DIY Candy Cane Body Scrub to Give to Friends (or Yourself!)

POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Lipoff
POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Lipoff

The holidays are a great time to get DIY-ing. Gifts made from scratch not only show a genuine sense of the holiday spirit, but also allow for customization and creativity. Whip up a decadent (but cost-effective!) sugar scrub with a few candy canes, pour it into a retro glass jar, and you've got a savvy, chic, and fabulous holiday gift that everyone will love.

How to Make Candy Cane Body Scrub

What You'll Need:

  • Glass jar with lid
  • 4 cups white sugar
  • Mixing bowl
  • 1/4 cup crushed candy canes
  • 1+ cup olive oil
  • 20-30 drops peppermint essential oil

Directions:

  1. Measure and pour the sugar into a mixing bowl. Give things a stir to break up any clumps. The sugar works as a gentle exfoliant that leaves your feet and hands wonderfully smooth.
  2. Now add the olive oil to the sugar, and stir. The mixture should resemble wet sand that isn't too saturated. Olive oil offers the best results (with skin-soothing qualities to boot!), but sunflower or almond oil are good options too. If one cup of oil doesn't seem to be enough, then add another quarter cup.
POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Lipoff
  1. To finish the mixture, add the peppermint oil, which boosts the refreshing peppermint scent of the scrub. And peppermint is a natural antiinflammatory, which soothes sore muscles.
  2. Place a handful of your crushed candy canes in a ziplock plastic bag, and make the pieces even smaller with the help of a rolling pin. You can also pulverize the candies in a clean coffee grinder or blender. You want the candies to become superfine, similar in size to the white sugar.
POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Lipoff
  1. To create the pretty scrub, place a big spoonful of the sugar-and-oil mixture at the base of the glass container, and then sprinkle with a layer of the crushed candy canes. Continue layering until you reach the top of the container. Add a cute ribbon and a few candy canes, and your peppermint scrub is ready for gifting!
POPSUGAR Photography | Sarah Lipoff

Makes four cups of candy cane sugar scrub.