Scientists and chemists don’t just sit in the lab mixing chemicals that look like powders or clear liquids! Some chemists work with real ingredients like sugar to make household items like this sugar scrub. You can be a chemist and make your own!
Materials:
1 cup sugar (white or brown sugar), 3 tbsp olive oil, optional essential oils or citrus zest, spoon, bowl, jar for storage
Time Estimated:
10 minutes
Directions:
Measure out one cup of sugar and place into a bowl
Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Mix with spoon until combined
Optional to add one or two drops of essential oil or citrus zest
Use on your lips to exfoliate or on your body in the shower!
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week in a closed container
Think Like a Scientist:
What state of matter is the sugar in?
What state of matter is the oil in?
What is a mixture?
How It Works:
Remember how matter can be either a liquid, a solid, or a gas? In this experiment you are mixing together a liquid (the oil) and a solid (sugar) to make your scrub, which is classified as a mixture!
This is called a heterogeneous mixture because you can still see some of the oil and some of the sugar separately. Notice how the sugar and the oil don’t look uniform throughout; there are some clumps of sugar and spots of oil visible in the bowl!
When you mix two substances together like Kool-Aid and water, which have very similar properties, that creates a homogeneous mixture, since the mixture looks the same throughout and you can’t see the individual parts.
Now that you’ve had your turn to be a scientist, check out another incredible scientist- Nina! Nina is a research and development manager for a cosmetic company. You can watch her interview on our Youtube channel!
Looking for more fun at home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
Learn more and purchase today!
