These easy DIY rose lip scrub recipes are a treat for your lips. They’re wonderfully fragrant, and have a plethora of benefits for natural lip care. In this easy tutorial, learn how to make floral rose sugar lip scrubs with essential oils, rose petals, or rosewater, and reveal softer, smoother lips in minutes.
Sometimes, no matter what the season, dry lips happen, and homemade lip scrubs are a quick and easy fix.
These pretty pink colored rose lip scrubs can help exfoliate the dry, flaky skin caused by weather or the other common factors that can contribute to dry or chapped lips.
After all, even the best lip balm won’t work without using a good lip scrub first.
As an added bonus, these floral lip scrubs are crafted with natural ingredients and can easily be altered to be vegan-friendly.
I’ve included a few ways to infuse your DIY lip scrub with a floral rose fragrance, including rose essential oils, rose petals, and rosewater.
If you’re new to DIY beauty, you will find these floral lip scrub recipes very simple to make. Read on to learn how to make rose geranium, rose vanilla, citrus rose or rosewater lip scrub for homemade lip care.
- Rose petal lip scrub benefits
- Ingredients for homemade rose lip scrub
- Rose lip polish fragrance
- Essential oils for DIY rose lip scrubs
- How to color rose lip scrub
- Rose Lip Scrub Recipes
- Rose lip scrub questions
- How to use a DIY lip scrub?
- Can you make a DIY lip scrub with rosewater?
- Why is my lip scrub dry?
- Do you need to add a preservative to your homemade lip scrub?
- Can you make rose lip scrub without essential oils?
- How to store DIY lip scrub
- How to package homemade lip scrub
- How long does this lip scrub recipe last?
- More DIY lip care recipes
Rose petal lip scrub benefits
There are many benefits to using a lip scrub, but there are even more benefits to making your own. This DIY rose lip scrub is:
- Exfoliating and smoothing: Sugar is a natural exfoliator that leaves dry lips softer, smoother and more supple.
- Moisturizing: Nourishing and emollient carrier oils in this rose lip polish recipe help to soften dry lip skin.
- Naturally scented: This lip scrub is naturally scented with essential oils or rosewater. Essential oils are generally less toxic than artificial fragrances or fragrance oils.
- Money-saving: Easy homemade beauty hacks like DIY lip scrubs can save you money over their store-bought counterparts. After all, lip scrubs are usually comprised of all the same inexpensive ingredients you usually have at home.
- Eco-friendly: With homemade lip scrubs, you can reuse your packaging, which makes this a beauty product with almost zero waste.
- Aromatherapeutic: The aroma of rose essential oil has a calming affect on the central nervous system, which can help you boost your mood while you exfoliate your lips1.
Ingredients for homemade rose lip scrub
Making these lip scrubs only requires a few inexpensive and natural ingredients. You can find more information about each ingredient below.
- Finely ground sugar (or brown sugar)
- Liquid coconut oil (or liquid oil of choice)
- Honey (omit if vegan)
- Rose essential oil blend or rosewater for fragrance
- Lip scrub colorant for a rosy pink
- Vitamin E (optional)
- Rose petals for decoration (optional)
Sugar
It should come as no surprise that sugar is the main ingredient of a homemade sugar lip scrub. Sugar is one of the best inexpensive natural exfoliators, and you likely already have it on hand.
You will want to choose finely ground sugar for your rose lip polish base. Finely ground sugar (or caster sugar) is perfect for lip scrub recipes as it’s far more gentle on delicate lip skin compared to regular sugar, which has larger, coarser granules.
But rather than buying caster sugar, you can simply grind your sugar for a finer texture. For a quick beauty hack, you can use a coffee or spice grinder in order to remove any large granules.
While exfoliating has its benefits, you also don’t want to over-exfoliate your lips or use harsh exfoliants.
Exfoliating too frequently can cause skin micro-tears, especially if you use products with large particles such as coarse salt or sugar. And you definitely don’t want to use a coarse and bitter salt scrub on your lips.
Since these lip scrubs contain fine sugar granules, they exfoliate more gently.
Tip: you can also use brown sugar, which is very soft, high in moisture, and gentle on lip skin. I used brown sugar in the vanilla rose lip scrub for its sweet, molasses-like scent which compliments the vanilla oleoresin.
Fractionated coconut oil
These rose lip scrubs are moistened with fractionated (liquid) coconut oil.
Using oil in a lip scrub recipe helps nourish dry lip skin, while also acting as a buffer to keep the sugar from exfoliating too harshly.
Fractionated coconut oil is ideal in a homemade lip polish because it’s liquid at room temperature. If you use regular coconut oil in your scrub, it will solidify even after you melt it.
This could make your scrub too firm or crumbly, so regular coconut oil is not the best choice for use in a lip scrub. You want it to feel more moist so it’s easily spread on your lips.
Coconut oil also has a number of skin benefits. It’s occlusive, which means it can help to lock moisture into your lips. It also has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties which favor a healthier skin microflora.
But if you don’t want to use coconut oil, you can also use MCT oil or another liquid carrier oil of your choice.
Some people like to use olive oil in their sugar scrubs, but I find that olive oil’s scent competes with this rose lip polish’s floral fragrance. Therefore, I prefer to use less strongly scented carrier oil, but this is a matter of preference.
Another reason I prefer fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil in scrubs is because these oils are comprised of mostly saturated fatty acids, and therefore oxidize more slowly. So crafting your rose scrub with saturated oils can prevent it from going rancid quickly and thus prolong its shelf-life.
Honey
Honey is an optional ingredient, but it serves a useful purpose in these rose lip scrubs.
Not only is honey chock full of antioxidants, but it’s also a humectant, so it helps to draw moisture into your lips. And its stickiness helps your lip scrub stick together, giving it a paste-like texture so it doesn’t fall off your lips.
Overall, it’s an excellent natural treatment for dry lips and can be very soothing for chapped lips as well. This is why it’s also a key ingredient in my rose petal lip mask.
If you’re vegan or prefer not to use honey, you can choose a vegan sweetener such as agave nectar for a similar effect.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E has potent antioxidant properties that help nourish your lips and prolong your the shelf-life of your lip scrub’s carrier oil.
A few drops of high-quality vitamin E oil goes a long way. But it’s not necessary for your lip scrub to work, so you can skip it if desired.
Rose petals
If desired, you can also add real dried rose petals to your homemade lip scrub.
Dried rose petals will not add a particularly strong fragrance, but they do add a beautiful floral decoration. This is especially nice if you’ll be giving floral lip scrubs as gifts.
You can also grind rose petals and use them in lieu of your colorant, because ground rose petals can also add a subtle tint to your scrub. It’s possible the petals may also add some extra exfoliating properties.
Please note that you should only use dried rose petals for your lip scrub. Please don’t use fresh rose petals, as they are moist and will introduce water into the scrub. Any time you mix oil and water, you allow bacteria to grow.
To make a DIY rose petal lip scrub, simply mix in a sprinkling real dried rose petals or a spoonful of rose petal powder into your sugar before adding the rest of your lip scrub ingredients.
Rose petals have many natural skincare benefits for your lips. They’re high in antioxidants and can even help stain your lips with a rosy pink tint. To learn more about how rose petals can benefit your lips, see my rose lip mask recipe.
Rose lip polish fragrance
Rose is a popular fragrance in beauty and skincare products. The aroma of roses can invoke feelings of romance and well-being, and the scent is the perfect compliment to a gently exfoliating lip scrub.
There are a few ways you can infuse your floral lip scrub with a rosy scent, including rosewater and essential oils.
I used essential oils to fragrance these lip scrubs, and I’ve included three rose essential oil blends to choose from below.
You may want to use rosewater in your scrub, but making a DIY lip scrub with rosewater is trickier than using essential oils. It also requires you to take certain precautions to prevent bacteria from growing.
For specific instructions on making rosewater lip scrub, see the question and answer section below.
Yet another option for adding a fragrance to your scrubs is to use rose-infused oil or fragrant Bulgarian rose wax, which I used in my DIY rose lip balm recipe. However, rose wax needs to be melted before use.
In the interest of keeping this rose lip scrub recipe very easy to make, I left rose wax out, but if you’d like to use it, I’ve included the instructions later in this article.
Essential oils for DIY rose lip scrubs
Rose geranium essential oil
Rose essential oil seems like an obvious choice for a DIY rose lip scrub. But while true rose oil smells superb, its price point is quite high. Therefore, to save money, I used rose geranium essential oil in lieu of real rose oil.
But despite their differing price points, rose oil and rose geranium oil share some noticeable similarities. Rose geranium oil has a remarkable rose-like fragrance. So similar, in fact, that’s it’s even sometimes used to dilute real rose oil.
You can however use real rose essential oil in your lip scrub if you have it in your collection. Or alternatively, a more affordable diluted rose otto.
Regardless of which essential oil you choose for your lip scrubs, you can also use it to make this DIY rose lip balm, which is the perfect compliment to a rose lip scrub. And don’t forget to use a lip treatment, such as my moisturizing and plumping rose petal lip mask.
Vanilla oleoresin
Rose and vanilla is a classic combination, and it makes for a delicious sweet-smelling vanilla rose lip scrub.
Vanilla oleoresin’s incredible sweetness makes it one of my favourite essential oils. Interestingly, vanilla also has aromatherapy benefits and can help promote feelings of calmness and well-being2.
If you don’t have vanilla oleoresin on hand, you can also substitute the oleoresin in the vanilla rose scrub recipe with a dash of vanilla extract.
However, keep in mind that mixing oil and water creates food for bacteria. So if you make a lip scrub with vanilla extract, you should store it in the fridge to prevent bacteria from growing and use it up quickly. For more information on this, see the question and answer section below.
Sweet orange essential oil
Pairing rose with sweet orange creates a fresh citrus rose lip scrub. Its uplifting aroma is both zesty and sweet, and compliments the floral notes of the rose geranium.
Unlike certain other citrus oils such as lemon and bergamot, sweet orange oil is typically not phototoxic. So it won’t sensitize your skin to the sun after use.
But it’s important to note that there are two kinds of sweet orange oil: steam-distilled and cold-pressed (or expressed). The steam-distilled variety has photosensitizing properties, while the cold-pressed variety doesn’t.
Interestingly, the opposite goes for lime, lemon and grapefruit essential oils – for these citrus oils, the cold-pressed varieties are phototoxic, while the steam-distilled oils aren’t.
If you are going in the sun after using this lip scrub, these differences are important to remember.
Most bottled sweet orange oil is safe for use in this scrub, but it’s still important to check. Look on the bottle for cold-pressed or expressed as the extraction or distillation method.
How to color rose lip scrub
You don’t need to color your lip scrub for it to be effective, so this step is optional. However, if you enjoy a hint of rose pink or want to gift your scrub, you might want to add a subtle color.
I used rose mica, but there are a variety of other natural options for coloring your rose lip scrub, such as:
- Rose mica: Pink toned mica adds a shimmery, luminescent quality to your lip scrub. We recommend ethical mica for coloring skincare products, which you can read more about here.
- Rose petal powder: Soft pink, finely ground rose petal powder can also be used to add a natural color your rose petal lip scrub. However, keep in mind that rose petal powder isn’t oil soluble, so it may not color as evenly as mica or rose clay.
- Rose clay: Rose clay is gentle, but it does possess drying qualities, which is why it’s a common ingredient in face masks. However, only a small amount is needed to color a lip scrub with a rose pink tint, and the rose clay’s drying qualities will be balanced by the moisturizing properties of coconut oil.
- Beet powder: You can also use beet powder to color your lip scrub. I recommend using pink beet powder food coloring like the one I used to color my peppermint candy cane lip scrub recipe. Red beet powder has the tendency to clump and turn brown when used in DIY beauty products.
Rose Lip Scrub Recipes
DIY Rose Lip Scrub
2 tablespoons fine sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
1/2 tablespoon honey
6 drops rose essential oil or rose geranium essential oil
Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Vanilla Rose Lip Scrub
2 tablespoons fine sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 drops rose geranium essential oil
3 drops vanilla oleoresin
Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Citrus Rose Lip Scrub
2 tablespoons fine sugar or brown sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 drops rose geranium essential oil
3 drops sweet orange essential oil
Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Supplies
Small bowl for mixing
Mixing spoon
Small glass jars or lip balm tins for storage
Small grinder or knife for rose petals
How to make rose lip scrub
- Add finely ground sugar or brown sugar to a small mixing bowl. Tip: if the sugar is coarse, use a spice or coffee grinder to grind it into a fine powder.
- If making a rose petal lip scrub, add a spoonful of rose petal powder or a sprinkle of dried rose petals. Tip: grind or lightly chop the rose petals into smaller pieces so you don’t have large petals in the lip polish.
- Next, pour in the fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil of your choice) and honey. Mix well to incorporate and thoroughly coat the sugar. The lip scrub should begin to stick together nicely.
- Add rose essential oil blend and mix well once again.
- If adding vitamin E and a colorant, add it now and mix thoroughly to incorporate the color evenly.
- Transfer the lip scrub mixture to small glass containers or lip balm tins and seal well.
Rose lip scrub questions
How to use a DIY lip scrub?
To use a lip scrub, start with clean, slightly damp lips.
Apply a small amount of the rose sugar lip scrub mixture to your lips. Rub it on your lips in a circular motion to gently buff away flaky skin.
Once your lips feel softer and smoother, rinse off the scrub with warm water, or use a washcloth to lightly wipe the scrub from your lips.
Gently pat your lips dry. Then, follow up with a hydrating lip balm or a moisturizing lip mask for extra hydration. And if you’d like to make your own, both our rose lip balm and rose lip mask pair well with this lip scrub.
Note: even though essential oils are typically regarded as safe, it’s important to note that if you have sensitive or allergy-prone skin, you should do a patch test before using any homemade products with essential oils.
Can you make a DIY lip scrub with rosewater?
Rosewater is a frequent ingredient in homemade beauty and skincare products, and we’ve used in it many DIYs, including this rosewater face spray.
But does rosewater work in a lip scrub? The short answer is yes, with a couple things to remember.
The benefit of using rosewater in a lip scrub is that it allows you to lightly fragrance your lip treatment without using essential oils. Some prefer to avoid essential oils in their lip scrubs due to skin sensitivities or for other reasons.
Rosewater is also less expensive and more easily accessible than essential oils, which another reason some may prefer it. But there are a couple things to keep in mind when using rosewater in a sugar scrub.
First, it’s important to keep your lip scrub in the fridge. Mixing water and oil supplies the perfect food for mold and bacteria, so it’s important to preserve your lip scrub to keep it sanitary.
Next, if using rosewater, there is a different lip scrub recipe to follow. This scrub recipe contains more oil and no honey.
It’s important to use enough oil to stop the rosewater from dissolving the sugar in your scrub. And it’s important to skip the honey – honey is a humectant, which means it absorbs and binds water. So mixing honey and rosewater will turn your lip scrub into a liquidy mess.
Rosewater Lip Scrub Recipe
2 tablespoons fine sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
1 teaspoon rosewater
Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
How to make rosewater lip scrub
- Add your finely ground sugar and rose petals to a small mixing bowl.
- Pour in fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil of your choice). Mix well to thoroughly coat your sugar. This will help ensure the rosewater does not dissolve the scrub.
- Add rosewater and mix well once again.
- If adding vitamin E and a colorant, add it now and mix thoroughly to incorporate the color evenly.
- Transfer the rosewater lip scrub mixture to small glass containers or lip balm tins and seal well. Store in the refrigerator.
Why is my lip scrub dry?
The beauty of homemade lip scrubs is that they are easily customizable to your preference. If you find this recipe too dry, or if it isn’t sticking to your lips, then simply add more honey to further moisten the scrub.
If you have the opposite problem, and find your lip scrub is too moist or oily, simply add a bit more sugar and mix it again.
Do you need to add a preservative to your homemade lip scrub?
A broad-spectrum preservative is only necessary if a product contains water, and these DIY floral lip scrub recipes are water-free, so they don’t require a preservative.
However, when using your lip scrub, be sure that your hands are clean and dry, as introducing any water into your jar can lead to bacterial growth.
If you are following the lip scrub recipe with essential oils, you don’t need to worry about preserving your scrub. But if you’re making a rose water lip scrub, as mentioned above, you’ll want to store it in the fridge to prevent bacterial growth.
Because of this lip scrub recipe’s imprecise nature, I don’t recommend adding a preservative as it’s too difficult to determine whether you’re adding the right amount for efficacy.
Can you make rose lip scrub without essential oils?
Yes, there are a couple ways to infuse your lip scrub with a rose fragrance without using essential oils. The first way is by making a rosewater lip scrub as detailed above.
You can also use rose petal infused oil as the carrier oil for your scrub. You can make your own homemade rose infused oil, or purchase one.
Yet another way to make a rose lip scrub without essential oils is by using fragrant Bulgarian rose wax. You can read more about rose wax in my homemade rose lip balm recipe.
To make lip scrub with rose wax, carefully melt 1/8 teaspoon of rose wax in a small lab beaker or other heat-safe container, then drizzle into your lip scrub mixture.
How to store DIY lip scrub
It’s ideal to keep your rose petal lip scrub in a cool, dark, dry cupboard or drawer, and away from direct sunlight or other heat source. Light or heat of any kind can compromise your lip scrub’s quality and/or affect the essential oils’ potency.
How to package homemade lip scrub
We prefer to use glass containers to store our homemade beauty products, including lip scrubs, but any container you can reuse is more eco-friendly and economical over the long-term.
These glass containers with faux wood lids are some of our favourite jars for DIY beauty products. They come in a variety of sizes and also add a little bit of luxury to your products. Packaging your scrub in these jars would make your rose sugar scrub perfect for gift giving.
Alternatively, you can also reuse empty old lip balm tins to store your scrub but be sure to wash, sanitize and dry your containers well before reusing.
If you need more ideas for storing your lip scrubs, we compiled a handy list of the best containers for DIY beauty and skincare.
How long does this lip scrub recipe last?
The shelf-life of your homemade lip scrub is approximately 1 year. But this only applies if the scrub is stored correctly and you don’t introduce water into your lip scrub jar. Water can cause microbial growth as microbes require water to thrive.
Keep in mind that your floral lip scrubs will also stay fresher longer if you use fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil. Both carrier oils are saturated, which means they have a longer shelf than their unsaturated counterparts.
On the other hand, if you use an unsaturated liquid carrier oil such as almond oil or sunflower oil, it will spoil faster. These carrier oils are high in polyunsaturated fats which are more prone to oxidation.
If ever notice that your scrub suddenly smells off, this could indicate that your carrier oil has gone rancid. If this happens, you should dispose of your scrub and make a fresh batch.
DIY Rose Lip Scrub (4 Recipes)
Learn how to make a DIY rose lip scrub with rosewater, rose petals, or essential oils. Reveal softer, smoother lips in minutes with these easy homemade lip polish recipes.
Ingredients
Rose Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 6 drops rose essential oil or rose geranium essential oil
- Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (see notes)
- Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
- A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Rosewater Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
- Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
- A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Vanilla Rose Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
- 1/2 tablespoon honey
- 3 drops rose geranium essential oil
- 3 drops vanilla oleoresin
- Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
- Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
- A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Citrus Rose Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil)
-
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 drops rose geranium essential oil - 3 drops sweet orange essential oil
- Natural colorant such as pink mica or rose petal powder (optional)
- Dried rose petals for decoration (optional)
- A few drops vitamin E oil (optional)
Equipment
- Small bowl for mixing
- Mixing spoon
- Small glass jars or lip balm tins for storage
- Small grinder or knife for rose petals
Instructions
How to make rose lip scrub with essential oils
- Add finely ground sugar or brown sugar to a small mixing bowl. Tip: if the sugar is coarse, use a spice or coffee grinder to grind it into a fine powder.
- If making a rose petal lip scrub, add a spoonful of rose petal powder or a sprinkle of dried rose petals. Tip: grind or lightly chop the rose petals into smaller pieces so you don't have large petals in the lip polish.
- Next, pour in the fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil of your choice) and honey. Mix well to incorporate and thoroughly coat the sugar. The lip scrub should begin to stick together nicely.
- Add rose essential oil blend and mix well once again.
- If adding vitamin E and a colorant, add it now and mix thoroughly to incorporate the color evenly.
- Transfer the lip scrub mixture to small glass containers or lip balm tins and seal well.
How to make DIY lip scrub with rose water
- Add your finely ground sugar and rose petals to a small mixing bowl.
- Pour in fractionated coconut oil (or liquid carrier oil of your choice). Mix well to thoroughly coat your sugar. This will help ensure the rosewater does not dissolve the scrub.
- Add rosewater and mix well once again.
- If adding vitamin E and a colorant, add it now and mix thoroughly to incorporate the color evenly.
- Transfer the rosewater lip scrub mixture to small glass containers or lip balm tins and seal well. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
DIY lip scrub coloring
To color your rose lip scrub, you can use:
- Pink mica
- Rose clay
- Rose petal powder
- Pink beet powder
Recommended Products
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More DIY lip care recipes
Looking for More DIY beauty recipes for soft lips? Check out these out these natural beauty recipes for lip care:
- DIY Festive Lip Scrubs for Soft Lips
- Rose Petal Lip Mask Recipe
- Homemade Rose Lip Balm
- DIY Green Tea Lip Balm
- DIY Tinted Lip Balm with Lipstick
- Calendula Lip Balm Recipe
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References
- Boskabady, Mohammad Hossein et al. “Pharmacological effects of rosa damascena.” Iranian journal of basic medical sciences vol. 14,4 (2011): 295-307.
- Stephen Warrenburg, Effects of Fragrance on Emotions: Moods and Physiology, Chemical Senses, Volume 30, Issue suppl_1, January 2005, Pages i248–i249, https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/bjh208