Homemade Hand Scrub

For those of you who don't know, I work at an animal hospital. I wash my hands like 40 times a day. By the end of my work week, my hands are like sandpaper. I really like all the hand scrubs that are out on the market, but hate spending $30-$40 dollars. So I went on a search for household products that would do the trick, and were inexpensive. There are a lot of scrubs out there. I have seen Sugar, Brown sugar, salt, or sea salt. They all contain different smells and flavors. Here is my at home version which was very easy to make.

-Sugar   1/2 cup
-Brown Sugar  1/2 cup
-Honey  1 Tablespoon (room temp)
-Lemon Juice  5-7 drops
-Aloe plant (I had it on hand, not needed if you don't have it)
I used Orange extract for smell, but you can use almond, cinnamon, or peppermint too!) I used about 1 teaspoon.
Vitamin E oil (if you plan on storing it.)
So, first I added my 2 sugars and "forked" them until the brown sugar was completely mixed.

Next I added my honey. You can warm the honey for about 10 seconds in the microwave if you would like your hand scrub to be warm when used. Not more than 10 seconds though, as it can become very hot!

Next, if you have aloe, go ahead and cut a piece off, and squeeze a bit of the cream into bowl. If you have a hard time, you can cut it down the middle and open the plant itself.

Next, add your scent of choice. I added the orange this time.

This is the final product.

I placed some in a little tin for storage.

You can hand these out to friends or for the holidays. I am going to hand mine out in little holiday tins. There are things that you can add to your scrub to make it last longer, since some of the ingredients need to be refrigerated. If you are not planning on using it right away, you can add some Vitamin E oil to your small batch. This will keep bacteria out. Make sure you store your scrub in an airtight plastic container, in the fridge. If you are planning on using it in the shower, keep it in a place where water will not fall ito it (high shelf, or only bring the amount you will need) since water can promote bacteria growth. Have fun making your own little concoctions!!

Enjoy!