Of all the at-home body scrubs I’ve mixed up in my kitchen, and there have been quite a few, this Green Tea Sugar Body Scrub is by far my favorite! It’s silky and luscious, ultra moisturing, and smells like a Matcha Green Tea Latte. Thank goodness it’s actually beneficial to my skin because this scrub is likely going to be a permanent fixture in my bath tub.
We all know that green tea has it’s health benefits when consumed but with a little research I was excited to discover that it’s also beneficial in skin care. Green tea is high in a specific type of antioxidant known as polyphenols also found in olives and grapes. Polyphenols can help achieve younger, healthier-looking skin, and who wouldn’t want that? Green tea is shown to help with skin’s moisture retention, defense against sun damage and even new skin cell development.
So, go brew yourself a cup of green tea and mix up a jar of this sugar scrub as soon as possible! You deserve a little pampering and polyphenols.
photos by Leah Bergman
Green Tea Sugar Body Scrub
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/3-1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1 Tbs green tea (loose leaf or from tea bags)
1 tsp matcha green tea powder – available at most health food stores
Directions:
1. In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix until well blended with a wooden spoon. You may want to add more coconut oil based on your own personal preference. I found that 1/3-1/2 cup of oil was perfect and very moisturing.
2. Store in a glass jar or air-tight container.
Storage Note: Because this body scrub has no preservatives it will keep for a 2-3 weeks.
Other Source: Livestrong.com “Polyphenols & the Skin”
I use coconut oil for everything from cooking to skincare. Its one of my absolute favorite natural products to use and you just gave me the best new use for it. Can’t wait to mix up a batch of this and pamper myself.
Oh, good! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 🙂
Yes, yes, yes! I need so sluff off some of this nasty winter dryness – this mayyyy be just the thing
You and me both! I think it’s just the thing. 😉
Can you use it on your face!?
I’m sure that you can however my skin is very sensitive so I have personally never tried it.
Can I not use coconut oil?
Anyway, can I use rice powder instead of sugar? I wonder if the texture is there.
I don’t know about using rice powder as a scrub however you can sub sea salt if you don’t want to use sugar.
Do I have to use the green tea powder? Where I’ve looked for it, it was extremely expensive.
For this recipe, yes you need to use green tea powder. It is pricey but I use it for making smoothies and tea all the time so I already have it as a staple in my kitchen.
Hello, do I need to brew the tea first? Or just mix all the dry ingredients with the oil?
No brewing required! Just mix all of the dry ingredients. Enjoy!
What is the shelf life if sugar scrub. I would like to make for Christmas gifts.
Homemade sugar scrubs are usually good for 3-4 weeks in my experience! I would make as close to gifting as possible.
Is this like a body wash, something you apply in the shower and rinse off or is it like a lotion, something you apply to your dry skin and leave on?
This is used then washed off in the shower!
About how much does this make? 4 or 8 oz?
It made about 8oz!
Can you make this with an alternative to coconut oil?
Yes, absolutely! You can use almond or even olive oil. I like coconut and almond oils because the scent is light.
Hi,
I nearly made the same one yesterday night except mine was a green tea and lemon scrub (added lemon zest). I didn’t think of the matcha though. It’s actually a pretty good idea and I definitely will add it next time! Mine served as gift made for a friends baby shower but today, after giving it, it got me thinking.. like you mentionned there are no preservatives and what happens if it stays longer than 3 weeks? Like I have no idea when she might start using it. I was thinking of recommending her to use it starting now but since she’s pregnant (7 months) and there’s coconut oil in it, I’m afraid of her safety as she might slip. What should I do.. is 2 months or more really a big no no? If so, it’s probably because of the wet leafs, right? Should I recommend her to use it right now or is there really a good risk of danger of slipping badly? Is coconut oil very slippery?
Is the matcha optional?
Yes, you could just make a plain sugar scrub without the matcha.
But earlier (above comment) you said you definitely needed it??
You definitely need it to make the sugar scrub “green tea” as Matcha is green tea powder but you could make a plain sugar scrub without it. Hope that makes sense.