Since scrubs are one of my all time favorite bath and body products, I’ve decided to feature a new scrub recipe every month on The Natural Beauty Workshop. Every month I will share a different recipe using some of our favorite natural and complimentary ingredients. I’m looking forward to the challenge of creating new and interesting scrubs on a regular basis.
The first scrub of this series was inspired by one of the season’s sweetest mascots, the candy cane. Creamy Shealoe Butter has been scented with peppermint and mixed into white sugar. Red Jojoba Wax Beads give this recipe an added flair of color! Shealoe Butter is a wonderful base for scrubs. It adds a thick texture, an even consistency, and it rinses away without any additional emulsifier.
Candy Cane Sugar Scrub
Ingredients
1/2 cup Shealoe Butter*
10 tablespoons Granulated White Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Red Jojoba Wax Beads
2 teaspoons White or Pale Yellow Beeswax
1/2 teaspoon of Peppermint Essential Oil** or Fragrance Oil
Directions
To create a duo-colored scrub, like the one pictured, you’ll need two small mixing bowls. Add 5 Tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. In a double boiler, melt 1 teaspoon of white beeswax completely. Next, add 1/4 cup of Shealoe Butter to the double boiler and turn the burner off. Be careful to warm the Shealoe Butter very gently. Overheating Shealoe Butter can cause it to separate. When it has melted completely, stir the butter and wax mixture into one of the bowls of sugar. Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of fragrance or essential oil to the bowl and stir. Add 1/2 teaspoon of Red Jojoba Wax beads and mix well. Pour the mixture into a resealable bag. Repeat this process with the second bowl of sugar, this time, leaving the Red Jojoba Wax Beads out of the mixture. To make the piping easier, refrigerate the bags of scrub for ten-fifteen minutes. When the scrub is ready, roll one bag’s contents into the corner of the bag and cut the corner.
Just like piping icing onto a cake, pipe your scrub onto the walls of a clear jar. This may take some practice, but even if you’re lines aren’t perfectly straight, it should create a lovely effect. Repeat this step with the second color of scrub. When the walls are covered, pipe the remaining scrub into the center of the jar in whatever style you prefer.
This scrub can also be made in one color. This is a little easier, but it still looks lovely. Instead of mixing two separate bowls, as described above, simply mix all of your ingredients in one bowl and spoon into a clear jar!
Packaging, Usage & Preservation
A natural or synthetic preservative may be added to this recipe at your own discretion. For information on preservatives, please visit our informational library. Without a preservative, this product should be used up as soon as possible, ideally within 3 weeks. If it not preserved, or if it is preserved with a natural agent, please handle this product with care. Keep the jar closed and in a cool, dry area. Do not bring the jar into the shower or bath. Instead, use a clean spoon or popsicle stick to scoop single portions into a paper or plastic cup.
This beautiful scrub looks great in a clear container. Try a PET jar to show it off!
Directions
There are many scrubbing techniques out there, but this is one I am particularly fond of. Step into the shower and before turning the water on, scrub your body all over! (Of course, avoiding very sensitive areas or broken skin.) When you are thoroughly scrubbed, turn the shower on and rinse. When the shower is over, make sure to moisturize your skin with a body oil, cream, or lotion.
*This scrub yields about 4 ounces of scrub. However, you may lose some product in the piping bags. To ensure that you make enough to completely fill a jar, you may want to add 1-2 extra tablespoons of Shealoe Butter to this recipe.
**Peppermint Essential Oil should not be used around babies and small children. 
The Candy Cane Sugar Scrub Kit is now available on FromNatureWithLove.com. Be sure to check out the rest of our Body Care Craft Kits, and use discount code NBWS4277 to save 7% on extra ingredients and packaging!
Okay, I have to ask. How do you pronounce shealoe? 🙂 Also, the sugar scrub is adorable! Might have to do that for Christmas presents next year.
We pronounce it “Shay-low” at FromNatureWithLove.com, but I have also heard it pronounced “Shay-Aloe”. The Candy Cane Scrub would make great Christmas Gifts! I’m making these for a few people myself.
What are the different benefits between salt and sugar scrubs? Is one better for your skin than the other?
You ask such great questions, Cassandra! Both sugar and salt make excellent exfroliants, but there are few differences between the two ingredients when it comes to other properties. Many people believe that the mineral content in sea salts can benefit the skin when they are used in a scrub. The action of exfoliation alone, increases circulation, but salts may help to enhance that action.
Sugar scrubs hold little to no mineral content, but are great for those who find salt scrubs to be too harsh on their skin. Salt can cause a stinging sensation if it is used on even very slightly broken skin. Any nicks and cuts that you may have can be irritated by salt. Sugar, however, does not have this drawback. Sugar scrubs are a good choice for people who have poor luck with shaving razors.
Also, the choice between salt and sugar in a scrub can affect the look and allure of your product. Because this scrub was candy-themed, sugar was a good choice, but you can certainly replace the sugar in this recipe with a white salt to create a beautiful salt scrub.
I love this recipe! I’m on batch 4. I do want to point out what I believe to be a typo. In the second line it says, “Add 1/2 cup of sugar to each bowl.” I believe it should say, “Add 1/2 of the sugar to each bowl.” as the recipe only calls for 10 Tbsp of sugar total. Otherwise, I did everything exactly as the recipe directed. It is WONDERFUL!
Thank you so much for your wonderful compliment. I am thrilled to hear that you have been using this recipe with success and have been enjoying it so much. Thank you for pointing out the typo. I do believe you are right about that. I’m going to edit the post right now. I would love to see a photo of one of your batches. Feel free to post one on our Flickr Group if you’d like to share.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/nbworkshop/
I love the look of this recipe. I would like to make a few batches for Christmas and order the ingredients from the links you posted, but I am unsure of the actual amounts needed. Your measurements are in cups and teaspoons, but the shop lists them in ounces. How many ounces is a 1/2 tsp. of the wax beeds? And how many ounces is 1/2 cup of the shealoe butter? Thanks.
I am happy to hear that you are interested in making some of the Candy Cane Sugar Scrub, Ima. Though the measurements I used in this recipe won’t work out exactly to the following proportions, I would be happy to give you an estimate:
1/2 cup of Shealoe Butter should work out to be around 4 ounces of Butter.
10 tablespoons of Sugar should work out to 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp.
1/2 teaspoon of Jojoba Wax Beads is a very small amount. If you purchased a 1 oz. pack of Wax Beads it should last you through several batches of scrub.
2 teaspoons of Beeswax is also a very small amount. A 4 ounce bag of wax should be more than enough to make several batches of scrub.
As for the Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil, 1/2 teaspoon equals about 2.5 ml. There are about 30 ml in 1 fluid ounce. Therefor, there would be enough for about 12 scrubs in one ounce of Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil.
why does it have the warning about keeping the oil away from children…is it something like they will try to eat it? thank you.
The reason we recommend keeping Peppermint Essential Oil away from small children is that Peppermint Essential Oil can actually be dangerous to babies, toddlers and small kids. When used in aromatherapy, Mint Oils are kept away from small children as it can cause an adverse reaction. Because Essential Oils are so potent, there are often restrictions regarding who can and cannot use them. Some Essential Oils can raise blood pressure, while others can aggravate certain medical conditions. That is why it is always important to research Essential Oils thoroughly before using them.
While this recipe wouldn’t be suitable for babies or toddlers, it can be adjusted for use with older kids. Simply substitute a Cosmetic Grade Fragrance Oil for the Essential Oil in the recipe.
I found your link thru Not Martha.
I cannot wait to make this for the holidays. I have a bunch of glass jars that need to be used.
What is the shelf life of the scrub after you make it?
Where can you find the shealoe butter?
The shelf life of handmade products can be a little unpredictable, but if you create your scrub under sterile conditions and store the sealed jar in a cool, dry place, the unopened scrub can last up to 6 months. When the scrub is opened, however, it all depends on how it is handled and whether or not bacteria, fungi, or other undesirables are introduced into the scrub. You can add a strong preservative to the scrub to help combat this, or you can work around it by using the scrub quickly after it is opened, and never using the scrub straight from the jar. By using a spoon or Popsicle stick to scoop out single portions of scrub you reduce its exposure to the wide world of micro organisms.
Shealoe Butter, along with the other ingredients in this recipe, can be found online at http://www.FromNatureWithLove.com . Use the discount code: “NBWS4277” to take 5% off of qualifying ingredients in your online order.
i am going to try out your recipe for the candycane sugar scrub .It sounds great. But my question is what role does the ingrediants have? This will be my first time trying to make an at home treatment. Thanks!
The Candy Can Sugar Scrub is one of our most popular recipes ever. I hope you enjoy making it! Each ingredient in the scrub plays a special part in creating the final product. Shealoe Butter is moisturizing, and has a wonderfully creamy texture that gives the scrub its beautiful appearance. Beeswax is added to help keep the Shealoe Butter semi-firm so that it can be piped into the jar. Sugar is used in this scrub as the main exfoliant, helping to scrub and polish away dead skin cells. The colored Jojoba Wax Beads also add exfoliation as well as a gorgeous color. Peppermint adds a pleasant scent and a subtle, cooling sensation. Good luck making your scrub! I’m sure you’ll love it.
I want to make several, so rather than the kit I need to know how much of each of the Crafter Sizes equals the amounts shown in this recipe:
how many cups Shealo Butter 4, 16 and 64 oz
how many teaspoons Jojoba Beads per crafter size
how many teaspoons Beeswax per crafter size
Thank you!
If you want to create a large batch of this scrub, I would recommend using the following proportions as a guide.
Though the measurements I used in this recipe won’t work out exactly to the following proportions, I would be happy to give you an estimate:
1/2 cup of Shealoe Butter should work out to be around 4 ounces of Butter. I would recommend getting about 4 ounces of Shealoe for each scrub you intend to make.
10 tablespoons of Sugar should work out to 2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp.
1/2 teaspoon of Jojoba Wax Beads is a very small amount. If you purchased a 1 oz. pack of Wax Beads it should last you through several batches of scrub.
2 teaspoons of Beeswax is also a very small amount. An 8 ounce bag of wax should be more than enough to make several batches of scrub.
As for the Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil, 1/2 teaspoon equals about 2.5 ml. There are about 30 ml in 1 fluid ounce. Therefor, there would be enough for about 12 scrubs in one ounce of Fragrance Oil or Essential Oil.
Thanks again for your interest, Carolyn!
I have a few questions. I loved the look of this scrub and REALLY wanted to make it last x-mas but, had only found the recipe one week before x-mas. I went to several Natural stores in my area, with no luck!(I couldn’t find the shealoe butter or the red jojoba beads) Anyways, this year I was determined. I ordered all the ingredients and had them shipped a couple weeks ago. I got the package yesterday, and made my first batch last night. I ordered 1 LB of the shealoe butter, and now I am thinking that it wasn’t enough. I also ordered 15 4oz. jars. So to fill all of these jars as gifts I think that I deff need more shealoe. Can you tell me of any stores that you know of that might sell it? Only bc I do not think I’ll have enough time to order and ship another pound before x-mas! Also what kind of preservative can I use in this scrub? I absolutely love how the scrub made my hands feel! Great recipe!!!
Unfortunately, I dont know of any brick mortar shops that might
sell Shealoe Butter. Shealoe is a very special, very unique ingredient
which is distributed only by a select number of suppliers. I wish I
could be of more help, but Im afraid the only way that I know to get
it is through our website. You could try altering the recipe a little
by using a more popular butter, such as Shea Butter. Because Shea is
much firmer than Shealoe, youd need to alter the proportions of the
recipe by replacing a portion of the Shealoe with a liquid Oil, such as
Fractionated Coconut. This version wouldnt look quite like the
original recipe, and may not pipe well, or stripe, but it might be a
good plan B. A good preservative for this recipe would be a minimal
amount of Germaben II, or a combination of Vitamin E T50 and Grapefruit
Seed Extract.
Hi, I’m new to your website and find it very informative! I’m a beginner crafter of my own skin care lines and get inspired by many recipes out there to create my own fun and nourishing bath products. I usually substitute and use similar ingredients in my own bath products and have learned a lot through researching products of similarities to achieve the same outcome of the finished product(s). I am going to try to substitute drops of red food colour (instead of the jojoba beads) as I don’t have any to hand. Subsequently, also using Green food colour to achieve the red/white/green candy cane effect. I think this will work without altering the final product too much. I realize the jojoba beads are for texture/moisturizing benefits, but in making many sugar/salt scrubs myself, have had many come out lovely and moisturizing. Thank you again for a very informative website!
Im glad to hear that you are enjoying the blog, and that you plan to make up a batch of Candy Cane Sugar Scrub. I think the added green color will be super cute. My only concern about using food dye in this recipe is that FDA colors, like food dye, tend to bleed. Your scrub will look amazing at first, but the colors may start to blend after it sits for a while. That being said, you never really know what will happen until you experiment, so please let us know how your batch turns out. If youd like to share a picture, you can join us on our Flickr Photo Group. Here is a link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/nbworkshop/
I’ve got a new blog and this was featured today! I’d love if you stopped by and grabbed a button!
todaystoptwenty.blogspot.com
Thanks for mentioning our recipe on your blog, Amanda. We hope your readers love making our Candy Cane Sugar Scrub!
I like the sound of the recipe, but was concerned that the red jojoba wax beads are not colored naturally. Is there a natural colorant I can substitute that would still give some (red) color?
Hi Jen. The color red can be quite tricky to nail down using only natural ingredients. You could try one of our Natural Tinting Herbs, which can be found at the following link: http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/ColorAdd.asp#tint But, they wont give as bright, true, color as the Jojoba Wax Beads do. Alternately, you could create an all white version of this scrubs by leaving the beads out. It would be lovely, and match the peppermint scent nicely.
Can you not just mix equal amounts of shea butter and aloe at home to make “homemade” shealoe butter? I suppose it’s not that simple…
Hi Amanda. Aloe and Shea can be whipped together temporarily, but the homemade Shealoe will separate soon after it settles. Shealoe Butter is made with a special process and formula to keep it emulsified, so for formulations that you wont use up immediately, store bought is best. However, if you are making a fresh treatment that youll be using right away, homemade can be wonderful!
This will be my second year makeing your Candy cane sugar scrub. I already have made 3 doubled batches! I now have an “Order” of #15 (4oz containers) I got my shipment today, and I’m very worried about messing up the conversions! I am takeing your recepe and times 7.5. So far I’ve got
– 3 3/4 cups Shealoe
– 4 5/8ths cups sugar
– 3 3/4 red jojoba ( In the red batch!)
– 5 TB Spoons of white beeswax
– 3 3/4 teaspoons Peppermint essential oil?
Do you think these measurements are correct? I really wanted some feedback bc it’s so much of the Shealoe and there is no where I can buy that except online. Thanks.
Is there anything that can be substituted for the beeswax for someone who is allergic to beeswax? I would love to make this for a friend but they are severely allergic to honey, bees, and beeswax 🙁
Hi Devon. You can certainly substitute Beeswax for a plant based wax. I would suggest using Jojoba Etsers, MP70 as my first choice for a substitution. You could also try using Candelilla Wax, but it is much harder than Beeswax, and also has a yellow tint that could disrupt the color of the scrub. You can find Jojoba Esters MP70 on the following page of our web site: http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/product.asp?product_id=OTHJOJOEST70searchflag=1
Where can you find these ingredients? I’d love to try it!
Hi Lauren. You can find all of the ingredients for this recipe at www.FromNatureWithLove.com. The ingredients can be purchased individually, or you can buy our Candy Cane Sugar Scrub Kit to buy everything you need to make a single batch. Use discount code NBWS4277 at checkout to save 7% on any qualifying items.
hi there,
What would you suggest as a preservative for this product?
thanks 🙂
I’m back… This is my third year making your Candy cane sugar scrub. I was wondering, if there are any printable labels for the scrub? Other then that, Everyone I’ve made this scrub for absolutely LOVES it! I get requests for it all year long! So I would like to thank you all so much for sharing your recipe! Thanks again.
Hi Emma. I would check out Grapefruit Seed Extract, Liquid Germall Plus, and Germaben II as possible preservatives for this recipe. To learn more about these, and other preservatives, check out these links: https://naturalbeautyworkshop.com/my_weblog/preservatives.html
Hi Kathryn. Thanks for your wonderful comment! It is so great to hear from folks who have been enjoying our recipes. Im so pleased to hear that the scrub has done well for you. I have never made printable labels for this recipe, but it is a great idea! Considering how popular the recipe is, Im sure people would really enjoy the addition of a printable label. Im not sure how long it will take to post one, but I am definitely adding it to my to-do list. Thank you for the great idea, Kathryn. I will send you an email when I get the labels up on the site!
Could you possibly add baking soda to this recipe? I was thinking that it would be great to add for the deodorizing effects and the exfoliating effects in powder/paste form. Normally I would add this to the liquid water portion of a lotion, like with borax, but I wouldn’t know where to add it to this. Any thoughts? Please let me know. Thanks!
Hi Gabrielle. I think that you could definitely add Baking Soda as an added exfoliant. I would suggest substituting a small portion of the salt in the recipe with the baking soda. That way youll be sure to have enough butter to moisten the scrub. You can mix the baking soda in just as you would the salt.
I am going to make this for my grandma and know she won’t use it up within a few weeks. How much Germaben would make the scrub last a little longer? Thank you so much.
Hi Christi,
Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. You can certainly add Germaben II as a preservative for this scrub, but Liquapar Oil would be the best ingredient to use. It should be added at 0.3 – 0.6%. In this recipe, that would mean 0.35 – 0.75 ml of Liquapar Oil, which is roughly between 8 and 17 drops of Liquapar Oil. If you’d still prefer to use Germaben II, it should be used at up to 1%, which would be about 1.2 ml, or about 23 drops of Germaben II.
Just keep in mind that even with an added preservative, homemade scrubs should be used up within a few weeks. A great solution for this issue is to package scrubs in smaller jars. 1 oz. and 2 oz. PET jars are super cute, and provide single servings of scrub, helping to ensure that gift recipients will use an entire jar at once and reducing the risk of contamination.
Can you mess around with this recipe by changing the color and fragrance?
You can definitely make this recipe your own by changing the color of the Jojoba Wax Beads and by swapping out the Peppermint Essential Oil for a different Essential or Fragrance Oil. There are so many possibilities, but some alternatives that Ive enjoyed are pink lemonade, orange vanilla, and minty lime. Have fun experimenting. If you take photos of your projects wed love to see them. Come back and share them with us!
Is there any good substitutions that could be used for the shealoe butter and the wax beads?
Hi Chantelle. Unfortunately there arent any ingredients that would make good substitutes. Shealoe Butter and Jojoba Wax Beads are both quite unique.
Hi! I was looking around for all of the ingredients and the one thing that i could not find were the red jojoba beads. Are they simply the wax beads sold at craft stores?
Hi Megan. Im not sure whats offered at your local craft store, but I can tell you that Red Jojoba Wax Beads are a cosmetic grade ingredient, made from hydrogenated Jojoba and cosmetic grade red dye. You can find them online at our site at following link:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=WAXBEADRED
You can also buy a complete kit, containing all of the ingredients needed for this recipe on our site at this link:
http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/soap/product.asp?product_id=KITCCANESCRUB
I’m making these scrubs for a Christmas party this year. My only concern is that I’ve read that pregnant/breastfeeding women shouldn’t use peppermint essential oil and this is a party for a mothers group, so there will be plenty of pregnant and breastfeeding women! Is the amount of peppermint oil in this scrub enough to be a concern, or would it be okay for them to use?
When using a preservative, how much should you use in a batch of 14? and when do you add it in?
Hi Latosha. Peppermint Oil specifically can never be used around babies or toddlers, so be sure to leave it out for nursing moms. When it comes to pregnancy, babies, and kids, the best thing to do is to error on the side of caution. Less is more! Consider making an unscented batch of scrub for your pregnant and nursing friends.
Hi Maddie,
You can stir the preservative into the shealoe mixture after taking it off of the heat. The most popular preservatives for scrub recipes, like this one, are GSE and Liquapar Oil.
Liquapar Oil should be added at 0.3 – 0.6%. GSE should be added at .2 – 1.0%. One batch is roughly 180 grams, you can use that figure to calculate how much preservative to use in one batch, or fourteen batches.
Just keep in mind that even with an added preservative, homemade scrubs should be used up within a few weeks. A great solution for this issue is to package scrubs in smaller jars. 1 oz. and 2 oz. PET jars are super cute, and provide single servings of scrub, helping to ensure that gift recipients will use an entire jar at once and reducing the risk of contamination.
I see some people have asked about the red coloring. I did this scrub for christmas gifts this year but used real crushed candy canes and it came out beautifully. I blended them down to a dust then added it to the sugar and my friends are still raving about how nice it smells and is, it stays all sugar this way.
Hi Tina. Thats a very creative approach!
I have been reading the blog and would love to make this scrub. I have found a DIY recipie for the shealoe butter. Do you think I could use that instead of buying it premade? Here is the recipie:
1/2 cup shea butter
1/4 cup aloe vera gel or aloe vera juice
2 tablespoons of coconut oil or evoo (coconut oil is recommended to make the mixture less greasy)
3-5 drops of tea tree oil (Acts as a preservative to prevent mold)
1 teaspoon of honey (preservative)
A few drops of Vitamin E oil (optional, use as preservative)
Hi Chelsea. While a homemade version of Shealoe might be fun to make, it probably wouldn’t be stable enough to use in a scrub recipe like this one. Shealoe Butter is created using a special technique that can’t be replicated by hand. Homemade Shealoe would be better suited to fresh recipes that are used immediately. I suspect that it would separate in a scrub recipe rather quickly.
Hi, I need to make about 16 of these. How much butter should I order to accomplish that? Thanks!
Hi Sheri,
Thanks for visiting The Natural Beauty Workshop. You’ll need around four ounces of butter for each scrub, so I’d recommend ordering about 64 ounces of Shealoe Butter. You might want a little extra on hand, just in case. You can use the following discount code to save an extra 7% on qualifying items at From Nature With Love: NBWS4277. Good luck with your batch! If you have any other questions, please let us know.
Great idea, thanks!!! I’m making this for a Christmas gift this year, too, and I LOVE your suggestions!
Hi, I have a question but not related to this particular scrub. Will adding citrus zest to a scrub reduce its shelf life?
Hi Vanessa,
Because citrus zest may contain some small amounts of moisture, it is possible for adding zest to reduce the shelf life or stability of a scrub. A better option would be to add dried or powdered citrus zest in place of fresh. If you do want to incorporate fresh zest, consider also adding some strong preservatives.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂 I’m making these scrubs as presents for my family this year. Hope they’ll like it! 🙂
Thanks, Vanessa. I hope they will too! Have fun making your gifts.