DIY Lip Scrub: How to Make a Sugar Lip Scrub with Shea Butter
Melt 1/4 oz (7 g) shea butter, stir in 1/4 oz (7 g) baobab oil, mix in 1 oz (28 g) brown sugar and spoon it into a small jar. Baraka's shea butter is made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.
How do you make a DIY lip scrub?
Melt the shea butter, stir in a light oil, then mix in brown sugar until the scrub looks like wet sand. A lip scrub is sugar held in a soft fat. The sugar lifts away dry flakes, while the shea butter and oil leave lips feeling soft. The recipe below fills one small 2 fl oz (60 ml) jar.
Shea butter is the base here. Baraka's is unrefined, strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising. Its colour runs from ivory through cream to pale yellow, and a mild nutty smell is normal. It is solid at room temperature and melts on contact with skin, so it holds the sugar in the jar and softens on your lips. The women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre make it by hand.
You can buy the unrefined butter used in this recipe here: Baraka shea butter.
Ingredients
- 1 oz (28 g) brown sugar
- 0.25 oz (7 g) unrefined shea butter
- 0.25 oz (7 g) baobab oil, a light oil that is liquid at room temperature, absorbs quickly and has a mild, faintly nutty smell (made by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre)
- Optional: up to 4 drops (about 0.2 g) peppermint or spearmint essential oil
You will also need a small heatproof bowl, a pan of barely simmering water, a spoon and one clean, dry 2 fl oz (60 ml) jar with a lid.
Directions
- Set the heatproof bowl over the pan of barely simmering water. Add the shea butter and let it melt slowly, stirring now and then. Take it off the heat as soon as no lumps are left.
- Stir in the baobab oil and let the mixture cool for a few minutes until it is warm, not hot.
- Add the brown sugar and stir until every grain is coated and the mixture looks like wet sand.
- If you are using a flavour oil, add the drops now and stir well.
- Spoon the scrub into the clean, dry jar and press it down lightly. Leave it uncovered at room temperature for an hour to firm up, then close the lid.
Honey lip scrub version
For a stickier, sweeter scrub, use 1 oz (28 g) brown sugar, 0.35 oz (10 g) shea butter and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) honey, about 0.25 oz (7 g), and leave out the baobab oil. Melt the shea butter and let it cool until just warm. Stir in the honey, then the sugar, and jar it as above. It contains honey, so it is not vegan. Make it in a smaller jar and use it up sooner than the oil version.
Flavour oils for lips
A flavour oil is optional. Baraka's recommended limit on the lips is 0.5% of the batch weight. For this recipe that is up to 4 drops (about 0.2 g) in total. The honey version stays within the same limit. Peppermint or spearmint suit a lip scrub. Skip citrus oils such as lemon, bergamot and orange, which do not belong on lips. Leave essential oils out of any scrub made for children.
How to use your lip scrub
Wet your lips lightly. Take a small amount on a clean fingertip and rub it over your lips in slow, gentle circles for 20 to 30 seconds. Press lightly, because the sugar does the work. Rinse or wipe it all away with a warm, damp cloth, pat dry and finish with a lip balm. Our DIY lip balm guide shows how to make one with shea butter.
What is the best lip scrub recipe?
Our pick is the brown sugar, shea butter and baobab oil scrub above. Brown sugar is softer and a little damper than white sugar, which suits delicate lips. The shea butter keeps the scrub in a thick paste that stays on your lips instead of running off. The light oil makes it easy to spread.
You can swap the oil. Virgin coconut oil is pressed from the fresh kernel of the coconut, and it works in the same amount. It is solid below about 75°F (24°C) and liquid above it, so the jar firms up or softens with the room. This is normal. Baraka's virgin coconut oil is grown and pressed in Ghana's coastal coconut belt. Choose the honey version if you want a sweeter, stickier scrub. Whichever you pick, keep the recipe water-free and the sugar fine.
How often should you exfoliate your lips?
Once or twice a week is plenty. Scrub gently, rinse, then put on a lip balm. Doing it every day is more than lips need, and skin on the lips is thin, so more scrubbing is not better.
Skip the scrub when your lips are cracked, split or sore, because sugar will sting and rub. Wait until the skin is comfortable again and put on a plain balm in the meantime. If your lips stay cracked, sore or painful, ask a doctor or pharmacist. This recipe is DIY advice, not medical advice.
Can you use a sugar scrub on your lips?
Yes, if it is made for lips. A body scrub is usually too coarse for lip skin, and many body scrub recipes include citrus essential oils, which do not belong on lips. A lip scrub uses fine brown sugar, a soft fat such as shea butter and a light oil, with no more than a few drops of a gentle flavour oil.
If you already make body scrubs, our DIY sugar scrub guide covers shea butter body scrubs. Keep that scrub for the body and make a separate, smaller jar for your lips.
Storage
This scrub has no water in it, so keep it that way. Close the lid after every use and store the jar somewhere cool and dry, away from heat and direct sun. Use a clean, dry fingertip or a small spoon each time, and never wet fingers, because water in the jar spoils it. Make small jars you will use up in good time. If water gets in, or the scrub smells or looks off, throw it out. Shea butter on its own keeps 2+ years when stored properly, away from heat and direct sun.
Lip scrub as a stocking stuffer
Small jars make easy gifts. Fill 1 oz or 2 fl oz (60 ml) jars, and label each with the date, the ingredients and "keep dry, use a clean spoon". Say so clearly on the label if it is the honey version, so the person you give it to knows it contains honey. Tie a ribbon around the lid, add a small tag with how to use it, and pair it with a homemade lip balm for a matching set.
For more ideas, see our guide to homemade Christmas gifts you can make. For more recipes to make and give, see the recipe book bundle.
Quick answers
How do you make a DIY lip scrub?
Melt 1/4 oz (7 g) shea butter, stir in 1/4 oz (7 g) baobab oil, then mix in 1 oz (28 g) brown sugar until it looks like wet sand. Spoon it into a clean, dry jar and let it firm up. Rub a little gently over damp lips, rinse, then apply lip balm.
What is the best lip scrub recipe?
Our pick is brown sugar, unrefined shea butter and a light oil such as baobab oil, which makes a soft, spreadable scrub for lips. For a sweeter version, replace the oil with 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of honey. Keep it water-free and the sugar fine.
How often should you exfoliate your lips?
Once or twice a week, gently, then rinse and put on a lip balm. Skip the scrub if your lips are cracked or sore. If they stay that way, ask a doctor or pharmacist.
Can you use a sugar scrub on your lips?
Yes, if it is made for lips. Use fine brown sugar in shea butter and a light oil, and leave out citrus essential oils. A coarse body scrub is too rough for lip skin.
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