How to Make a Honey and Sugar Face Scrub

Co-authored by Diana Yerkes

Last Updated: December 21, 2023 Approved

Sugar can be used as a delightful sweetener as well as a gentle alternative to harsh, expensive, and chemical based scrubs.Although honey is a natural sweetener, it can also be used as a moisturizer to promote good health and healing.Creating a sugar and honey based scrub is the perfect and inexpensive DIY solution to your skin’s needs.^{[1]
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Research source} Use these two cooking ingredients to sweeten up the glow in your complexion.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating the Sugar and Honey Face Scrub

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Use raw honey. Make sure you are using raw honey that has not been treated and is unpasteurized. You can find raw honey at health food stores, farmer’s markets, and online.^{[2]
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Diana Yerkes
Skincare Professional

Expert Interview. 16 April 2019.} Using raw honey, as opposed to the bottled honey you get in grocery stores, will ensure it is natural and toxin free. You will also reap more of the medicinal benefits of the honey by using it in raw form.^{[3]
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- Before you use honey on your skin, you want to make sure you are not allergic to honey. You can do this by getting an allergy test done at your doctor’s office.
- You can also do a spot test on your skin to ensure you do not have an allergic reaction. Place a small amount of honey on your hand or a section of your skin that can be covered up. Wait one hour. If you do not have an allergic reaction, such as itchiness, redness, or swelling, you can likely proceed with the honey and sugar scrub.
Add more if you’d like to use the scrub/mask on your neck as well.

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Add 1 ½ tablespoons of ultra fine baking sugar to the honey. Make sure it is not too thick.
- You can also use brown sugar.^{[4]
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  Diana Yerkes
  Skincare Professional
  
  Expert Interview. 16 April 2019.} The crystals in fine baking and brown sugar are softer than regular table sugar.^{[5]
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This is an optional step. Make sure you use a fresh lemon as older lemons have added ascorbic acid which can cause more harm than help.^{[6]
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The mixture should be thick enough that it falls off your finger "very" slowly. If it slides off quickly, it will slide off your face quickly as well. Add more sugar if the mixture is runny. If the mix is too thick, add more honey.

Part 2

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Applying the Sugar and Honey Face Scrub

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Dampen your fingers, and apply the scrub on your face and neck. Gently massage in circles around your face for 45 seconds. Leave the scrub on your face for at least 5 minutes.
- For a mask, leave the scrub on your face for 10 minutes.
- Gently massage it onto your lips to exfoliate dry, cracked lips.
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Rinse off with warm water. Make sure you don’t leave any honey or sugar residue on your face. You may end up leaving a sticky mess if you don’t rinse it off thoroughly.
- Your face will appear slightly red afterwards, but the redness should fade.
Never rub your face with towel as it can damage your skin and cause irritation. Take the towel, and gently pat the moisture off of your face.
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Moisturize your skin. Use a moisturizer with sunscreen to protect against sun damage.
- Add lip balm if you exfoliated your lips.
If you have sensitive or dry skin, use the sugar and honey scrub to exfoliate the dead skin off your face 1-2 times a week. If you have combination or oily skin, you can use this scrub 2-3 times a week.^{[7]
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Diana Yerkes
Skincare Professional

Expert Interview. 16 April 2019.}

Part 3

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Making Different Honey and Sugar Scrubs

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Use egg whites if you have oily skin. Egg whites have been shown to help remove dead skin and improve oily skin. You can add egg whites to your honey and sugar scrub to get a more tightening effect on your skin. Add one egg white per 1 ½ tablespoon of honey.^{[8]
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- Keep in mind using raw egg in your scrub increases your chances of salmonella. Be careful when using egg whites and do not put it near your mouth to reduce your risk of swallowing raw egg.^{[9]
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Make a honey mask for acne. If you are struggling with acne, you may want to try using just pure honey as a mask on your skin. Dry skin, oily skin, and sensitive skin may all benefit from using a honey mask.^{[10]
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- Spread raw honey all over your face with clean fingers. Let the honey mask sit on your face and dry for ten to fifteen minutes. Then, wash the mask off with lukewarm water. Pat your face dry with a towel.
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Create an oatmeal honey scrub to remove dead skin. Oats are full of natural cleansers and are great for removing dirt and oil from your skin. Mixing oats with honey and lemon will help to leave your skin feeling moisturized and clear.^{[11]
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- Mix ¾ cup oatmeal (whole grain steel cut oats), ¼ cup honey, and ¼ cup lemon juice. Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl, pouring ¼ cup water in the bowl as you stir. If you want to soften the oats, you can run them through a coffee grinder.
- Use clean fingers to apply the scrub to your face and gently massage the scrub in a circular motion. Rinse off the scrub after one minute with lukewarm water. Pat your face dry with a towel.

The Takeaway: Honey and Sugar Facial Scrub

Make your sugar scrub by mixing 1.5 tbsp (22 mL) of raw honey, 1.5 tbsp (20 g) of ultra-fine sugar, and 3-5 drops of lemon juice. Apply the mixture with your fingers in circular motions, leaving the mask in place for 5 minutes. Then, rinse it off with warm water.

Expert Q&A

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Is honey good for your skin?

Diana Yerkes
Skincare Professional
Diana Yerkes is a Skincare Professional and the Lead Esthetician at Rescue Spa in New York City, New York. With over 15 years of experience, Diana helps others with their skin care needs by incorporating natural and high-performing products and treatments into their routines while providing nutrition insights and educating clients on better skin care habits. Diana is a member of the Associated Skin Care Professionals (ASCP) and holds certifications from the Wellness for Cancer and Look Good Feel Better programs. She received her esthetics education from the Aveda Institute, the International Dermal Institute, and the Biologique Research Academy.

Diana Yerkes

Skincare Professional

Expert Answer

Honey, especially Manuka honey, has a lot of anti-inflammatory properties. if you have any kind of inflammatory conditions such as eczema or even psoriasis, it's actually very helpful to use something like that on your face. Just be very selective in terms of which honey you use. You want to stick to organic options.

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Question

Must the face be cleaned before applying? If yes, what is the best natural face cleansers?

Community Answer

Clean your skin before using any masks or scrubs. The best natural ones are natural soaps. You can either make it yourself (there are many tutorials for cold or hot process soaps), or your can buy one at a local store or often a farmer's market, craft fair, flea market or outdoor bazaar.

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How long can I store this?

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You can basically store this as long as you can store the individual ingredients, unless you use lemon juice as that increases the liquid content and can reduce the time you can store it. It's always advisable to refrigerate any handmade liquid or semi-liquid cosmetics that don't have an added preservative. An even better alternative is to only make what you need when you need it so you don't have to store it.

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