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Make your own body scrub

Use peppermint, lemon and honey to make your own body scrub.

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You’ll need

  • Mixing bowls
  • Spoons
  • Sticky labels
  • Permanent markers
  • Craft materials (for example, tissue paper, pipe cleaners, stickers)
  • Something to protect surfaces (for example, newspaper or tablecloths)
  • Ingredients
  • Clean, empty glass jars
  • Aprons or something to protect clothes
  • Jugs

Before you begin 

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Take a look at our guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.  
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.
  • Check for allergies or intolerances then adjust the items used as needed. This may include making sure there’s no cross-contamination of packaging and no cross-contamination during the storage and preparation. 
  • You may need to use separate chopping boards, equipment and utensils, such as tongs or toasters, for different requirements.
  • If you’re unsure, check with the young person and their parents or carers. You can check with the adult directly if it’s a volunteer or helper.
  • Some people may not like certain textures and that’s OK, You can try to find an alternative for them. 

  

Planning and setting up this activity 

  1. Suggest that everyone should wear aprons or old clothes to protect their clothing from potential stains.
  2. Remember to give a safety briefing for the methods you’re using. You may wish to demonstrate the methods or activity before you all start.
  3. Spray and wipe down all working surfaces and tables with anti-bacterial spray before and after use.
  4. Wash any equipment you’re using in hot soapy water.
  5. Always have a handwashing station, washing hands regularly throughout this activity, and taking extra hygiene precautions when handling items. If you're using gloves to prepare the bath scrub, treat them like your hands. Wash any gloves before using them and in between if necessary.
  6. Never use food or other products past its best before or use-by date.
  7. Some people may not like certain textures, such as the body scrub, and that’s OK. People don’t need to touch or use all the items if they don’t want to, and no-one should be made to try the body scrub if they don’t want to. You can try to find an alternative for them. 

Running this activity

  1. Gather everyone together and ask if anyone knows what a body scrub is. A body scrub’s a product designed to exfoliate the skin. 
  2. Tell everyone that you’ll be making your own body scrub. This sugar scrub comes in two different scents, peppermint or lemon and honey.
  3. Everyone should wash their hands.
  4. Explain that is a sugar scrub that you use in the shower to exfoliate the skin (get rid of all the dead bits). It leaves it feeling soft and smooth after you wash it off. These sugar scrub recipes will last in an air-tight jar for 2-3 weeks. You should also check that you or whoever you're giving it to doesn’t have any allergies, skin conditions or super sensitive skin before using it, as it may irritate it or cause a reaction.
  5. Tell everyone that you should never eat it and make sure it’s carefully labelled to tell people not to eat it. It’s for use on the skin only! 
  6. Everyone should take a jar, then decorate it. If you’re recycling jars, make sure to clean them thoroughly and dry them carefully.
  7. Once finished, everyone should make a label that contains the ingredients and how to use it. You can use the scrub every two or three days. Apply onto wet skin in the shower and rub in gently, then ash off well in the shower. Use the scrub within 2-3 weeks of making it. Try not to get any water in the jar when using it. 
  8. At the end, remind everyone to check that you and the person you are giving it to doesn’t have allergies to any of the ingredients and although it’ll smell yummy, don’t eat it. 

Peppermint Scrub

You’ll need: 

  • A clean, glass jar  
  • 300g granulated sugar  
  • 100ml of either olive oil, almond oil or coconut oil 
  • A few drops of peppermint extract or peppermint essential oil. 
  • A few drops of green food colouring 
  • Put the sugar in a bowl and add the 100ml of oil. 
  • Add the few drops peppermint extract/essential oil. 
  • Mix until your scrub’s sticky, but not sloppy. 
  • If your mixture’s too dry, add a little more oil. If it’s too wet, add a little more sugar (just a bit at a time) 
  • Next, add a couple of drops of green food colouring. 
  • Mix it well to make it a pastel green. 
  • Add your mixture to a clean, dry jam jar and tightly screw the lid on. 

  

Lemon and honey scrub

You’ll need: 

  • A clean, glass jar 
  • 300g granulated sugar  
  • 100 ml of either olive oil, almond oil or coconut oil 
  • 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (or the juice of one lemon) 
  • 2 tablespoons of runny honey 
  • A few drops of yellow food colouring 
  1. Put the sugar in a bowl and add the oil, lemon juice and honey.
  2. Mix until your scrub is sticky, but not too sloppy. This one will be runnier than the peppermint one because of the lemon juice.
  3. If your mixture’s too dry, add a little more oil.
  4. If it’s too wet, add a little more sugar.
  5. Next, add a couple of drops of yellow food colouring and mix well to make it a pretty pale yellow.
  6. Finally, add your mixture to a clean, dry jam jar and tightly screw the lid on. 

Reflection

This activity was all about making your own body scrub. What did you enjoy most about making your own body scrub? Have you ever used one before? Did anything surprise you during the process? The body scrubs may have reminded you of one you’ve seen in shops. What do you think about the body scrub you made? What did the ingredients smell like? And what did the body scrub feel like?  

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Craft: Unusual substances

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using unusual substances, such as powdered paint, ash or dirt. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by what’s being used. Make sure you follow all relevant safety guidance or manufacturers guidelines, where available. Make sure you dispose of it appropriately too, in line with safety guidance.

  • To make it easier, you could pre-measure out the ingredients. 

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

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