Grapefruit and Grapeseed Body Oil Recipe
Last updated on March 12, 2026 by Jessica Healey
Originally published on July 13, 2016
I have a family with sensitive skin. My eldest son is prone to allergic rashes and his skin is very thin and delicate. My daughter, my youngest son, my husband, and I all have eczema. Over the years, I have tried so, so many skin lotions and body washes to help with our problem skin. I’ve been given recommendations by doctors and people have come gone out of their way to give “helpful” suggestions. Nothing worked until I started making my own body butters, lotions, and oils.
I discovered wonderful, natural ingredients for soothing and nourishing our skin like: Virgin coconut oil, vitamin E oil, organic unrefined shea butter, organic unrefined olive oil, organic sustainably-sourced tea tree essential oil, and grapeseed oil.
Today I get to share one of my favorite recipes with you: DIY Grapefruit & Grapeseed Body Oil Recipe!
This is the body oil my daughter and I use every evening and after every shower. It’s a simple oil made from grapefruit peels and grapeseed oil.
I actually discovered this recipe by mistake. When my eldest boy was only 2, he broke out in a rash all over his torso. As a first-time mama, I freaked out. I went into the kitchen where we kept our medicine cabinet. We were all out of the Benadryl cream I usually used (I knew nothing about natural ingredients back then), so I grabbed the grapeseed oil out of desperation of having a tired, itchy, cranky toddler on my hands. Within an hour and a half the rash was gone. I was shocked!
Fast forward to having my daughter. As I mentioned above, I tried everything. Then my Mother reminded me of the time I used grapeseed oil to treat my son’s rash. I began to use grapeseed oil on her…regularly. Over time, I tried essential oils and lemon peels to add a slight scent to the oil. But what our skin seemed to respond to was…the grapefruit peel!
Why do grapefruit and grapeseed oil make a great team?
It turns out, grapeseed oil has tons of benefits for skin. Grapeseed oil moisturizes skin, reduces the appearance of scars, wrinkles, and acne. It also tightens skin and boosts brightness. Grapefruit peels are also full of antioxidants. You know what’s great about having all those antioxidants in one place? They help with eczema. Antioxidants stimulate collagen which helps protect skin. It turns out, antioxidants are eczema’s worst nightmare.
Without further ado, here’s the super-easy way to make your new best friend – DIY Grapefruit & Grapeseed Body Oil Recipe.
DIY Grapefruit and Grapeseed Body Oil
Equipment
- 1 Quart Mason Jar
Ingredients
- 1.5 Cup Grapeseed Oil
- 2 Grapefruits Dried Grapefruit Peels
Instructions
- Enjoy some grapefruit. Once you've finished enjoying your grapefruit, lay your peels out to dry. It's best to let peels dry naturally in a dry location to preserve the natural oils in the peel. I use my kitchen window because it gets sunshine all day and is a very dry location. My peels dry out there in just a couple of days.
- Once you have dry peels add them to a cup and a half of grapeseed oil inside a mason jar. Make sure the grapefruit peels are completely covered with oil so there is no risk of molding. (This is where patience becomes a necessary part of this recipe.)
- Wait. This recipe is not ready in one afternoon.
- I usually let the peels sit in the oil for 2 months before I use it. One jar lasts about 2 months for us. As soon as I pull the jar down and fill my pretty apothecary jar you see in the pictures, I refill my mason jar so a new batch is ready when I run out.
You know, a funny thing happened when I began to use all natural, homemade body products on my family…they began to heal! My daughter, in particular, saw the most improvement. She used to itch and scratch all day. We heard a lot of complaining. Now we barely hear anything out of her (unless she has decided to roll around in the grass in spring and summer).
I’ve never tried Grapeseed oil before, I love this recipe. Grapefruit is my favorite for eating, body products and scents. I have to gather all the ingredients but I cannot wait to try this!
Could I use coconut oil instead of grape seed oil?