be in the sun sooner than that, simply do not use those EOs.
• Use a heavier moisturizer when venturing outside in the cooler winter months to ensure your skin remains hydrated.
• Do not over-exfoliate. Limit exfoliation to once weekly at most. Even once every two weeks works well for many, but it will depend on your skin type.

Additional Tips and Considerations

Storage and Shelf Life

If you plan to make your scrub in bulk, be sure to store it well. Ideally, store your scrub in an airtight container and keep it in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.

If using ingredients like brown sugar or sea salt, which are natural preservatives, your scrub can last up to three months. Always use a clean scoop to prevent introducing bacteria into the mixture.

We prefer just making small batches of scrub, just enough for a few uses. Not only will you avoid spoilage with smaller batches, but it also allows for more variation whenever exfoliating.

Aloe Vera Scrub FAQs

How can you create a homemade facial scrub using aloe vera and sugar?

To make a simple facial scrub, combine two teaspoons of aloe vera gel with one teaspoon of granulated sugar. That’s quite a simple aloe scrub recipe, but you can add a number of other ingredients for various skin benefits.

See our recipes in the above post for more details.

Can aloe vera be used in a scrub for moisturizing dry skin, and how?

Yes, aloe vera can be combined with moisturizing ingredients like honey or coconut oil for a scrub suitable for dry skin. The aloe’s water content will aid in moisturization, while the oils will act as emollients to lock in that moisture.

After exfoliating, you should also follow up with a light moisturizer that’s suitable for your skin type.

How often should I use an aloe vera scrub on my face for the best results?

At first, you may start by exfoliating with the aloe scrub 1-2 times per week, then decrease the frequency to about once per week, depending on your skin type. There’s no set rule for this other than you should avoid exfoliating too often.

Are there any special considerations when making an aloe vera scrub for hair care?

When making an aloe vera scrub for hair care, use gentle ingredients to avoid scalp irritation and focus on scrubbing the scalp rather than the hair to remove buildup effectively.

Additionally, apple cider vinegar can be a useful ingredient for clarifying the hair and removing buildup.