Simple, Smoothing, & Moisturizing Hand and Foot Scrub
Though I use gentle soaps and moisturize my skin regularly, every now and then my hands and feet need some extra TLC.
They start to get a little rough, and sometimes the tops of my hands will even have tiny flakes of skin. No good!
Recently I just couldn’t take anymore rough skin on the backs of my hands and decided to do something about it with a homemade scrub.
Thankfully, homemade scrubs are so simple to make, and usually only require simple ingredients that you already own. I quickly mixed this scrub up for a single application in a matter of seconds, and after gently massaging it in for a few minutes, my skin felt so much better!
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While you can definitely make up a big batch of this scrub, I opted to just make enough for a single application for both my hands and feet. Since it comes together so quickly, I can just mix it up anytime my skin is rough and have it made in about 30 seconds.
This scrub would also work really well on rough knees and elbows, but it would be too rough for more delicate skin like the face and neck.
You can use either salt or sugar for the scrubbing agent. I like fine sea salt (Real Salt is what I always use) since it won’t dissolve and is a really fine exfoliating agent. If you make up a bulk batch of this, salt will be the best choice since sugar will start to dissolve.
Lavender and Roman chamomile essential oils are excellent additions since they are both soothing, and chamomile is great at helping to moisturize the skin. However, they can be swapped out for other favorite oils (be sure to use those that are non-irritating) or left out completely.
Simple, Smoothing, & Moisturizing Hand and Foot Scrub
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt or sugar (I used Real Salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet almond oil, or olive oil, coconut oil, or other favorite carrier oil (Mountain Rose Herbs offers a great selection of quality carrier oils)
- 1/4 teaspoon honey
- 1 drop each lavender and roman chamomile essential oil, or 1-2 drops of another favorite essential oil (I usually use oils from either Florihana, sold through Tropical Traditions, or Mountain Rose Herbs)
You can make up a bulk batch of this by putting your multiplication skills to use and using the recipe as a starting place.
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients with a small spoon. Silicone covered baby spoons like these work great for jobs like this!
- Gently massage the scrub onto damp hands and feet for a few minutes over the sink or the tub.
- Rinse the scrub off and pat dry, then enjoy your soft, smooth skin!
Do be careful with your step if you use this scrub in the shower. The oil can make the bottom of the tub/shower very slippery. Soft hands and feet won’t matter much if you fall and get hurt!
That’s really it! It couldn’t be much easier, and the improvement is really immediate.
What do you like to use on rough hands and feet?
Dear Kristen,
Could one create a bigger amount of the scrub and keep it e.g. in a bottle? I am thinking about giving this as a present to a good friend of mine.
Thank you and best regards from Germany,
Maike
Hello Maike! Yes, you can absolutely make this in larger quantities. Since there’s no water added, it should be quite shelf-stable. I also have a lavender scrub here you might like to see, just to compare ingredients. Enjoy!
Switching to all-natural soap really helped with my dry winter skin (so did rubbing them down with coconut oil before I went to bed!), but now that gardening season is here, this looks like a perfect way to pamper my hands after a morning in the garden. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Anna! The gentler soaps do wonders, that’s for sure.
Hello Kristen, I know we’re moving out of dry skin season, but I thought I would mention how much taking Carlson’s Cod Liver oil completely moisturizes and softens skin, all year round.
Yes, Dawn, that’s definitely true. Good diet and helpful fatty acid supplements like cod liver oil are great ways to prevent dry skin. Thanks for mentioning!