How to make a homemade hand scrub

by: Sheena Adams | Image: Terry Guscott
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Homemade exfoliator

Create a homemade exfoliating salt scrub for the soil-stained hands of hard working gardeners

Fall and winter gardens equal cold hands ingrained with soil at the end of the day. A natural and relaxing way to scuff off soil is to keep a jar of homemade salt scrub by your clean-up sink. Not only will this release both the surface and deep dirt from your hands and fingernails, its natural moisturizers will help prevent cracking of delicate skin, and you will find the lavender fragrance very relaxing.

Homemade salt scrub ingredients

Wide-mouth, shallow Mason jar
180 mL (3/4 cup) coarse sea salt
60 mL (1/4 cup) sesame or olive oil
30 mL (2 tbsp) dry lavender blossoms
5 mL (1 tsp) baking soda

Salt scrub directions

Add salt to Mason jar
Sprinkle baking soda and lavender and dry blend
Add in oil, mix thoroughly
Once the mixture is blended, store in the fridge for up to six weeks

How to use the salt scrub

Remove jewelry, scoop a palm-sized amount onto your hand and rub the mixture over both hands gently for about 15 seconds to exfoliate the dirt. Rinse using warm water. Follow up with a quick soap rinse and your favourite moisturizer.

As winter arrives, hands can become extra dry. Pick up a pair of moisturizing mitts, available at most drugstores in the nail section, and put them on after your lotion for 10 minutes.

This makes a lovely gift: wrap the jar with raffia and include a sea shell to be used as a scoop. Enjoy!

Horticulturist and Arborist Sheena Adams embraces her passion for gardening organically at her nursery, urban greenery, in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, and at home in her huge veggie garden.

Send your questions and queries.


Comments

The instructions say to add

Comment by Hilary, January 19, 2009 at 09:05

The instructions say to add 1 tsp of baking soda. Let us know how your hand scrub works out! —Hilary Henegar, GardenWise Online editor

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how much baking soda,

Comment by Anonymous, January 18, 2009 at 01:25

how much baking soda, please

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How much baking soda?

Comment by Anonymous, January 17, 2009 at 14:16

How much baking soda?

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In your directions you

Comment by Anonymous, January 16, 2009 at 22:12

In your directions you mention to add baking soda but you do not mention how much to use in your ingredient list can you please clarify thanks amy

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The salt works to detoxify

Comment by Hilary, January 16, 2009 at 16:55

The salt works to detoxify and exfoliate the skin, while the oil moisturizes. A great way to really moisturize and protect hands after washing with this scrub is to apply a dime-sized drop of olive oil, being sure to rub it thoroughly into cuticles and knuckles. —Hilary Henegar, GardenWise Online editor

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doesn't salt have drying

Comment by Anonymous, January 16, 2009 at 15:10

doesn't salt have drying properties, that woud dry the hands?

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