If your skin is feeling a little rough and you want an easy way to smooth it out, this DIY Dead Sea salt body scrub is a great one to try. It has a creamy, scoopable texture, plenty of exfoliating power from fine Dead Sea salt, and it rinses away more easily than a simple salt-and-oil scrub.
What makes this recipe a little different is the combination of glycerin, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, and Polysorbate 20. Each ingredient has a purpose, and together they create a body scrub that feels smooth and conditioning without being overly greasy.
And if you’re new to making your own body products, don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you. This is a straightforward recipe with no water phase and no complicated emulsification process, so it’s a good place to start.
Prefer to watch?
If you’d rather watch me make this Dead Sea salt body scrub, the video walks you through the ingredients and the entire process.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and supplies that I personally use, trust, or believe would be helpful for this project.
Supplies You’ll Need
Here’s what goes into this salt scrub and why each ingredient is there.
Ready to make Dead Sea Salt Scrub?
Dead Sea Salt
The salt is the exfoliating part of the scrub.
I use fine-grain Dead Sea salt because I want the finished scrub to exfoliate without large, coarse crystals feeling uncomfortable against the skin.
If your salt is very coarse, I recommend grinding it before using it in the recipe.
Vegetable Glycerin
Glycerin is a humectant, so it helps attract water to the skin.
More importantly for this particular formula, it gives the scrub a smoother, softer consistency and keeps the finished product from being nothing more than oily salt.
Polysorbate 20
It’s also what makes this recipe quite different from a basic salt-and-oil scrub.
If you’re interested in learning more about how ingredients work together in skincare formulas, my Skincare Formulation for Beginners is a good place to start.
Polysorbate 20 helps the oils disperse when the scrub comes into contact with water.
This is useful in a body scrub because it helps the oils rinse away instead of leaving as much of an oily film behind.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil adds a little emollience to the scrub and gives it a smoother skin feel.
There isn’t a huge amount of oil in this formula because I don’t want the finished scrub to feel excessively greasy.
Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil adds another lightweight emollient to the formula.
You can substitute another suitable carrier oil if you don’t have grapeseed oil. Just keep in mind that changing an oil can change the feel of the finished scrub.
If you’re not sure which oil to use, my guide to carrier oils in skincare can help.
Fragrance Oil
The fragrance gives the scrub its scent.
Use a fragrance oil that is approved by the supplier for the intended application and stay within the manufacturer’s recommended usage rate.
Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub Formula
I recommend weighing this recipe with a digital scale rather than measuring the ingredients by volume.
This makes approximately 255 grams, or about 9 ounces, of body scrub.
| Ingredient | Percentage | Weight (255 g Batch) |
|---|---|---|
| Dead Sea Salt | 58% | 148 g |
| Vegetable Glycerin | 34% | 86.7 g |
| Polysorbate 20 | 4% | 10.2 g |
| Coconut Oil | 2% | 5.1 g |
| Grapeseed Oil | 1% | 2.6 g |
| Fragrance Oil | 1% | 2.6 g |
| Total | 100% | 255 g |
One of the nice things about working with percentages is that you can easily make a smaller or larger batch without changing the formula.
If you’re new to this, I explain exactly how that works in Percentages vs. Grams in Skincare Formulation.
How to Make Dead Sea Salt Body Scrub
Prepare the salt
Start with fine Dead Sea salt.
If your salt is coarse, grind it first. You want the crystals to be small enough to give you comfortable exfoliation rather than large, sharp pieces.
Melt the coconut oil
Add the coconut oil and grapeseed oil to a heat-safe container.
Gently heat the mixture until the coconut oil has melted.
You don’t need to heat the oils any more than necessary. The goal is simply to get the coconut oil into a liquid state.
Add the liquid ingredients
Remove the oils from the heat and add the Polysorbate 20, fragrance oil, and glycerin.
Stir everything together until the mixture is well combined.
Add the salt
Add the Dead Sea salt and mix thoroughly.
Keep stirring until all of the salt is evenly coated and you have a thick, scoopable scrub.
Package
Transfer the finished scrub to a clean, dry container with a lid.
That’s it. Your homemade Dead Sea salt body scrub is ready to use.
How to Use This Body Scrub
Use the scrub in the shower or bath on wet skin.
Scoop out a small amount and gently massage it over the area you want to exfoliate. You don’t need to scrub aggressively. Let the salt do the work.
Rinse thoroughly with water and pat your skin dry.
I especially like using salt scrubs on areas that tend to get rough, such as:
- Feet and heels
- Elbows
- Knees
- Hands
- Other rough areas of the body
Because this is a salt scrub, I wouldn’t use it on irritated or broken skin.
What Salt Should You Use for a Body Scrub?
| Feature | Salt Scrub | Sugar Scrub |
|---|---|---|
| Exfoliation strength | Stronger exfoliation | Gentler exfoliation |
| Best for | Feet, elbows, rough skin | Sensitive skin |
| Sting potential | Can sting on cuts | Usually does not sting |
The most important thing isn’t necessarily the type of salt. It’s the texture.
For a body scrub, I prefer fine-grain salt because it gives you a more comfortable exfoliating experience.
You can use:
- Dead Sea salt
- Fine sea salt
- Himalayan pink salt
- Epsom salt
Each will give the finished scrub a slightly different look and feel.
I’m using Dead Sea salt in this recipe because I like the texture and appearance.
If you want to try a different salt, my Himalayan Salt Scrub is another option.
Is Dead Sea Salt Too Harsh for a Body Scrub?
It can be if you use very coarse crystals or apply too much pressure.
That’s why I recommend fine-grain salt and a gentle touch. I crushed mine using a mortar and pestle.
You don’t need to aggressively scrub your skin to exfoliate it. A small amount of pressure is enough.
If you know your skin doesn’t tolerate stronger physical exfoliation well, a sugar scrub may be a better choice.
You can see how different formulas compare in my collection of sugar scrub recipes.
Why Does This Recipe Use Glycerin?
You might notice that this recipe contains a surprisingly large amount of glycerin.
That’s intentional.
A traditional salt scrub often uses mostly salt and oil. This formula uses glycerin as a major part of the liquid portion, which gives the scrub a different texture and skin feel.
Glycerin is a humectant, so it also helps the formula feel less dry on the skin.
If you’ve made a salt scrub before and found it to be very oily, this is one of the things that makes this recipe different.
Why Add Polysorbate 20 to a Salt Scrub?
Polysorbate 20 helps the oils disperse when the scrub is rinsed with water.
Without it, a scrub containing oils can leave more oil behind on your skin and shower.
It doesn’t make the scrub completely non-oily, but it helps it rinse more cleanly.
This is one of those ingredients that can seem unnecessary when you’re looking at the recipe, but you’ll notice the difference when you actually use the finished product.
Can I Use a Different Oil?
Yes.
You can replace the grapeseed oil with another lightweight carrier oil.
You can also replace the small amount of coconut oil, although doing so may change the consistency of the finished scrub.
If you change the formula, think about the properties of the replacement ingredient rather than assuming every oil will behave exactly the same way.
That’s where understanding the purpose of each ingredient becomes much more useful than simply following a recipe.
Why Did My Salt Scrub Get Hard?
The coconut oil is likely the reason.
Coconut oil becomes solid when it gets cool, so the finished scrub can become firmer if your room temperature drops.
This doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong with the scrub.
Let it warm back up to room temperature and it should soften again.
You can also scoop out what you need and allow it to warm slightly in your hands before using it.
Can I Make This Without Coconut Oil?
Yes.
Since coconut oil only makes up 2% of this formula, it can be replaced with another suitable emollient.
Just remember that changing an ingredient can change the consistency and skin feel.
If you want to experiment with the formula, work in percentages rather than simply adding or removing ingredients. That makes it much easier to understand what you’ve changed.
Does This Salt Scrub Need a Preservative?
This recipe doesn’t contain intentionally added water, which is why there isn’t a traditional preservative in the formula.
However, that doesn’t mean you should allow water to get into the container.
If you keep the jar in the shower and repeatedly put wet fingers into it, you’re introducing water and potentially contaminants into the product.
For that reason, I recommend using dry hands or a clean scoop to remove the scrub.
Keeping the container closed and dry when you’re not using it will also help protect the product.
How Long Does Homemade Salt Scrub Last?
The shelf life of a homemade body scrub depends on the ingredients you use, their individual shelf lives, how the product is made, and how it is stored and used.
Because this is an anhydrous formula, keeping water out of the container is especially important.
For a better understanding of how to determine the shelf life of your DIY products, read How to Determine the Shelf Life of Homemade Cosmetics.
Can I Add Color to This Scrub?
Yes.
If you want to make the scrub more colorful, you can add a small amount of cosmetic-grade colorant that is appropriate for this type of product.
You don’t need much. A little color can go a long way in a salt scrub.
You can also leave it completely natural. The salt and oils already give the finished product a simple, homemade look.
Can I Give Homemade Salt Scrub as a Gift?
Absolutely.
Salt scrubs are particularly easy to package because you don’t need complicated containers or equipment.
Use a clean, dry jar with a secure lid and add a simple label with the product name, ingredients, and date made.
If you’re making the scrub as a gift, I’d keep the packaging simple and make sure the jar is completely dry before filling it.
More Scrub Recipes to Try
If you enjoyed making this salt scrub, there are several directions you can go from here.
For a gentler exfoliating option, try one of my sugar scrub recipes.
Want something that exfoliates and cleanses at the same time? Try my foaming sugar scrub.
Or try another type of salt with my Himalayan salt scrub.
Once you’re comfortable with simple scrubs, you can also learn more about formulation and start creating your own formulas rather than simply following recipes. My Skincare Formulation for Beginners is a good next step.
Final Thoughts
This Dead Sea salt body scrub is one of those recipes that is simple to make but still teaches you quite a bit about formulation.
The salt provides the exfoliation, glycerin changes the texture and adds humectant properties, the oils provide emollience, and Polysorbate 20 helps the scrub rinse more cleanly.
Once you understand why those ingredients are there, it’s much easier to make small changes to the recipe and create a scrub that feels the way you want it to.
And that’s really the fun part of making your own skincare products.
Printable Salt Scrub Recipe!
Sea Salt Recipe – This Salt Scrub is a Game Changer for Dull, Stubborn Skin
Equipment
- Scale
Ingredients
- 5.22 ounce | 58% Dead Sea Salt
- 0.18 ounce | 2% Coconut Oil
- 0.09 ounce | 1% Grapeseed Oil
- 0.36 ounce | 4% Polysorbate 20
- 3.06 ounce | 34% Vegetable Glycerin
- 0.09 ounce | 1% White Tea and Pear Fragrance Oil
Instructions
- Grind the salt. Since we need a fine salt, you are going to need to run it through a coffee grinder until the desired consistency. You can also purchase your salt in a fine grain if you prefer.
- Place the coconut oil and grapeseed oil into a heat safe container and heat on a double boiler until it is completely melted.
- When you remove from the double boiler, be sure to wipe the edges off the container off so there is no risk of getting water into your product.
- Add the fragrance oil and polysorbate 20 to your melted oils and mix until combined.
- Add the fine dead sea salt and mix well. If you would like your scrub a little thicker than mine, you can increase the amount of dead sea salt that you use.
- Package and enjoy.