Homemade Cranberry Sugar Scrub – Great for Gifting!
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Delight your friends and family (or yourself) with this soothing homemade cranberry sugar scrub! Made with just 4 ingredients, it’s incredibly easy to make and will make your hands feel soft and smooth, perfect for the holiday season.
What is cranberry sugar scrub?
To make this homemade sugar scrub, I tweaked my basic sugar scrub recipe and added real dried cranberries! These are easy to find all year and give the scrub a beautiful color and soft texture. It’s such a soothing treatment for dry skin, especially during the winter months.
Why you’ll love this cranberry sugar scrub recipe
Equipment
To make this scrub, you’ll need a food processor or high powered blender and some small mason jars or other airtight containers.
Ingredients
- Oil: You can use any type of skin-safe oil for this recipe, like almond oil, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, etc. There are different oils to use for different skin types, but I find sweet almond oil to be a great option for my sensitive skin.
- Sugar: Use regular natural cane sugar or white sugar. You can also use organic brown sugar, although it will give the body scrub more of a brown color.
- Dried cranberries: I like to use soft, unflavored dried cranberries as they are shelf-stable and available year-round.
- Orange essential oil: This is optional, but the orange oil really plays up the cranberry orange scent for winter.
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How to Make Dried Cranberry Sugar Scrub
- Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
- Blend until the cranberries begin to break apart.
- Stop to scrape down the sides and blend again, making sure the entire mixture looks the same.
- Pour the scrub into small containers and seal. Add a handmade label for gifting!
Storage
Store your scrub in an airtight container, like a small mason jar. Keep it in a cool, dry place at room temperature for up to 2-3 months. Avoid adding any water to the mixture as it will cause the sugar to harden, making it hard to use.
Tips & Variations
- Feel free to try using fresh cranberries instead of dried ones! They will add more moisture, and you will need to both add vitamin E and store the scrub in the fridge. It will last about a week.
- Use a fragrance oil. We are a fragrance-free household and prefer to use essential oils instead of fragrance oils. However, you can easily add cranberry and/or orange fragrance oils for a more potential scent.
- Add vanilla extract. Give your scrub a cozy, yummy scent by adding one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
How to Use Cranberry Sugar Scrub
- Run warm water over your body. Only use scrubs on warm, wet skin.
- Add about a quarter-sized dollop of the scrub to your hands.
- Rub your hands with a circular motion for some gentle exfoliation.
- Rinse away the excess scrub with more warm water.
- Dry off with a clean towel.
Note: It’s not recommended to use sugar scrubs on your face, as the raw sugar cane granules can be too harsh for delicate skin.
FAQs
Yes! Dried cranberries look and feel beautiful in homemade sugar scrub recipes. I like to blend them with sugar, almond oil, and orange essential oil in small batches for a lovely scrub to polish dry, winter skin. Just blend the cranberries together with the other ingredients and then use it over your entire body (except your face).
The best oil really depends on your skin type. I prefer to use sweet almond oil as it is really gentle for sensitive skin. However, you can also use rice bran oil, grape seed oil, apricot kernel oil, and a variety of other options. Just try to find an oil that works for your skin type!
If you use fresh cranberries, then yes, you will need to store your scrub in the fridge. However, this scrub uses shelf-stable ingredients that do not need to be refrigerated. For best results, use within about 2-3 months and avoid getting any water in the scrub, or it will harden.
Related Recipes
Enjoy more homemade sugar scrubs with these easy recipes!
Homemade Vanilla Sugar Scrub Recipe
Homemade Lavender Sugar Scrub Recipe
DIY Lavender Salt Scrub Recipe with Epsom Salt
How to Make DIY Brown Sugar Scrub for Lips
These scrubs are all fantastic eco-friendly stocking stuffers!
Homemade Cranberry Orange Sugar Scrub
Equipment
- small food processor
- small mason jars
- twine optional
- dried orange slice optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup sweet almond oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
- Blend until the cranberries begin to break apart.
- Stop to scrape down the sides and blend again, making sure the entire mixture looks the same.
- Pour the scrub into small containers and seal. Add a handmade label for gifting!
Notes
Storage
Store your scrub in an airtight container, like a small mason jar. Keep it in a cool, dry place at room temperature for up to 2-3 months. Avoid adding any water to the mixture as it will cause the sugar to harden, making it hard to use.Tips & Variations
- Feel free to try using fresh cranberries instead of dried ones! They will add more moisture, and you will need to both add vitamin E and store the scrub in the fridge. It will last about a week.
- Use a fragrance oil. We are a fragrance-free household and prefer to use essential oils instead of fragrance oils. However, you can easily add cranberry and/or orange fragrance oils for a more potential scent.
- Add vanilla extract. Give your scrub a cozy, yummy scent by adding one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
How to Use Cranberry Sugar Scrub
- Run warm water over your body. Only use scrubs on warm, wet skin.
- Add about a quarter-sized dollop of the scrub to your hands.
- Rub your hands with a circular motion for some gentle exfoliation.
- Rinse away the excess scrub with more warm water.
- Dry off with a clean towel.
