If you’re looking for a good DIY hand scrub recipe, then you might be looking for soft hands, right? Me too! I’ve often heard that nothing gives away your age more than your hands.
Expensive hand creams aren’t the answer. They can be loaded with chemical fillers and they always ignore a vital step in getting soft hands: exfoliation. Instead, fight dry, cracked winter hands with a food-based hand exfoliator formulated especially for your hands!
How to Make Homemade Hand Scrub
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp raw honey
- 1/4 cup sea salt
- 1/4 cup organic sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
- Stir together the honey and coconut oil in a medium bowl.
- In another small bowl, blend the salt, sugar and lemon juice until it becomes crumbly.
- Pour the salt mixture over the honey mixture and stir until smooth.
- Store in a small glass storage container.
How to use your homemade hand scrub:
- Gently massage a marble-sized amount of homemade hand scrub into your hands for 30-60 seconds. (Don’t forget to exfoliate between your fingers!)
- Rinse with warm water and pat dry. The coconut oil provides enough moisture so you probably won’t need to follow up with anything else. If your hands are extra dry, you might want to apply some homemade whipped coconut oil.
- Repeat 1-2 times per week.
Why These DIY Hand Scrub Ingredients?
- Coconut oil: provides quality moisture and antibacterial/antiviral/antifungal properties. Helps soften skin so it’s ready for exfoliation. (Get high quality coconut oil online here.)
- Honey: heals and softens the skin. It’s mother nature’s best kept beauty secret!
- Salt and sugar: both are excellent for exfoliating and can also be healing for the skin.
- Lemon juice: brightens, softens, and helps remove odors from your hands (like onion!).
Hello Hand Exfoliator – Good-Bye Dry, Cracked Winter Hands!
I always wondered how to get soft hands (especially in the dry winter months), and it turns out I was missing the important step of exfoliation. Since I started using this hand scrub, my hands look and feel fantastic! They also absorb moisturizer so much better now, I hardly need to use any at all. A good hand exfoliator is the key after all!
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- What’s the deal between Refined & Unrefined Coconut Oil: livingthenourishedlife.com/refined-vs-unrefined-coconut-oil-3/
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Elizabeth is the founder of The Nourished Life and has been writing about natural living for 12 years. Her work has been featured at Shape, Bustle, and Mother Earth Living. Her mission is to help you lower your stress levels and find fun ways to become happier and healthier. Read more about Elizabeth here.
Just made this! It is wonderful. I did not have any lemons, so I used fresh grapefruit juice instead.
Glad you liked it! Grapefruit juice is a good idea for a substitute. I bet lime juice would be another great alternative.
Cool I love too make my hand soft nice
Did you make this with course salt granules?
No, I used fine. I’m worried that coarse would be a little too rough.
It probably is a little rough. I used it thinking it would exfoliate better. Love this recipe and the information about why we use the ingredients.
Does this need to kept in the fridge? Just made it and my hands feel softer already.
I’m not totally sure, but my gut says probably not. All the ingredients are pretty shelf stable. I’d also guess it might become pretty hard if you refrigerate it.
If you want to be on the super safe side, you might not want to make more than you’d use in a 3-month period.
OMG! I am 12 and I love making things like ths! I went in the kitchen right away and made a mess until I had it. We used organic coconut sugar instead off regular, and it smells and feels amazing! Thank you! My mom and I just did it and are making some for our family for Christmas! I am obsessing over my soft hands! Thanks!
Awesome, Haley, glad you enjoyed this recipe! 😀
do you think this would be alright to use on my feet
they get really dry but not cracked
Definitely! It’s also good for elbows and knees, or anywhere else that you might get dry skin patches.
Would this also work for a full body scrub?
Absolutely! I used it that way before and my skin was super soft afterward.
Just made up several batches of this to give my kids’ teachers as end-of-the-year gifts! I put some in small glass jars with a swatch of cute fabric on the tops. Perfect!
That’s a great idea, Kristi!
My hands feel so soft after using this scrub! And they smell wonderful too. Thanks for sharing this great recipe and for promoting natural homemade cosmetics. I am going to share this with as many people as I can.
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
How long does this last? Does it expire?
I’m not sure–I always use it up long before it would be in danger of expiring. A good rule of thumb would be to refrigerate it if you want to keep it for more than a couple of weeks.
Wonderful piece. Can I use table salt in place of sea salt?
Yes, you can (I prefer sea salt, but table salt will technically work for exfoliation).
I am loving your DIY everything and it’s saving me so much money. Thank you. Also, wondering if I can add use an Essential oil. Or would the scent just disappear in this mix. But if I can, which one would you suggest??
You would definitely be able to get the benefits from essential oils in this recipe. I’d recommend lemon and lavender. Lemon is cleansing and lavender is soothing, so it’s a good combo for a hand scrub.
Thank you for this!! Making up a big batch for the holidays to give to family and friends!!
Awesome! Hope you all enjoy it! 😀
What would the measurements be for a 8oz jar
I’m not sure, I haven’t done the math on that yet.
Just made the hand scrub, wow it is fantastic. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! 😀
I LOVE this!! 🙂 I’m going to use essential oils instead of the fresh lemon juice, just because I’ve got a large stash of oils and no fresh lemons. But I do have everything else. I’m adding this recipe to my “Homemade Spa” Christmas collection that co-workers are getting this year!
Awesome! Glad you like it! 😀
I was reading a site on how to make soap with coconut oil, and it said that coconut oil is only to be used up to 1/3 of the amount b/c it will DRY your skin!?? How can that be, if we are all using it to soften our skin?
Also, I whipped this up with my mixer, but melted cocoa butter and mixed with coconut oil. Had to refrigerate for ten minutes to start cooling; mixed again then cooled; It finally whipped up great once it started cooling. Only problem is, it’s hardened in the jar. Doesn’t stay soft. I still love it, though!
Oops, this comment is in regard to the whipped body butter, not hand scrub. But I want to try this too!
Love this!!!
Could this also be used as a face scrub?
Yes, but the salt might be a little rough on the face–you can use all sugar instead if you want something a little more gentle.
wow, I’ll try it
I live in very warm place, coconut oil is always liquid here
It will melt or just keep like a cream/butter?
Liquid coconut oil will still work with this recipe. It won’t be quite as creamy but it will work just fine. 🙂
I’ve made it. my skin was very smooth after used it. I don’t know whats wrong with mine, the sugar granules feels too rough for me.
How did you blend them? I mean the sugar, salt, and lemon juice…
The salt can be a little rough, so maybe you can omit that and use only sugar instead?
I have been trying this for a week now and it has become my new favorite hand scrub! My hands have never felt this soft before. This has been a great find 🙂
Awesome! Glad you like it, Alison.
How much does this hand scrub make? 2 oz? 4 oz? 8 oz? Because I plan to make 8oz jars for my cousin’s birthday tomorrow afternoon and it would be appreciated for a speedy response.Thanks for sharing this easy recipe!
I’d estimate it makes about 6 fl oz, but I admit I’ve never measured the end product before.
I just made a similar recipe off another blog to test as a Christmas gift, but all of the ingredients separated in the jar after only a couple of hours. Does your recipe separate also?
This happened to me, too! I may stir again and put one in fridge for awhile. Fon’t know what else to do!
I think that may happen if you have too much moisture in the end product (like water or if you live in a humid environment). I’ve also had this happen with some of my test sugar scrubs.