Treat your skin with this DIY salt scrub recipe using African Black soap from the dollar store. Handmade bath and body scrubs are a great way to soothe your dry skin, and are quick and easy to make at home using items you have in your pantry. I took a quick trip to the dollar store to find ingredients for this Black Soap, Shea Butter and Coconut Sea Salt Scrub recipe, which is a great way to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize your skin all at once.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click the links and make a purchase, I may receive a small percentage commission from the sale, at no additional cost to you. 

I got the Black Soap, Sea Salt, and the cute glass container for this project at the dollar store. You can find coconut oil at the grocery store.

What is Black Soap?

I found a bar of African Black Soap with Shea Butter at the dollar store, and according to the box, black soap is made from the nuts of the African Karite Tree. Traditionally, black soap has been used as an application for stretch marks, wrinkles, dry skin, and various other skin conditions, and shea butter has been used to penetrate, heal, and moisturize skin.

Why Exfoliate?

Exfoliation is the process of removing the dead outer skin cells from your body, which exposes the softer, healthier skin. A DIY salt scrub is an inexpensive way to give your body a spa treatment on a tiny budget. Sea Salt has beneficial minerals that are good for your skin.

DIY Salt Scrub Recipe (African Black Soap & Coconut):

• 2 cups sea salt, $1
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, approx $1.33 cost for recipe (Buy in bulk on Amazon: Organic Coconut Oil)
• 3+ tablespoons of grated Black Soap, $1 (or Buy on Amazon: African Black Soap)
• Bowl & Spoon, on hand
• Grater, on hand
• Container for storage, $1 or on hand

Total cost for recipe: $3.33 and up

Grate Soap:

Before we mix up this sea salt scrub, we need to prepare the black soap.

The hardest thing about this recipe is grating the soap, and that takes about 30 seconds!

Grate about 3 Tablespoons of Black Soap. 

Note: if you are making multiple batches of this recipe, you will be able to use a single bar of soap for about 4 recipes, which makes the total cost for soap in the recipe just $.25.

Mix it Up:

Next, we put all the ingredients into our mixing bowl.

Measure 2 cups of sea salt into a bowl, and add about 3 Tablespoons of grated black soap.

Add Oil:

Melt 1/2 cup of coconut oil in the microwave using a microwave-safe glass measuring cup (such as a pyrex pouring measuring cup), then add it to the soap and salt mixture. Stir all ingredients until combined.

Store it:

Measure the DIY salt scrub mixture into your chosen storage container, such as a swing-top glass container, a small apothecary jar, or even a reusable plastic storage container or zip-top bag.

I used a glass storage jar with a metal lid that I found at the dollar store.

How do you use a salt scrub?

Use a handful of salt scrub while you are showering – rub it on your elbows, knees, feet, or on any place you have dry or flaky skin. The salt will slough off dead skin cells, and gradually dissolve in the water, becoming a body polish as it dissolves. The soap will help to cleanse your skin, while the coconut oil melts into your skin and provides moisturizing and softening properties.

Salt is fairly abrasive, so if you want a milder scrub, try using sugar or baking soda in place of the salt in this recipe.

Use the scrub about once a week.

More Body Scrub Recipes:

Spiced Apple Cider Sugar Scrub Recipe

Himalayan Sea Salt & Honey Scrub Recipe

5 Minute French Vanilla Cappuccino Sugar Scrub Recipe

5 Minute Coffee & Coconut Sea Salt Scrub Recipe

Coconut & Mint Foot Scrub Recipe

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Why spend a fortune on bath and body products when it’s so easy to make them at home using items you have in your pantry? I found this fancy pink Himalayan sea salt at my local discount home store for just a few bucks, so I created this fantastic Himalayan Salt Scrub Recipe. Because Himalayan sea salt has such a pretty pink color (not to mention all those sea salt minerals), it makes a great base for a bath and body scrub. This refreshing Himalayan sea salt & honey body scrub is a great way to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize your skin all at once. 

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click the links and make a purchase, I may receive a small percentage commission from the sale, at no additional cost to you. 

Himalayan Sea Salt & Honey Body Scrub Supplies Needed:

• 2 cups of fine grind Himalayan sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• Bowl & spoon
• Microwavable glass measuring cup
• A container for the finished scrub

I got the cute glass container for this project at the dollar store. You can find coconut oil at the grocery store, and the Himalayan sea salt online. I love this Himalayan Salt Scrub recipe because it softens your skin, exfoliates dead skin, and the honey is a humectant, which draws moisture to your skin.

What is Himalayan Sea Salt?

Himalayan sea salt is a salt that is mined from a region in Pakistan, and is known for its pink color (which it gets from the presence of iron oxide where it is mined). Himalayan sea salt is not processed as much as table salt, and for this reason, is often available in coarse crystal form. It contains as many as 84 additional trace minerals and in body scrub form, it is helpful for exfoliation, increasing circulation, and soothing tired muscles.

Did you know?

Himalayan sea salt is also available in other interesting forms:

• Himalayan salt slabs: These are used for cooking food, chilling food, and for a pretty presentation of food.
• Himalayan sea salt lamps: A large chunk of pink Himalayan sea salt that is hollowed inside to allow a light bulb to shine through the salt. These are pretty home decor accents, and some people believe they can help purify the air.
• Himalayan salt chunks: A large chunk of salt, which can be grated onto food as needed, using a fine grater.

1. Measure Ingredients

First, measure 2 cups of fine Himalayan sea salt into your mixing bowl.

2. Melt Oil

Melt 1/2 cup of coconut oil in the microwave, using a pourable glass measuring cup. (It takes one minute in my microwave).

Add 1 Tablespoon of honey to the oil, and mix it together as well as you can.

Pour the oil-honey mixture into the salt you measured into the bowl.

3. Mix Ingredients Together

Mix all three ingredients together thoroughly.

4. Package Prepared Salt Scrub

Now all you have left to do is package it up! Put the prepared Himalayan salt scrub into a pretty container, like this pint mason jar I got at the dollar store.

More Body Scrub Recipes:

Spiced Apple Cider Sugar Scrub Recipe

Black Soap, Shea & Coconut Sea Salt Scrub Recipe

5 Minute French Vanilla Cappuccino Sugar Scrub Recipe

5 Minute Coffee & Coconut Sea Salt Scrub Recipe

Coconut & Mint Foot Scrub Recipe

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Do you want to impress someone with a wonderful handmade gift, but you’re on a budget? Here’s the perfect solution: make a candy bouquet! Use dollar store candy and supplies to make an inexpensive, yet very impressive bouquet, made up of your gift recipient’s favorite sweet treats. 

Anyone can make a candy bouquet! It is a simple and clever craft, and looks so impressive once it’s done.

Project estimate:

• Floral foam, $1
• Glass container, on hand or $1
• Assorted candy, $1.00 and up
• Bamboo skewers, on hand or $1
• Hot glue, on hand
• Basket filler, $1

Totals: $3 and up

How to Make a Candy Bouquet Video Tutorial:

Read on for written instructions for how to make a candy bouquet:

1. Cut the floral foam to fit the inside of the container.  Floral foam is very easy to cut. You can simply use a knife to slice to cut to the right size.

2. After the foam is on place put basket filler on top.  You may chose to glue it in place.

3. This is the fun part!  Using the glue gun place a small amount of glue on the candy and place the skewer flat on the glue.

Cut skewers with utility scissors to make them different lengths — this makes a more pleasing bouquet!

4. Once it has cooled, arrange the candy skewers in the container.  Continue placing the candy in the container until you have the desired look. Trim skewers if necessary to give the bouquet a range of “flower” heights!

The wonderful thing about candy bouquets is they can be given to anyone.  They can be a birthday present, boss gift, husband gift, graduation gift (slip some gift cards in  between the candy), Mother’s Day (place flowers randomly around the candy), a treat for someone in the hospital, etc.  You name it!  Another great gift for someone with a flower allergy!  Wedding center piece?? You decide!

What do you think? Could you make a candy bouquet? (We think so! They are so easy and fun!)

Did you enjoy this? Try to Make a Candy Wreath next!

Pin It: How to Make a Candy Bouquet

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This quick, easy project doesn’t just have to be for Valentine’s Day.  You could easily use different stamps to create custom decorative candles for your home, for parties, or for gifts.  I made several winter themed candles as gifts for my neighbors for Christmas, and they loved them!  So pull out your inks and stamps, and let’s decorate some candles!

Project estimate:

• Candles, on hand or $1 and up
• Stamps and ink, on hand
• Tissue paper, on hand
• Hair dryer or heat embossing tool, on hand

Total:  Free or $1 and up

It’s a good idea to do a few practice runs with old candles or dollar store candles.  I often find bags of new to barely used candles at thrift stores, and they are great for practicing this technique.  The candle I used in this project was purchased at Dollar Tree, and while it is a battery operated votive candle, it has a wax coating on the outside, so it works for this project.

To make your own stamped Valentine’s Day Candle:

Step one:  Cut a piece of tissue paper to fit around your candle.

Step two:  Stamp the tissue paper.  First, I covered my paper with a text stamp that has the definition of love. Then I stamped the heart image over the text.

Step three:  Wrap the stamped tissue paper around the candle.

Step four:  Heat the tissue paper with a heat embossing tool or a hair dryer.  As the wax melts, the tissue paper will seem to disappear into the candle, leaving only the image.  Be careful to keep moving your heat tool so you don’t burn the tissue paper or create uneven dimples in your candle.

If you want to, you can further embellish your candle with ribbon, string, rhinestones, etc.  I’m decorating a few candles with blue and green damask stamps to match my living room.  Which stamps are you going to reach for?  Have fun creating!

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Project Materials:

• 3 skeins of embroidery floss, on hand or about $1
• Size 12 (US) crochet hook, on hand or about $1
• Chain or thread to string, on hand
• (optional) Jump rings and hardware, if you are using a chain, on hand

Total: FREE and upIf you are a beginning crocheter, I recommend making a couple granny squares with regular yarn and hooks just to get the hang of it. After you make a few, you will memorize the pattern, and it will be the perfect thing to crochet on auto-pilot (and a great way to use up your small leftover balls of yarn.

Crocheting with embroidery floss is a little bit challenging. One, it’s small, so it’s a bit harder to work with, and to get a comfortable hand position and work flow. The good news is that it doesn’t take too long to adjust to the reduced scale. Two, the six strands of floss aren’t twisted together like yarn, so the individual strands can get caught in your work a lot more. You can combat this by slightly twisting the floss with your index finger and thumb as you go. You can also pull out the offending stitches as you go and redo them, or pull the loops through your work to hide them.

Hook: My crochet hook was a steel hook, size 12 US (.70mm/size 5 UK). A hook a couple sizes larger would probably be fine!

Pattern:I just used a classic granny square pattern. I don’t need to re-write it for you! If you want to learn how to crochet a granny square, here is an excellent visual tutorial at The Purl Bee: [how to crochet a granny square]

Homemade Simple Gifts

I have always been a huge fan of handmade gifts. As a crafter, it’s only natural, right? I am lucky to be part of a family that also appreciates handmade gifts and makes it a practice to exchange gifts that aren’t store-bought. I know, I’m so spoiled!

While not all handmade gifts exchanged in our family are smash hits, they are all appreciated and they somehow seem more meaningful than something purchased in the $10 or less aisle of a big box store.

The best handmade gifts I’ve given or received have been: duct tape wallets (for the guys), hand-roasted coffee (yum!), quilts, and special items decorated by my three boys (always a win for the mommies, right?).

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Want to bring the most aww-inducing gift of your next baby shower? Make a DIY Diaper Wreath, all from stuff you can buy at the dollar store. This craft looks impressive, but is really simple to make, and best of all, every item on the wreath is useful for baby. I posted the full instructions for this cute craft over at MyPrintly, so go check it out! [DIY Baby Shower Diaper Wreath]

I got every single item for this baby shower wreath at the dollar store!

Project Materials:

• A baby photo collage
• A 12” or 14” wire wreath form, $1
• 10-12 new baby diapers, $3 (3 packs at the dollar store)
• Assorted new baby accessories (such as pacifiers, washcloths, rattles, etc.), $5-10
• Pipe cleaners, $1
• Curling ribbon, on hand or $1
• Scissors
• Clear tape

Total cost: $10 and up

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What do you give the friend, neighbor, or co-worker who is mostly naughty (but maybe a little bit nice)? How about this funny dollar store craft: a Santa’s Coal Wreath, featuring all dollar store materials and candies. I posted the instructions over in my column at eBay: [make Santa’s Coal Wreath]

Project Materials:

• Santa candy, $1
• Coal candy, $1
• Paper plates, $1
• Red crepe paper, $1
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks, on hand

Total cost: $4

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I love the look of vintage glass ornament wreaths, but they are crazy expensive! Buy one for about $200, or source the ornaments and make it yourself. Either way, it’s not gonna be cheap! When I shared a photo of an ornament wreath I loved, my mom said “You could almost make that out of those little Christmas chocolates,” and a lightbulb went off in my head! I loved the idea, so I headed to the dollar store to check out the Christmas candy selection. There were lots of pretty foil-wrapped candies, so I grabbed a few bucks worth of supplies and made my wreath. Find out how to make it in my column at eBay: [how to make a christmas candy wreath]

Project Materials:

• 3 paper plates, $1 or on hand
• 1 or 2 metallic tinsel garlands, $1 or $2
• 5-7 bags of foil-wrapped Christmas chocolate candies, $5-7
• Ribbon or baker’s twine, on hand or $1

Total cost: $7 and up

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Looking for a great craft idea for a girls’ craft night out? Look no further than a DIY Body Scrub — they are easy and fun to make, such a treat for your skin, and most of all, cheap! You can find most of the ingredients for this body scrub at the dollar store, and the rest of the ingredients in your kitchen. Find instructions in my column over at eBay: [DIY Grape Sparkle Body Scrub]

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I have been having so much fun making body scrubs lately. As soon as I use one jar up, I get to make a new jar, using all new colors and flavor ideas. I took a walk down my dollar store food aisle looking for inspiration, and I found packets of drink mix to use in my latest body scrub. I present to you Pink Lemonade Body Scrub made from almost all dollar store materials! Find out the full recipe and instructions in my column over at eBay: [pink lemonade body scrub recipe]

These body scrubs make great holiday gifts, so start crafting now for your holiday gift list.

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