Oatmeal Scrubs for the Face & Body

We love a good face and body scrub, and these oatmeal scrubs work for all skin types. Oatmeal is incredibly soothing to the skin, but it must be finely ground up to be used as a scrub.

To make 1/2 cup of ground oatmeal for scrubs, use a blender, small food processor or coffee grinder. Grind 3/4 to 1 cup of oatmeal until it has the consistency of flour.

Here are three wonderful oatmeal scrubs for the face and body:

Oatmeal & Brown Sugar Scrub for the Face

This scrub includes ingredients you may already have on hand in your kitchen: egg, milk, brown sugar, oatmeal and more. 

If you don't use it all at once, this scrub needs to be refrigerated, and it will last a few days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

• 1 cup oatmeal (not the instant kind) ground up in a food processor
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (you can use white refined sugar if you don't have brown sugar on hand)
• 1 teaspoon sweet almond oil (you can substitute coconut or even olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons regular milk (no fat-free here, please!)
• The whites of one egg (you can use the whole egg if you please)

Recipe

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. If the consistency isn't spreadable, add a few more drops of oil.

To Use

Apply in a circular motion to face and neck. Start judiciously—sugar and even oatmeal can lead to microtears in the skin and cause irritation. And if you're new to physical exfoliation, it's best to wash gently and avoid scrubbing altogether; this will help you make sure your skin is tolerant.

If you need more sugar, add it in. Your goal is to exfoliate the dead skin on your face.

Rinse with a warm washcloth.

Apply moisturizer to cleansed, scrubbed skin.

Oatmeal & Milk Scrub for the Face

We love this facial scrub because it includes only 4 ingredients, all of which can be stored in the pantry. You can mix the dry ingredients together and store them in a Ball jar until you're ready for the scrub.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup finely ground oatmeal
• 1/4 cup powdered milk 
• 1 teaspoon cornmeal
• water

Recipe

Place all the dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake, shake, shake. Pour the ingredients into a bowl.

To Use

Take about a tablespoon of the dry ingredients into your palm and add a few drops of water to create a paste. Massage over the face and neck. Let it dry and rinse with warm water. Follow with moisturizer.

Oatmeal & Almond Scrub for the Body

This is a basic, wonderful scrub for the body.

Ingredients

• 2 cups finely ground oatmeal
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1 cup sunflower seed meal, or you can use brown sugar instead
• 1 tbsp ground rosemary leaves (I use a coffee grinder for this)
• 5 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)
• Whole milk, at least half a cup.

Recipe

Place all the dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake, shake, shake. Pour the ingredients into a bowl and then add a few tablespoons of milk until you have formed a paste. You do not need to measure perfectly, just make sure it has the consistency of a paste.

To Use

Apply in a circular motion to damp legs, butt, back and the backs of arms. Let it dry and then rinse. Follow with moisturizer or a body oil.

The Benefits of Exfoliation

Use these scrubs once or twice a week to keep your skin in tip-top shape. Use year-round to exfoliate both your face and your body; in the winter, exfoliate a little less frequently and use a thick moisturizer to help keep everything balanced.