How to Make a Facial Scrub

Facial scrubs are a vital part of many skincare routines. They help to cleanse and exfoliate the skin: increasing blood flow and delivering more nutrients to the skin. Gentle facial exfoliation can also help promote better absorption of the other skincare products you use. While there are so many facial scrubs on the market to choose from, they are often expensive and have an ingredients list full of unnecessary additives. Creating your own facial scrub is easy to do, and it’s a wonderful way to nourish your skin with healing herbs.

Your Skin Care Routine

When I was locked down at home during the spring of 2020, I started to experiment more with skin care products to support my dry skin. I found that bringing more intention to my daily skin care routine turned this practice into a ritual that nourished not only my skin but also my mind. The joy of creating herbal skin care products at home and trying them out became a joyful way to connect with myself amidst the monotony of my days. 

I experimented with lots of different facial scrub recipes during those months, and I developed this particular facial scrub recipe below to support my dry, sensitive, and acne-prone skin. I’ve found that this scrub promotes radiant skin health and always leaves my sensitive facial skin softer.

If you’re excited to bring more healing herbs into your skin care routine, you can also check out Rosemary Gladstar’s Rosemary’s Remedies series on HerbMentor. In this series, she shares step-by-step videos on how to make her favorite body care products. You can access the series on HerbMentor for just $1 here.

Herbal Facial Scrub

Want glowing skin? This gentle herbal facial scrub will leave your face feeling soft and supple.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon dried calendula flowers
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals
• 1 tablespoon rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon bentonite clay
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil or jojoba oil

Directions:

1. Add the rolled oats to a coffee grinder. Pulse the grinder briefly until the oats are slightly broken down. They should look like crumbs rather than a fine powder. Now set the oats aside in a small bowl.
2. Add the calendula and rose petals to the coffee grinder. Pulse the grinder until the contents have reached a consistency like crumbs or coarse particles.
3. Add calendula, rose petals, and bentonite clay to the bowl of oats and mix.
4. Now mix in the honey and oil. You may need to use your hands to effectively mix the ingredients.
5. After washing your face with lukewarm water, use your hands to gently scrub this mixture into wet skin. Remove the mixture with warm water and a washcloth. Follow with a toner and moisturizer. 
6. Store the extra mixture in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Yield: ~3 facial scrubs

Choosing Olive Oil or Jojoba Oil

So, should you choose olive oil or jojoba oil for this facial scrub? Olive oil is thicker and heavier, so I tend to opt for it when my skin is feeling more dry. For folks who are prone to acne and may have more oily skin, I would suggest opting for jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is lighter than olive oil and generally less likely to cause breakouts.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Benefits


Calendula is most well-known for supporting skin health. Calendula is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory and has a particular affinity for addressing dry, red, itchy skin issues.

Rose (Rosa spp.)  Benefits


Rose gladdens the heart and soothes the skin. Rose’s anti-inflammatory and astringent rose petals can bring balance to irritated skin.

Oats (Avena sativa) Benefits


Oats are nourishing and emollient, which means they can help soften and hydrate the skin.

Raw Honey Benefits


Honey is antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. Applying honey to the skin can help support the health of the skin’s microbiome. 

Bentonite Clay Benefits

Bentonite clay is a light exfoliant that can help draw dirt and excess oil from the skin. Since it can help draw out excess oil, it can be especially supportive for folks with dry, acne-prone skin.

And before I go, I couldn’t help but answer some frequently asked questions about facial scrubs…

What does a facial scrub do?


A facial scrub can gently exfoliate the skin. This physical exfoliation process can help remove dead skin cells and dirt, and it also makes the skin more able to absorb other skin care products immediately after. The benefits of exfoliation also include increasing blood flow, which brings more nutrients to the skin.

Is it okay to use a face scrub everyday?

I use a facial scrub once a week to exfoliate my skin and remove dead skin cells. I avoid scrubbing more than once a week so that I don’t irritate my skin unnecessarily.

Can I use this scrub if I have acne?

If you have acne breakouts, I would avoid scrubbing the active breakout directly. Scrubbing the acne could further irritate the skin in these areas. If you are prone to acne but not currently experiencing a breakout, this facial scrub is a nice option for sensitive skin. If you are currently experiencing a breakout, you could opt for a nourishing facial mask instead.

I also avoid using a scrub on excessively chapped skin or broken skin because gentle or intense exfoliation would just further irritate these tissues.

What toner and moisturizer should I use?

The kind of toner and moisturizer you should use depends on how dry, oily, and/or sensitive your skin is. Rose water usually works well as a gentle toner, and I like to use this  seaweed cream on my face.

Written by Tara Ruth

Tara Ruth is an herbalist and the Communications Director at LearningHerbs. She graduated from the California School of Herbal Studies’ Community Herbalist Program and is a total herb nerd. Tara is passionate about teaching folks how to become confident home herbalists. In her free time, you can find Tara hiking in the forest and waving to all the plants along the way.