A gentle, non-toxic DIY lip scrub recipe that will exfoliate, nourish, and moisturize your lips all at the same time. It only takes minutes to whip together a small batch with inexpensive pantry ingredients & makes a thoughtful homemade holiday gift. 

I need to come clean about something. I have a rotten habit of picking at my lips. Whenever I feel the slightest bit of dead skin (sorry if that's gross) on them, I start rubbing away. It's been a mindless habit of mine for, oh gosh, the last 15 years at least. 

When I'm watching a stressful show or focused on a large writing project, for example, I'll inevitably end up doing it. It's my version of knuckle popping (except I do that, too!) If my boyfriend's around, he'll throw out a clever quip to pull me out of my stupor and stop. 

Thankfully, I've learned how to prevent it without having to rely on sheer willpower! All it takes is a simple lip exfoliation once a week, or twice if they're really bad. 

I used to go to town on my lips with a washcloth soaked in hot water to exfoliate. I picked up the method from the Tyra Banks show years ago, but it leaves my lips a bit too tender afterward. 

Since I love using a homemade sugar scrub to exfoliate my body in the shower, I figured it was time to try one on my lips, as well.

What do I need to make a DIY Lip Scrub? 

Cane Sugar or Brown Sugar

This is the essential ingredient in the recipe that helps to exfoliate your lips naturally. Because the skin on your lips is so thin (thus sensitive), you'll want to use a fine grain sugar like cane sugar or brown sugar. If you have turbinado or coconut sugar hanging around and don't want to run out and buy something different, give it a few pulses in your blender first to soften the crystals.

Raw Honey

Adding honey (I like to use local, raw honey but you can also buy it online HERE) will nourish and soften your lips while the sugar is sloughing away dead skin. It smells wonderful, tastes great, and soothes the skin.

Coconut Oil

Alongside the honey, this is the major moisturizing component in the lip scrub recipe. Coconut oil works as a buffer so that the sugar exfoliates your skin, but not too harshly. If you don't have coconut oil on hand, you can substitute genuine extra virgin olive oil or jojoba oil, both of which are good for the skin. 

Lavender Essential Oil

Although this makes the lip scrub smell AH-MAZING, I'm not adding it solely for scent purposes. Yep, I said it! Lavender essential oil is excellent for promoting healthy skin, including our delicate lips. I like to mix it with coconut oil and true frankincense essential oil to apply as a general body moisturizer all year long.

A Few Observations From Tweaking This Lip Scrub Recipe

• I prefer to store it on my bathroom counter, as opposed to the fridge
• If you want a stronger exfoliation, reduce the coconut oil to 1 teaspoon

When I dumped the mixture into a little mason jar and kept it in the fridge, the coconut oil separated from the honey then floated to the top and hardened. 

I broke it up with a fork and let it sit on the counter for half a day until it softened, but thought that was a total pain. I much prefer to make a smaller batch and keep it in the bathroom, but you do what makes you feel comfortable! 

• If you want to extend the shelf life, add 1/4 teaspoon of vitamin E oil (3-6 liquid capsules). Or, you could just use what you need on your lips and the rest of your face or body!

As for the exfoliation, this recipe calls for equal parts sugar, honey, and coconut oil, which creates a gentle lip scrub. If your lips have a lot of dead skin and you haven't exfoliated them in awhile (or ever), you may want to reduce the coconut oil so that the sugar will be more abrasive. After that, you can use this recipe as a general maintenance once every few weeks, or as needed.

Note: I only add therapeutic-grade essential oils to my body scrubs, lip balms, and other DIY recipes because they are safe for topical use. 

If you intend to use essential oils in DIY recipes that you're applying to the skin, please make sure to carefully read the label first. If it has a warning that says "not for topical use" or "for aromatherapy only" DO NOT put it on your skin! Better safe than sorry. Just leave them out and use the honey and coconut oil, which both have naturally pleasant scents.


If you'd like to know more about where I purchase therapeutic grade essential oils for 24% off retail, check out my essential oils page.

DIY Honey Lavender Lip Scrub

A gentle, non-toxic DIY lip scrub recipe that will exfoliate, nourish, and moisturize your lips all at the same time. It only takes minutes to whip together a small batch with inexpensive pantry ingredients & makes a thoughtful homemade holiday gift. 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of organic cane or brown sugar (I used THIS)

1 tablespoon of raw honey

1 tablespoon of organic virgin coconut oil (I used THIS)

1-2 drops of lavender essential oil (I buy my therapeutic oils here)

Recommended Equipment

4-ounce mason jars

clear cosmetics jars (if you're giving them out as gifts, samples, or party favors)

Want more real food & gadget recommendations? Check out my shop page

Directions

Stir all the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container (like a small mason jar or leftover glass jar). To use, make sure your lips are dry and then scoop up a bit on your finger and rub across your lips vigorously for about thirty seconds. Leave the scrub on your lips for a minute or so, then wipe it off with a wet washcloth. For best results, immediately apply a good homemade lip balm to lock in moisture. 

I'd like to hear from YOU!

Do you have any tips for keeping your lips smooth?

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P.S. Keep Reading! More Posts From The Rising Spoon:

How to Make Whipped Body Butter 

DIY Beard Balm

DIY Chai Vanilla Sugar Scrub

DIY Moisturizing Foaming Hand Soap

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