I love them, but they’re super easy to make yourself, so it feels like a real indulgence spending $10+ on one. They always sell them in jars that are really quite large and take forever to finish! But I love the effect they have on my lips.
— Christine
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
I love the one I have from ELF! Super convenient because it’s in a lipstick tube form. Only catch is that about halfway through, it becomes more difficult to roll up. But hey, for $3 and that it actually works to slough off dead, dry flakes and gives me a nice smooth canvas, I’ll keep on buying them!
That’s what I use, too. Someone here on Temptalia gave me the idea to take the product out of the tube and mash it into a pot-type container. It’s much easier to use that way.
Great idea! Thank you, Rachel, that’s what I’ll do with the rest of mine. And when I buy my next one, I’m going to depot it immediately to keep it nice.
I use the Elf also and love it. I rub it on my lips every morning before I get in the shower. I gently rub off with a towel while in a shower. Afterwards I place some Aquaphor on my lips and let it soak in while doing my makeup. This combination has worked for me without fail. Before I always had the worst, drying, peeling, flaking lips and in the winter it was even worst! Elf now have the exfoliator in mint and cherry on their website…can’t wait for them to hit stores to try. I also have Kaplan MD set from Sephora. When I have time or for special occasions, I will use the Kaplan MD on top of the Elf and let it set for 5 minutes or so, ..It really does plumb the lips nicely.
That combo sounds awesome! I forgot how I used to love Aquafor on my lips, especially during the cold, dry NJ/NY winters. That stuff seriously saved my poor lips year after year!
I haven’t tried the Elf one – but I think I will, now that I have read your comments. It seems like a great, but inexpensive, one to try. I have never used one before so I think I will start with that. Thanks Nancy.
I used to buy lip scrubs in jars but OMG I HATE gunk under my nails! I do like to use them, esp. in the cooler weather. So my choice once a week in the shower is the Laura Geller one which comes in a tube. I apply it like I would a lip gloss and rub it in with the pad of my finger – yay no mess! I think they’re useful for removing dry skin and keeping the lips smooth for lipstick application. And yes, probably super easy to make but let’s be real…no way I’m going to ever do that. LOL
I have super dry skin and love wearing matte lipsticks so a lip scrub is essential to my makeup routine! I make my own using white sugar and a few drops of olive oil, and use a damp washcloth to rub it on and wipe it off.
I find them superfluous and can achieve the same results or better by verrrrry lightly rubbing my lips with my ultra-soft toothbrush bristles. Would rather spend my beauty dollars on something else. But if someone loves them, great!
For some reason lately my home-made recipe of sugar and honey isn’t working anymore 🙁 🙁 Any tips are welcome.
Have you tried switching out the honey for some kind of oil like coconut or avocado? Or adding a bit of lemon juice?
I’ve tried with coconut oil and olive oil, no better.
I have chronic dry, flaky lips so I wake up to new flakes daily regardless of the balms I use overnight and during the day. If they’re not scrubbed off right away it gets pretty ugly by midday. I don’t find lip scrubs to be super effective for getting flakes off unless they’re completely softened ahead of time, but even then it’s not 100%. I have the best results using a damp washcloth. But I certainly prefer to use a tasty scrub at my vanity, just wish it worked a little better!
They seem unnecessary to me. I’ll wipe my lips on a towel/washcloth after showering, that does the job. I have a deluxe sample of Fresh sugar scrub, but I’ve only used it once or twice, not a fan.
I don’t use lip scrubs, I use my toothbrush to scrub and then use moisturiser on my lips, I find that’s more effective than lip balm as sometimes lip balm doesn’t hydrate them. If it’s got paraffin or mineral oil, that’s ok but it only traps what water is in there already, it’s not going to put water in as a moisturiser does, or a natural oil. So if your lips are dry already, a lip balm that’s mineral or paraffin oil based isn’t going to help x
I dont use any. And don’t feel the need.
If I have dry skin on my lips, I just let them to become wet/moisturised with a lip balm (the Baume de Rose), or just during a bath/shower time, and then, I simply scrub with a wet towel to remove them.
It’s just that easy for me to have no dry skin before to apply any lipstick.
When I see those lip scrub electric brushes, they just makes me laugh.
I find them a waste of money. the only one I will buy is the $3 Elf one at target. Aquaphor and a baby toothbrush do the job just as well. Although, I have been wanting to have the Lush one everyone talks about just to have it, lol.
You can make it pretty easily. I’ve made the mint one using regular white sugar, almond oil, and peppermint oil. two tablespoons sugar, ten drops of almond oil, and a few drops peppermint oil depending on how minty you like it. Personally I use five, but I love peppermint to the point of nearly unhealthy. I use it to keep migraines away.
Thanks tied the recipe Leigh!
I like sugar scrubs. I don’t get dry lips very often, so I just exfoliate as needed. Sugar scrubs are gentle. I use the e.l.f. Lip Exfoliator, de-potted and mashed into a pot container. I don’t see the point in paying more. Some are really expensive, and its not justified by the ingredients, IMO.
They just seem overpriced for what you get!
Am I the only one who hated the E.L.F. lip exfoliator? It hurt and felt like I was scratching my lip off! When it made my lip bleed, that’s when it got thrown in the garbage.
I usually just scrub my lips with a toothbrush, but I have considered making my own to see if I can get a little more flake off. No way in heck I’m buying one though, so not worth the money! I have makeup to buy!!!
I’m definitely the same. I love them (and have a little pot of Lush’s Mint Julips on my bathroom counter), but they are crazy expensive for what they are. When I was healthier, I would just mix my own up but nowadays I can’t do that so I bought one.
Though if anyone is interested, my recipe for a homemade one is:
• 1 tsp of coconut oil (you can use other types of oil like olive, avocado, etc or even plain old Canola instead but I like how after it solidifies it holds it together)
• 1 tsp of honey
• 1 and 1/2 – 2 tbsp of granulated sugar
• a dash of lemon juice (you might want to leave this one out if you have super dry lips that are prone to cuts as it could sting)
• a drop of mint extract (I like the smell and how it makes my lips tingle just a bit)
Mix it all together and store in an airtight container. If it starts to look or smell off just make some more.
I’ve tried the Victoria secret and bite beauty lip scrub in a jar and they both don’t work.
I have the LUSH lip scrub and it works ok. I’ll usually use my electric toothbrush and go to town. However, I recently read in a magazine that some actress, who couldn’t wear make up on her program, would scrub her lips with a spooly. It works better than anything i have tried yet!
I prefer store-bought lips runs to DIY ones just because I never get the oil/lip balm to sugar right on my own (which makes any home creations messy and somewhat awkward to use!), but lip scrubs are a product I can’t justify spending more than $10 on. More often than not, I stick to ELF’s lip scrub since it’s so cheap but occasionally I’ll splurge on one from LUSH.
I would never buy them for myself but for buying it as a gift for someone else or receiving a lip scrub is alright. They are so easy to make and cheap as chips thus, I think they are a rip off. I will admit I like the ones from LUSH 🙂
I’m not a fan, when my lips go dry and flakey I use the a towel afther hvaing wet my lips, or I use a super soft toothbrush.
I’ve never mad my own, using sugar, but I’ll try it.
I think the lip scrubs I’ve tried have been too scratchy, so they almost hurt the lips.