Winter is known for wreaking havoc on the skin. These Salt Scrub Cubes are made with Epsom salt to scrub away dry skin and cocoa butter and avocado butter to leave it moisturized and comfortable.
The color and fragrance of these cubes are inspired by gemstones. The batch was split into three containers and scented with Amethyst Fragrance Oil, Moonstone Fragrance Oil, and Jade Fragrance Oil. A dash of coordinating mica was added to each container to complete the gemstone appearance. If you want to make one large batch you can – just add 6 mL of one fragrance oil and one mica to the entire batch.
These scrub cubes took plenty of testing to get a solid cube that was also soft enough to spread on the skin. Because they are on the softer side, they need to be stored in a dry and cool place. Once the mixture is poured into the Small Cubes Mold & Package, we recommend popping them in the fridge for several hours to get very cold and firm. We found the cubes stuck to the mold when they weren’t extremely cold.
To use, apply the cubes to wet skin and massage in. Rinse off and pat dry – no need to wash after. You could also break these cubes under the faucet as you fill up the tub. They are essentially buttery bath salts.
The polysorbate 80 in this recipe helps prevent an oily residue on the skin, but the butters do leave behind a moisturizing feeling. If you prefer a scrub that washes away completely clean, you may prefer the DIY Sugar Scrub Cube recipe. It contains melt and pour soap to cleanse the skin.
What You Need: Click below to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!DIY Salt Scrub Cubes
About 6 Small Cubes Mold & Package, Plastic
2.5 oz. Cocoa Butter Pastilles
4 oz. Avocado Butter
0.7 oz. Polysorbate 80
2 mL Amethyst Fragrance Oil
2 mL Moonstone Fragrance Oil
2 mL Jade Fragrance Oil
16 oz. Extra Fine Epsom Salt
Lavender Mica
Party Pink Mica
Shamrock Green Mica
Optional: Light Gold Mica & Powder Sprayer
Find the supplies you need for this project below
ONE: In a heat-safe container, add 2.5 oz. of cocoa butter and 4 oz. of avocado butter. Melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Don’t let the butters get too hot because it can take awhile for them to cool to about 110° F.
TWO: Once the butters are melted, add 0.7 oz. of polysorbate 80 and thoroughly mix in.
THREE: Add 16 oz. of Epsom salt and thoroughly mix in.
OPTIONAL STEP: To give the cubes a little extra shimmer, dust the molds with Light Gold Mica using the Powder Sprayer. It doesn’t show up well in photos, but looks pretty in person.
FOUR: Split the batch evenly into three containers (it’s okay to eyeball it). To each container, add fragrance oil and mica and use a spoon to thoroughly mix in. You only need a very small amount of mica, and what you see is what you get. Start with a very small amount and add more to get the color you like.
- Container A: 2 mL Jade Fragrance Oil + dash of Shamrock Green Mica
- Container B: 2 mL Moonstone Fragrance Oil + dash of Party Pink Mica
- Container C: 2 mL Amethyst Fragrance Oil + dash of Lavender Mica
NOTE: If you’d like to make one batch, add 6 mL of fragrance oil and the mica to the entire batch.
FIVE: The texture of the mixture depends on the temperature. The mixture needs to be thick enough that the salt suspends evenly. But if it’s too thick, it’s tricky to get the mixture into the molds. We found a good temperature is 90-95° F.
As you can see below, the mixture is getting quite thick. The mixture was 81° F – it’s still able to be stirred, but is too thick to spread the mixture evenly into the molds.
If the mixture is too thick, place the container back into the microwave. Use very short bursts of 3-5 seconds until you reach 90-95° F. If the mixture is still quite thin, allow it to cool down. The mixture shown below is a great texture – the salt is evenly suspended but it’s still smooth and fluid enough to fill the mold cavities.
SIX: Use a spoon to fill the cavities of the Small Cubes Mold & Package. Tap the mold on the counter to disperse the mixture evenly. Continue filling the molds with each color of mixture. We had enough mixture to fill two molds of each color.
SEVEN: Allow the scrubs to fully cool and harden. We found they release easier from the mold if placed in the fridge for about two hours. Without placing them in the fridge, they may stick to the mold.
Store the cubes in a dry, cool place. Once you’re ready to use, apply the cube to wet skin and massage in. Rinse off. The butters in the scrub do leave a moisturizing feel on the skin, but the polysorbate 80 helps it to wash off cleanly without an overly oily feel.
- About 6 Small Cubes Mold & Package, Plastic
- 2.5 oz. Cocoa Butter Pastilles
- 4 oz. Avocado Butter
- 0.7 oz. Polysorbate 80
- 2 mL Amethyst Fragrance Oil
- 2 mL Moonstone Fragrance Oil
- 2 mL Jade Fragrance Oil
- 16 oz. Extra Fine Epsom Salt
- Lavender Mica
- Party Pink Mica
- Shamrock Green Mica
- Optional: Light Gold Mica & Powder Sprayer
- In a heat-safe container, add 2.5 oz. of cocoa butter and 4 oz. of avocado butter. Melt in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts. Don’t let the butters get too hot because it can take awhile for them to cool to about 110° F.
- Once the butters are melted, add 0.7 oz. of polysorbate 80 and thoroughly mix in.
- Add 16 oz. of Epsom salt and thoroughly mix in.
- OPTIONAL STEP: To give the cubes a little extra shimmer, dust the molds with Light Gold Mica using the Powder Sprayer. It doesn’t show up well in photos, but looks pretty in person.
- Split the batch evenly into three containers (it’s okay to eyeball it). To each container, add fragrance oil and mica and use a spoon to thoroughly mix in. You only need a very small amount of mica, and what you see is what you get. Start with a very small amount and add more to get the color you like.
Container A: 2 mL Jade Fragrance Oil + dash of Shamrock Green Mica
Container B: 2 mL Moonstone Fragrance Oil + dash of Party Pink Mica
Container C: 2 mL Amethyst Fragrance Oil + dash of Lavender Mica - The texture of the mixture depends on the temperature. The mixture needs to be thick enough that the salt suspends evenly. But if it’s too thick, it’s tricky to get the mixture into the molds. We found a good temperature is 90-95° F. If the mixture is too thick, place the container back into the microwave. Use very short bursts of 3-5 seconds until you reach 90-95° F. If the mixture is still quite thin, allow it to cool down. The mixture shown below is a great texture – the salt is evenly suspended but it’s still smooth and fluid enough to fill the mold cavities.
- Use a spoon to fill the cavities of the Small Cubes Mold & Package. Tap the mold on the counter to disperse the mixture evenly. Continue filling the molds with each color of mixture. We had enough mixture to fill two molds of each color.
- Allow the scrubs to fully cool and harden. We found they release easier from the mold if placed in the fridge for about two hours. Without placing them in the fridge, they may stick to the mold.
- Store the cubes in a dry, cool place. Once you’re ready to use, apply the cube to wet skin and massage in. Rinse off. The butters in the scrub do leave a moisturizing feel on the skin, but the polysorbate 80 helps it to wash off cleanly without an overly oily feel.
These are so wonderfully buttery, but I’d love to make them in regular, more spreadable scrub form rather than cubes. What changes would I have to make to achieve that?
I made some of these with lavender essential oil. I love them! I did not have any epsom salt so I used Himalayan pink salt. They are wonderful especially after I shave! Thank you for sharing. I love your blog!
I have a question about preservatives for this product. Is there a reason why this product doesn’t need a preservative and some other scrubs do? They all may have contact with water and I just want to be safe with my products. If I can add a preservative, which kind and how much is recommended? Thanks!
If you want to add a preservative as a safeguard I would recommend Optiphen used at about 1%.
Optiphen: https://www.brambleberry.com/Optiphen-P3682.aspx
Just curious if the polysorbate 80 can be left out. I want to stick with all natural ingredients. Is there a substitute or a recipe that doesn’t use it? Thanks in advance!
We recommend it for best results, the Polysorbate 80 helps the ingredients blend together and prevents the oils from pooling or leaving a residue behind. We’ve tried some natural emulsifiers, but haven’t had any luck.
Hi, I’ve checked some sources, and it said olivem 1000 is a better emulsifier (organic), rather than Polysorbate 80. Is it true? And I just wanna know if Polsorbate 80 is safe for our skin. Thanks 🙂
Polysorbate 80 is completely skin safe. We have not tried that product before so I’m not sure how it would work in this recipe. The Polysorbate 80 in this recipe helps prevent an oily residue on the skin.
Not sure where to ask this question, but what can you substitute for palm butter? For example, can it replace avocado butter? I’ve been searching and can’t find much information on it.
We haven’t worked with palm butter a lot so I’m not sure. You may check with the author of the recipe with palm butter to see if they know of substitutes.
Find more information about butters and substitutions here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/all-about-butters-in-bath-beauty-products/
I don’t have any mica powder or liquid color. Can I use loose eyeshadow? I made colored lip balm with some once and it looked amazing.
We haven’t tried this recipe with eye shadow so I’m not entirely sure. You may want to make a small test batch to see how it works.
Can you use liquid color instead of mica?
Yes, you can use the liquid soap colorants or LabColors. Add those to the melted soap and oil and mix well, then add the salt.
Glycerin colors: https://www.brambleberry.com/Glycerin-Colors-C44.aspx
LabColors: https://www.brambleberry.com/LabColors-C173.aspx
We used liquid colors in this sugar scrub recipe: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/violet-solid-sugar-scrub-cubes/
When selling these, Is there a disclaimer for skin irritation or anything similar I should have listed? Not that I think there would be an issue, but legalities and was curious.
Great site btw.
A warning on the label isn’t required for this product. If you like, you can include safe directions for use though. That way customers know how to use them properly.
Marie Gale’s book, Soap and Cosmetic Labeling, has more information on the subject: https://www.brambleberry.com/Soap-And-Cosmetic-Labeling-Book-1-Book-P3663.aspx
Can they be sold in the clamshells or do they need to be released from the molds
You can sell them right in the molds. Just include instructions to break them up before use.
Hi,
I have a question.
i wanna present this cube scrub my friend who live in Philippines.
ive worried that this cube melt when they are delivered.
does it melt when it stay at warm temperaure ?
The butter in this scrub can melt. Avocado butter starts to melt around 90F and cocoa butter is around 100F. There are a few things you can do to prevent that, including scheduling a delivery time and packing ice in the box. Get more tips here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/soaping-in-the-summer-heat/
Could you use other molds for these? does the mixture “tap” out well making it smooth?
Also, do you have a pricing guide? per oz? etc.
Yes, you can use another mold if you like. When it’s warm it’s fairly fluid, so spoon it in and tap to help it settle. If it’s too cool it gets thick, so pop it back in the microwave for 3-5 seconds.
For the pricing, are you wondering how much to charge for this recipe? If so, this post tells you how: https://www.soapqueen.com/business/much-charge-products/
Hi,
This might sound like a stupid question but I wanted to double check.
All the recipes on this website (and the finished products) are they allowed to be used in our personal product line to sell? or is that plagiarism (or the bath salt equivalent of plagiarism!)
Thanks!
Absolutely, feel free to use any of these recipes to keep or sell. That’s what our blog is for.
I would like to use Essential Oils. What would the conversion be?
You can use our Fragrance Calculator to find out how much essential oil to add. Just select “Salts” from the drop-down menu: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
Essential oils: https://www.brambleberry.com/Essential-Oils-C157.aspx
What would be the shelf life for these? (if stored in a glass container, not in shower)
These will last for about 6 months and up to a year. To keep them fresher longer, store them in a cool, dry place like a basement, cabinet, or garage. You can even break the cubes apart, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap, and place them back in the containers. That will give them an extra layer of protection from moisture in the air.
Thank you for responding 🙂
Would you recommend using Shea Butter instead of Avocado butter for the same amount?
Also, is there a difference between Cocoa butter pastilles and regular cocoa butter?Thanks!
You can use shea butter but it will change the consistency of the cubes. They will be more firm. You may want to make a small test batch to see what you think.
Also, the cocoa butter pastilles are the same as regular cocoa butter, they’re just easier to measure and melt.
Shea butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Shea-Butter-P3220.aspx
I used Shea Butter (same amount) and they are wonderful! they probably hold up a little better than avocado as well 😉
Could I use regular sea salt? Or table salt? What would be the difference?
Yes, you can use sea or table salt. The biggest difference will be the size of the grains. If the salt is smaller, it will have more gentle exfoliation. Larger grained salt will be more intense.
Learn more about exfoliants here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/all-about-exfoliants/
Those are really cute 😁 Is there a difference between using salt and using sugar? Could you even combine them?
You can definitely combine sugar and salt, or use one or the other. Both are medium exfoliants so they’ll scrub the skin in a similar way.