This DIY Body Scrub Will Get Your Skin Summer-Ready

A nourishing and exfoliating body scrub is all you need to look and feel summer ready, say skin experts. Check out this mix-and-match list of ingredients you likely have at home to customize the DIY skin scrub that’s perfect for you.

Your recipe to perfect skin

• Scoop 1 ½ cups of an exfoliant from the first category (“If your skin is”) into a bowl.
• Mix in 3 ⁄4 cup of a hydrating binder from the second category (“If you want to”).
• Add 5 drops of a mood-elevating essential oil from the third category (“If you want to feel”).
• Spoon in 3 tablespoons of the age-defying fruits (pureed or freshly squeezed) from the fourth category (“Bonus”); stir well.

TO DO: While showering, massage the scrub you’ve made onto damp skin using circular motions for up to 5 minutes, then rinse.

If your skin is:

• Oily: Baking soda. Absorbs excess oil and balances skin’s pH.
• Sensitive: Epsom salts. Magnesium in the salts soothes irritated skin.
• Dry: Coffee grounds. The fine granules gently exfoliate flakes.
• Combo: Sea salt. The crystals slough off dead cells while its sulfur dries up oil.

If you want to:

• Reduce rashes: Honey. Calms inflammation to even out skin tone.
• Erase dry patches: Olive oil. Its squalene provides lasting hydration.
• Smooth crepiness: Coconut oil. Fatty acids plump skin to “fill in” fine lines.
• Tone sagging: Avocado oil. Antioxidants stimulate collagen production to firm skin.

If you want to feel:

• Energized: Orange oil. Increases blood flow to boost pep.
• Happy: Geranium oil. Regulates stress hormones to lift mood.
• Calm: Sandalwood oil. Promotes mental clarity for peace and relaxation.
• Refreshed: Eucalyptus oil. Stimulates the mind to enhance alertness and focus.

Bonus:

• Beat ‘bacne’: Lemon. Citric acid cleans out pores.
• Erase age spots: Grapefruit. Vitamin C brightens discoloration.
• Fade stretch marks: Papaya. Vitamin E helps reduce scarring.
• Smooth cellulite: Kiwi. Vitamin A repairs and strengthens connective tissue to nix dimpling.

No time to DIY? Try a premade scrub!

• If your skin is oily: Alba Botanica Acnedote Face & Body Scrub (Buy from Amazon, $14.99) uses walnut shell powder (it gently exfoliates), witch hazel (it absorbs excess oil) and salicylic acid (it kills any acne-causing bacteria) to treat oily, blemish-prone skin.
• If your skin is sensitive: Gentle sugar crystals in Tree Hut Lavender Shea Sugar Scrub (Buy from Amazon, $22.99) whisk away dry patches, while its blend of skin-soothing lavender extract and moisturizing shea butter leave skin supple and irritation-free.
• If your skin is dry: Coffee grounds in Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub (Buy from Amazon, $16.95) slough off flakes. It also contains hydrating sweet almond oil, which deeply penetrates skin to restore moisture.
• If you have combination skin: Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub (Buy from LushUSA, $23) contains a mix of gritty sea salt and astringent lime oil that work together to remove dead skin cells and limit oil production to balance combination skin.

A version of this article originally appeared in our print magazine, Woman’s World.