Homemade Lip Scrub Recipes

overhead shot of diy lip scrub with vanilla extract, honey, and brown sugar on tiled table

Treehugger / Lesly Junieth

Have you ever lathered one of those pricey lip scrub products across your kisser and been impressed with how soft and supple your lips felt afterward? It's simple to make homemade lip scrubs too, so you can save a little money. We've come up with a few effective lip scrub formulas that can be made with basic kitchen ingredients and taste great, too.

It's most effective to exfoliate your lips at bedtime, followed by a good lip balm. Be sure not to use them more than three or four times per week, though, or you might strip lips of their natural moisture, making chapped lips worse. And if you're more of a visual learner, the above video will quickly lead you through some of these recipes.

Brown Sugar and Honey Scrub

brown sugar and honey in upcycled jelly jars for diy lip scrub

Treehugger / Lesly Junieth

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 squirt of honey (just enough to mix with brown sugar and make a paste)
  • 1 drop vanilla

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly and store up to a month in glass jar or tub with lid. Old eye cream jars work great.
  2. To apply: Rub scrub into lips and exfoliate gently. Let it sit for a minute or two, then rinse off with warm water. Apply a generous slather of lip balm afterwards to rehydrate lips. Use 1 or 2 times weekly.

Lip Balm Scrub

white sugar, lip balm in tube, and coconut oil on tile tray

Treehugger / Lesly Junieth

Ingredients

  • 1 tube of your favorite lip balm, mashed up
  • 2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil, room temperature

Directions

  1. Mash one stick of lip balm with the back of a spoon in a small bowl. Add sugar and mix thoroughly to make a granular paste.
  2. Stir in coconut oil until paste is thinned slightly and is the consistency of thick, gravelly goop.
  3. To apply, smear a generous helping of product across lips and gently massage. Rinse off with warm water. Use 3 or 4 times per week.
  4. Store in glass jar with tight-fitting lid up to a month.

Mint Lip Scrub

fresh mint, sugar, olive oil, and honey on a wooden tray for DIY lip scrub

Treehugger / Lesly Junieth

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 drop peppermint oil

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until it resembles a coarse paste.
  2. To apply, hold a warm wash cloth over lips for 3-5 minutes to soften. Slather with minty scrub and let sit for 5 minutes. Wash off with a warm wash cloth and apply usual lip balm. Lips will be tingly, fresh and plump.
  3. Store in a glass jar or lidded container.

Coconut Sugar Lip Scrub

coconut sugar, coconut oil, and honey in white ceramic bowls on wooden table for diy lip scrub

Treehugger / Lesly Junieth

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons softened coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (also called coco sugar or coconut palm sugar, found in specialty or Asian markets)
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

  1. Mix ingredients in a small bowl until a grainy paste forms.
  2. To apply, spread the coconut sugar scrub over lips and gently massage for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water and apply a hydrating lip moisturizing product.
  3. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

Chocolate Lip Scrub Mask

sugar, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla extract on a windowsill for diy lip scrub

Treehugger / Lesly Junieth

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons white granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
  • 1 small drizzle of honey

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in small bowl until a gritty chocolate paste forms. If too thin, add additional sugar; if too thick, add additional olive oil and honey.
  2. To apply, swab the lips with a thick glob of chocolate scrub masque and leave on for up to 5 minutes. Rinse off thoroughly with warm water and apply a light coating of lip balm or petroleum jelly.
  3. Store in sealed container in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.