Dry skin plagues many people, especially during dry winter months. This DIY brightening hand scrub exfoliates and nourishes skin so it can retain moisture.
I don’t know about you, but this time of year my skin is so incredibly dry! We live in the mountains, so the humidity levels really drop in the winter and my skin is never pleased with that!
After living in the mountains for 8+ years now, I’ve learned how I need to treat my skin to keep it happy. It took lots of trial and error, and I’m constantly adjusting my routine. However, I find that exfoliation is one of the most critical skincare steps for dry skin.
If I don’t exfoliate the dead skin away, my healthy skin has a harder time absorbing and retaining the moisture that I give it. When I do exfoliate regularly and combine that with moisturizing with a good body butter or rich cream, my skin is much more pleased with me.
Now that I’m 40, my hands are really in need of some extra TLC. I’ve spent a lot of time out in the sun, and you can tell. So I’m working more brightening ingredients into my regimen.
Today’s DIY Beauty recipe is for a brightening hand scrub (buy a pre-made brown sugar scrub if you’d prefer). The green tea leaves and lemon essential oil are great brightening additions to the exfoliating power of brown sugar and nourishing power of olive oil and raw honey.
I like to use brown sugar in my hand scrubs because I feel like it does a better job of scrubbing away rougher skin. You can use white sugar if you prefer, and also a different oil if you don’t want to use coconut oil. Scrubs are very forgiving and super easy for beginners.
I’ve also added Frankincense and Helichrysum oil to the mix because they’re both wonderful at helping skin to heal. You can definitely swap for your favorite essential oil scents, but for brightening, nourishing and healing, these are the oils you want to choose.
You can whip up a batch and keep it in a small mason jar for yourself or to give as a gift. Who doesn’t love an excuse to pamper themselves?
DIY Brightening Hand Scrub
Supplies
- 1 tablespoon green tea leaves ground
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons raw honey local is best if you can find it
- 5 drops Frankincense essential oil
- 5 drops lemon essential oil
- 5 drops Helichrysum essential oil
- 1 Mason jar
Tools
- Mortar and pestle
Instructions
- Start by grinding your green tea leaves (I use a mortar and pestle). I like to make them smaller so it disperses throughout the hand scrub.
- Once the green tea leaves are ground, add all of the ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir until everything is well combined.
- Allow the mixture to sit for at least an hour before you use it so that the green tea leaves can infuse into the other ingredients.
- Store your brightening hand scrub in an air-tight jar in a cool, dark place. Make sure no water gets into the jar or mold can grow.
