This winter is being particularly rough on my hands. They’re cracking and severely dry, no matter how much hand cream I slather on.
Long before I delved into the food allergy world, I made my own sea salt hand scrub. With my hands so dry and icky lately, I remembered this scrub and raced to my bathroom for a little spa treatment. Imagine my surprise when I realized I was completely out!
Taking care of the kids preoccupied my time so much I haven’t replenished my jar since it ran out over a year ago! Ack!
Well, I had to rectify that immediately, and I am so glad I did! After just one scrub down, my hands felt almost completely normal again.
I bet in another couple of days my hands will be completely healed. This stuff is awesome!
Surely I’m not the only person suffering with dry, icky hands this winter, right?
It’s very simple to do.
Start with sea salt. For this, I actually prefer the pure white, slightly processed sea salt. It isn’t quite as abrasive on your hands. Hain’s makes a nice version for this.
Dump the sea salt into a bowl and add your oil. I’ve used almond oil in the past, but this time I used Jojoba oil. Pretty much any liquid oil will work, though; it’s just a matter of personal preference.
Using a spoon, mix the salt and oil together.
That’s it!
One little note: I’ve noticed over the years that the amount of oil necessary varies depending on which carrier oil I use. For that reason, I recommend starting with 3 T. of oil and adding more as necessary. You may find you need to add more salt, too, depending on the oil choice. In the end, you want the texture to resemble damp sand.
If you want it to smell nice, you can add some essential oils when you add the carrier oil, but that isn’t necessary.
If you want it to smell nice but can’t use essential oils, you can infuse the salt with scent the old-fashioned way. Just put some vanilla beans, orange peels, or herbs in a jar and fill with sea salt. After a few weeks, the salt will take on some of the scent and you can use that in your hand scrub.
I have a jar with a cork lid that I’ve used for my scrubs for years. My Mom taught me to make this when I was still a teenager, and she always stuck a seashell in the scrub to use as a dipping device.
Turns out, a small seashell scoops up just the right amount of scrub for a single use!
Plus, it just makes it seem fancier and more spa-like.
In fact, jars of this salt scrub make lovely gifts for almost any occasion. Wrap a pretty bow around the jar and give someone a “spa in a jar”!
Right now is an ideal time to try this, in my opinion. Valentine’s Day is this weekend and nobody wants dry, cracking hands on a romantic evening!
Give it a shot; your hands will thank you for it!
- 1 c. sea salt
- 3-5 T. carrier oil (jojoba or almond work well for this)
- 10-15 drops of essential oil (optional, personal preference)
- Pour the salt in a bowl.
- Add 3 T. of carrier oil and essential oils and mix together.
- Add more carrier oil (or salt) until the texture resembles damp sand.
- Scoop into a jar and add a seashell.
- Enjoy your pampering!
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