Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

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Four basic ingredients and two minutes currently stand in between you (and me) and a homemade spa treatment! Oh, and this blogpost…I’ll keep the chit-chat to a minimum.

Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

Early in my teaching career I discovered a necessary job perk: spa day! I loved the kids and my chosen career path, but as anyone in the world of teaching knows, being a classroom teacher is hard work! My typical day started around 6am (in the classroom, not waking up) with meetings, planning, and cutting papers. I would finally return home late in the evening, around 6:30pm, with a large bag of papers and a computer full of emails. I loved watching my classroom kiddos flourish each year and become confident learners, but the additional job responsibilities were exhausting. Kuddos to all my teacher friends.

Due to the high-stress nature of the job, I adopted a yearly “spa day.” I chose one day each school year to take off and spend time relaxing at a popular spa in our area. This was my “sanity day.” The one day each year I would leave behind the stress of a rigorous schedule and early mornings for lavender scented linens and cucumber-mint water.

Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

One of my favorite treatments was a green tea exfoliating facial session. The 30 minute experience always left my skin soft and rejuvenated–something a tired teacher was in desperate need of.

Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

It’s been five years since my last “sanity day.” The good news is the spa experience didn’t end with my last year of teaching. Now that I have two little kids at home, I’ve learned to recreate mini spa sessions during my daily five minute sanity break (AKA: shower time). My DIY spa alternatives cost just pennies and only require basic household ingredients to make. A spa experience that saves money? I think so!

Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

Because the exfoliator was my favorite treatment, let’s start our pampering time with this super simple four ingredient homemade version. First, before we get to the exfoliating and super smooth skin that follows, let’s take a look at the ingredients:

Green Tea: This simple ingredient can be found just about anywhere these days, from grocery stores to coffee shops. Green tea contains antioxidant properties that may help to reactivate cells and fight against damaged skin. There are many ways to use green tea in a skincare regime (and many companies now include this ingredient in high-end beauty products). In this recipe, the green tea leaves are added directly to the scrub to exfoliate the skin and get rid of unwanted pollutants.

Sugar: Good ol’ sugar is a humectant which may help the skin retain moisture. Sugar also contains glycolic acid which may help encourage cell turnover and fresh-looking skin. Not all sugar is created equal when it comes to homemade skincare. I highly recommend using a softer sugar (such as: organic white or brown sugar) for homemade exfoliating scrubs. The abrasive nature of more natural sugars (sucanat, coconut sugar, raw sugar) may leave the skin irritated and red.

Olive Oil: Yep, the same ingredient used to make homemade salad dressing may also be used on the skin. Olive oil contains three important antioxidants which may help keep the skin from aging prematurely. Oil is also known to help cleanse the skin by drawing out unwanted oils (read more about cleansing with oil).

Raw Honey: Honey (particularly honey that hasn’t been pasteurized) is a powerhouse of nutrients for the skin. It’s loaded with antioxidants and natural enzymes to help cleanse and nourish. Honey may also fight against acne thanks to the antibacterial properties.

Bottom line: This homemade exfoliator is good stuff!

Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.

Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator. Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes.
Homemade Green Tea Facial Exfoliator
4.93 from 13 votes

Homemade Green Tea Exfoliator

Who knew a spa experience could be so simple? Four ingredients. Two minutes
Kristin Marr
Prep Time2 minutes
Total Time2 minutes
Course DIY
Cuisine Beauty, Body
Servings 14 oz

Ingredients

  • 1 TB dried green tea leaves 2-4 tea bags depending on size of tea bag
  • 1 cup organic white sugar or brown sugar, the sugar should be soft not large granules
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 TB honey
  • 10 drops lavender essential oil optional

Instructions

  • In a medium-size bowl, combine all the ingredients.
  • Store the exfoliator in an air-tight container in a cool, dark place (the linen closet or medicine cabinet).

To Use:

  • Apply a tablespoon of exfoliator at a time to your hands. Gently massage the skin (face and/or body) with the exfoliator for 30 seconds. Rinse the exfoliator from the skin with water and a washcloth.

Notes

This recipe makes enough exfoliating scrub to cover the entire body and face 2-3 times. Due to the abrasive (exlfoliator) nature of the sugar, I recommend using this scrub every 1-2 weeks, especially if you have sensitive skin. Make sure water isn’t introduced into the mixture in between uses (hello mold growth and bacteria). Use a spoon to scoop the mixture from the jar. To make a small batch, simply reduce this recipe by half.
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

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75 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Tried this today with mint green tea and added lavender and peppermint EO. Is there a reason you use Olive Oil instead of coconut oil? I have always used coconut oil in my scrubs. Thanks for sharing this!

    1. No reason other than not everyone does well with coconut oil on their skin. Also, in cold temps, coconut oil will solidify.

      LS Team

  2. These look amazing! I can’t wait to try this out! I was wondering where you go those jars? Did you get them on amazon? They look like the perfect size to store homemade skin care products!

    Thank you in advance,
    Maria

  3. 5 stars
    I love this!! Thank you so much! The simplicity of this recipe just adds to the magical-ness! I love that I can use this as both a body and a facial scrub. That’s awesome! I try teas all the time and right now I have a black tea and a chai tea that are not working out for me as far as tasty drinks. Would you see any issues in using these two other types of teas for this recipe?

  4. I am definitely going to give this a try—thanks! I have a quick question though. Will this help to get rid of the stubborn blackheads found on my nose?

  5. 5 stars
    Love this recipe! I only had white tea bags so I used those instead but my face feels so much better! Doing this once a week for sure!!

  6. 4 stars
    Just made this for gifts (and myself!). Love it, made my skin so smooth! Only thing I noticed is it stained my hands when I used it as a full body scrub. Not awful but definitely noticeable. Do you have any tips on how to avoid staining other than the obvious of not using my hands lol? Maybe a certain type of green tea?

      1. Yes a greenish tinge, on the dark side. I think I’ll try a different brand of green tea next time just to be safe. I used Bigelow this time. Maybe just a fluke thing that it happened!

      2. Hmmm, interesting! Just a light massage (just a few seconds) is all that’s needed for an exfoliator, so possibly the tea was rubbed in a bit too much.

  7. This scrub looks great! Can I use avocado oil instead of olive oil? Or maybe even almond oil? Not sure if they have the same quality for the recipe

  8. 5 stars
    I used a mix of coconut oil and it felt so good on my skin. I washed my face and neck with a moisturing soap and my skin feels so soft and nourished. Thanks for this recipe

  9. Hi,
    When using the green tea bags, do you just place them with the other ingredients or cut them open?

  10. 5 stars
    Thank you for this awesome information!! I am going to use this in my cosmetology class tomorrow for our facials and I am excited to share all of the beneficial ingredients it contains. Thank you again.

  11. Hey! Thanks for the recipe 😀
    Just made it, still need to try it, but i was also wondering for the next time i make it, if it can be made with matcha powder instead of the green tea, or as a mix?

  12. 5 stars
    I found this post on Pinterest as I was looking for easy DIY face mask, and I must say this is fantastic! My skin feels soft and exfoliated.
    I am looking forward trying more of your DIYs.