We’re pals, right? We tell each other secrets without shame or judgment. Right? Well, I’m about to share a big secret with you: I have dry skin. Like so dry that alligators feel sorry for me. 😀 Okay, that may not be a deep, dark secret but it drives me nuts because dry skin is kind of gross. Or a lot gross.
It also seems the older I get, the more noticeable or annoying my dry skin becomes. Perhaps because I associate supple, soft skin with youth. Dry, rough skin makes me feel like an old coot. And I may be an old coot, but I don’t want to actually look like one!
Turning 40 wasn’t the bug-a-boo I expected it to be but my age has started to show. Fine lines around my eyes. Uneven skin tone. Sandpaper skin. This makes me extremely unhappy and I am on a quest to turn back the clock, starting with my hands. Hands betray our age rather quickly and mine don’t look spectacular, if I’m being honest.
If I Could Turn Back Time
There are many commercial scrubs and lotions readily available, although some have questionable ingredients or are horribly overpriced for the results you get. Because I am both cheap and want results, I always start with DIY. This is a very simple scrub that I love. It leaves my hands (and body) feeling as smooth and soft as a baby’s butt.
To be fair, I don’t actually remember how soft a baby’s butt is. It’s been 20 years since I’ve changed a diaper.
And I didn’t do it very well. 😀 But I make a heckuva hand scrub.
Coconut Oil Salt Scrub with Lavender
Full of real ingredients that do a body good.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 cup fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions
- In a small bowl, mix together the coconut oil and honey. Set aside.
- In a different small bowl, stir together the sea salt, lavender and lemon juice until its texture becomes pebble-like.
- Combine salt mixture and honey mixture together and stir until smooth.
- Store in a small glass storage container. It will last 2-3 weeks at room temperature or up to 2 months stored in the refrigerator.
How To Use
- Gently massage a marble-sized amount of salt scrub into your clean hands for 30-60 seconds.
- Rinse with warm water and pat dry. The coconut oil should leave your hands soft and supple so you won’t need hand lotion.
- Repeat 1-2 times per week. Note: this scrub is not just for hands and can be used as a body scrub. However, avoid using it on your face. If you want a face scrub, replace the fine sea salt with sugar.
Special Notes
- If you are unsure how your skin will react to the scrub, test first. Salt is generally used for body scrubs while sugar is used for face scrubs. If your skin overall is sensitive, you may want to use sugar instead of salt.
- Lavender essential oil improves skin complexion and slows aging. It is also used to treats skin disorders, such as acne, psoriasis, eczema. If you don’t have lavender essential oil and prefer not spending money on it, go ahead and eliminate it. It will still be a good salt scrub without it.
- I add lemon because it does an excellent job of reducing age spots and brightening skin. You can eliminate it if those are not skincare concerns you have at the moment.
Soft, Youthful Hands Means a Happy Tanya
And at the end of the day, that’s what we all want, right? Me to be content and not ranting with a twitching eye. 😀 Seriously, though, this stuff is awesome. I love how my skin feels after I use it and that it is made with ingredients I understand. Most of all, I love my soft skin.
Do you suffer from dry skin? How do you combat it?
Tanya
dry skin has plagued my life since i was born! how I combat:
-lots of water
-clean, healthy diet. this actually made the biggest difference in my skin..when i stopped eating all that shit food, my skin did a 180; including grain free!
-plenty of exercise; that gets the blood flowing and blood flowing = oxygen and nutrients that bring nourishment to the skin.
-all natural skin products (serums, oil, moisturizer)
-very little makeup.
I need to really step up to the plate (ha!) and start eating clean. It would such a difference to my overall health, just not my skin. I don’t wear much make-up and skin products are good, but it’s really the exercise and eating right that I need to focus on. It’s time to put on my big girl pants!
Winter kills my skin… & then the summer burns it being outside so much. My hands are looking like a 90 year old’s at this point. This is a perfect thing to try out!
I hope you give it a try, Rebecca Jo! It makes my skin feel soft and hoping continued use will help with the age spots. Dry skin is tough enough but those age spots are really driving me nuts!
haha i think i’ve changed 1 or 2 diapers in my life and i didn’t touch their butts because they were boys and i didn’t want to get pee in my face. LOL.
my skin is getting more dry as i get older. yay! not.
LOL! The last diaper I changed was for my nephew, Andy who is turning 20 this year. 😀 I hoped when I moved to California that winter wouldn’t dry out my skin as much but it hasn’t made much of a difference. But that might be the age thing coming into play!
UGH. My skin is so dry, too. I feel like the only thing that makes it happy is coconut!
Coconut oil is amazing stuff. I love it!
We suffer from dry skin in our house too, especially my daughter and I. Unfortunately, I’ve never been a fan of scrubs…probably a texture thing! LOL! We love Aquaphor and my daughter will slather some on her hands and then put a pair of socks over them before bed!
Too funny because I love the texture of scrubs! I can imagine all that gross dead skin getting rubbed off (such a pretty picture I pain!) But I can see how it would bother some too because certain textures bother me too. I’m not sure if I’ve ever used Aquaphor and will have to give it a try.
My face is the thing that gets super dry, ugh… And it has totally gotten worse as I get older.
My face gets super dry too. It feels so tight. But my back is probably the worst and hardest to reach and take care of. Boo! Sometimes getting older sucks. 😀
I think this winter has been the worst on my skin. I’ve developed eczema on my face and it’s been so frustrating.
Your recipe makes is a sinch; I’m going to pin this so I can later make it.
Thanks Tanya. 🙂
You’re welcome, Lindsay! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it! I noticed a real increase in redness in my face too and it is so frustrating. It is such a simple recipe with lots of really potent ingredients that I understand, which I love.