How to Make a Homemade Hand Scrub

Credit: Terry Guscott

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.