Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make Margarita Salt Scrub for Super Hydrated Skin
After the success of my DIY beach salt scrub and my lemon sugar scrub, I bring you my margarita salt scrub. It’s a little different than the other two as it has different oils and scents, but it’s just as easy to make with 3 simple ingredient you probably already have on hand. And my DIY scrub leaves your skin super hydrated! Read on to learn how to make margarita salt scrub.
You can scent your scrub how you’d like
The Scent Inspiration
I created this DIY scrub recipe in May 2025, around Mother’s Day and Cinco De Mayo, making it a great last-minute gift idea to celebrate either occasion. Margaritas happen to be a favorite Fri-YAY beverage of a friend of mine, so a bit of inspiration came in from that. You can scent this however you’d like, though, and I discuss this in this article.
This makes a sweet gift for anyone
Why Avocado Oil?
The title alone almost gives away the entire recipe. It is three ingredients, oil being the other of the three. I used avocado oil as the third ingredient because avocado oil is known to have a lot of skin benefits and stays liquid in most temperatures.
It can calm itchy skin, heal chapped skin, hydrate skin and more. Read more about it via this article on healthline.com. If you try another oil for this project, make sure it stays in liquid form at room temperature. See my recipe notes at the bottom of this article to understand why this is important.
I keep mine in a shell bowl by my kitchen sink
I used avocado oil for this due to its skin benefits but also because of the coloring. I wanted my scrub to look like a margarita, and knowing olive oil had more of a yellow color, but avocado oil was lighter in color, I used it instead and it truly looks and smells like a margarita!
This makes a cute way to gift this scrub too
See my lemon sugar scrub come together (it’s more yellow with using olive oil, which is what I wanted for that recipe) in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Avocado Oil Effects on My Health
Other than using avocado oil in skin care, we have also switched to using avocado oil in cooking more as it’s a bit lighter and the switch did benefit my health during my journey to lower my cholesterol with changing my diet.
It was an experiment that worked for me (with other changes I made like walking more, eating less sugar, etc.) and you can see this study from the National Library of Medicine on avocado oil that showed some benefits of using avocado oil.
I use skin safe oils in my DIY products
Can I Scent My Scrub Differently?
Yes, you can use another scented oil, however, make sure it is SKIN SAFE (which means oils that can be used on the skin without causing irritation or adverse reactions). Like I did for my other scrubs, I tested this scrub out on myself for two weeks. I did see an increase in my leg and hand’s moisture. I have extremely dry skin (from age and living in SW Florida) and the oil seemed to help my skin retain moisture better.
Lime is known to give a fresh and energizing scent, making a great way to wake up a bit. Add a bit of orange oil to make it smell like a whole fruit margarita like my friend’s mom makes.
It makes about 6 ounces of scrub
I used it on my legs, feet and hands and all looked more hydrated with each use. It doesn’t last on your skin forever, but over time, like most great beauty products, your skin should do like mine and retain moisture a bit better.
The scrub can make your body and surfaces slippery, so read the notes after the recipe for safety tips!
This makes a great Mother’s Day gift for any mother figure in your life
Other Scrubs We Love
Make this scrub for yourself, for Mother’s Day, or for any skincare lover in your life but if you just simply don’t have the time to make your own scrub, we have tried lots over the years and think you’d like cruelty free versions these too:
1--My niece introduced me to Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrubs, and they are great and well-priced.
2--We love Dr. Teal’s products and their Shea Sugar Body Scrub did not disappoint:
We also love Dr. Teal’s Epsom Salt Soaks and get them here at Target.
Check out my 1-minute video tutorial for this project on my TikTok now or below and on my YouTube channel @carolyjbraden!
Tools:
Large glass bowl (or any large mixing bowl)
Spoon or spatula to mix the ingredients
I store mine in an air tight canisters and glass yogurt containers (which I gift with cute little mini wooden spoons)
I also store mine in a shell bowl (mine was from Temu for around $16, but Amazon has similar shell bowls) and place it by my kitchen or bathroom sink with the small wooden spoon in it for quick and easy use. The oil keeps it from drying out.
If you want labels for gifting, I use Avery 5294 round labels and design images for them using Canva (then I use the Avery website to print them at home)
Kitchen twine (if tying on a gift tag or mini wooden spoon)
The DIY scrub ingredients
Time: 5 minutes or less
Amount: Each recipe makes about 6 oz. of product
Ingredients (all items link out to Amazon.com)
½ cup (or 4 oz.) salt (I used a fine sea salt and you can get it on Amazon or Walmart or most grocery stores….but I also tested a coarse salt like a real margarita salt which was a bit too harsh or “scrubby” and not as gentle, but you could try it or a basic table salt would work too)
1/3 cup avocado oil (mine was extra virgin olive oil, you could also try another low scented oil like olive oil as I stated in my article above)
15-20 drops lime essential oil (use more or less depending on how strong you want to scent yours and as I stated earlier, you can use a different scented oil as long as it’s skin safe)
Measuring out the salt
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a bowl
Measuring out the avocado oil
Stir to combine
Mixing the scrub
Place in a container that seals well or you can leave it in an open container.
I gently rub the scrub onto my hands
Use on your hands, feet, legs to enjoy softer skin. Overtime, your skin may retain moisture better like I talked about in this article!
Get my DIY henna tutorial here on my website (it’s the reddish brown design on my hand in the photo above and lasts for about a week). My DIY nail art can be found here.
It leaves my hands feeling softer for hours
Recipe Notes and Safety Tips:
Sugar and salt scrubs can attract ANTS! I know this due to my own experience. Florida is always buggy in the summer time, and I once had ants find one of my scrubs in the shower area and got all over it. Make sure you SEAL all sugar scrubs and if you see ants marching towards it, you may need to store it away from anywhere that has openings (like away from drains).
Oily scrubs can be dangerous when it comes to slips and falls. If you use this in certain types of showers and baths, the surface can become slippery, so be very careful. If you are prone to falls, sit in a chair over a towel and use the scrub and then use a wet towel to wipe away the excess.
You can use olive oil or avocado oil, but if using coconut oil, please note that it tends to solidify in cold temps, so it may not be your best bet for this DIY.
Don’t like lime scented things? Try another essential oil that you like best. We like lavender essential oil too. Whatever oils you use, make sure they are SKIN SAFE. We like organic and cruelty free essential oils best.
If you loved this article, then we know you’ll love this one too: How to Make Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray for Mermaid Hair
Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.
This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post, however, are based on my personal point of view.