Imagine waking each morning, turning on the shower, and transporting yourself to an exotic destination โ all by using this gorgeous smelling DIY foot scrub.
Not only does it look like the real deal, but it also smells amazing too, igniting your senses with the vibrant smell of exotic kiwi fruit.ย
We spend so much time making our faces look perfect that other parts are usually forgotten. So, while on my mission to make the best salt scrubs I also wanted to formulate a specific homemade foot scrub that can also be used on your hands. Say goodbye to dry, dead skin!ย
Introduction
Iโve chosen some top-quality exfoliants for this recipe (all safe for the skin on your hands and feet), as well as some deeply nourishing carrier oils to offer a truly revitalizing experience for your skin. A mixture of Epsom and sea salts, combined with a gorgeous kiwi fragrance oil really sells this foot scrub as an homage to my favorite fruit โ kiwi!
But if kiwi isnโt your thing, you can easily adjust this recipe to make it a watermelon scrub instead. Iโve found that as a skincare formulator, your own creativity is such a wonderful tool for creating new and unique recipes that are not only high-performance, but also a luxurious experience too!
So, letโs take a look at some of the ingredients in a little more depth.
Whats In This Recipe?
Exfoliants
The exfoliants Iโve selected for this DIY foot scrub are Epsom salts and fine sea salt. Together, these are a powerhouse system for exfoliating, but also for keeping your skin soft, smooth, and cleaner for longer.
While these salts will not fight off active fungal infections (and you should see a medical professional if you have one), they help create an environment where microbes canโt grow as easily.
When we have a build-up of dead skin, it creates lots of little pockets where bacteria and fungi can get trapped. This can then lead to nasty infections that are both painful and unsightly!
By regularly cleansing the skin and following up with a good exfoliator, we can help keep the area dry and free of dead skin.
Your toes will sparkle!
If you need to substitute the Epsom salts, you can either use all sea salt or replace it with pink Himalayan salt. However, be aware that the pink salts could impact the overall green appearance of this product โ so perhaps go for a different fruit (such as watermelon or strawberry).
Cleansers
For cleansing power, weโre making use of baking soda and white clay. While baking soda does also have some mild exfoliating action, its presence here is mostly to help unclog pores and act as a deodorant. After all, the feet are not always the most pleasant-smelling body parts!
Clay has been used by people for thousands of years as a skin treatment. Itโs highly detoxifying, able to draw out impurities from the skin. But it also helps reduce inflammation, helps to firm up the skin, and is suitable for just about any skin type!
Together, these cleansing ingredients will help keep the feet and hands looking and smelling beautiful for longer.
Tip: Thereโs not a great substitute for baking soda, but finely ground oats or rice flour can work โ both of which are great for sensitive skin.
You can use any skin-safe white clay you want, and Iโve found kaolin clay works great. Bentonite clay is also a good option. While the color of the clay doesnโt really matter for your skin, it does help to have a white backdrop for our green mica.
Carrier oils
Iโve selected kiwi oil for this recipe, to help sell that kiwi theme a bit better. It doesnโt smell like kiwi, but is packed full of goodness our skin craves.
Kiwi oil has been found to improve the skinโs ability to hold onto moisture, helping to make skin more soft and supple. It also helps with skin elasticity, reduces inflammation, and helps wounds heal more quickly.
Now, if you wanted to swap out this for a different oil, you absolutely could. Go for whatever oil you like best and is beneficial for your skin type. However, you could easily swap it for watermelon seed oil, as I have in my variation (more on this soon).
Antioxidant
Because we have liquid carrier oils in this recipe, itโs best to include some kind of antioxidant to help slow down oxidation. We really donโt want this to happen, because oxidized ingredients can smell bad, cause inflammation and some are even carcinogenic.
By adding 1% to our formulation, the antioxidants will slow this process down. It doesnโt stop it completely but will give you time to use it all up.
Other options for your antioxidant include rosemary co2 extract at 0.05%. We use a lot less of this one, as itโs very strong and potentially sensitizing for the skin. While this one does have a strong smell, because we use very small amounts itโs unlikely you will smell it over the kiwi fragrance oil. However, stick with the vitamin E if youโre worried about this impacting the aroma of your scrub.
Fragrances
So you can use whatever you like here, including essential oil. But if you want to sell the kiwi theme, youโll want to opt for a Kiwi fragrance oil.
Fragrance oils arenโt technically natural, but sometimes theyโre our only option for certain aromas. Kiwi is an example of this, as there is no way to extract an essential oil from kiwi fruit.
If you want to make this foot scrub look like a different fruit, as I have with my watermelon option, you will want to find a fragrance oil that smells like whatever fruit youโre going for. Itโs likely youโll find one, as FOs come in hundreds of different varieties.
However, if you prefer natural, swap it out for an essential oil, absolute or co2 extract of your choice. Peppermint is a great option.
Aesthetic Flourishes
Aesthetic flourishes can help sell the theme of a product. Here, weโve combined green mica with poppy seeds to help make this product look more like its inspiration โ a kiwi fruit!
These ingredients donโt have any skin benefits, so you can happily omit these without any changes to the quality of your skin. However, it wonโt look as fun and free.
My variation of this recipe swaps out the green mica for red but keeps the poppy seeds in order to mimic watermelon seeds. You could easily swap out the poppy seeds for strawberry seeds, and use a strawberry fragrance oil instead!
Do We Need A Preservative?
This is a tricky question, because technically no you donโt need one. Why? Because there is no water in this product at all, and so microbes canโt grow.
However, because scrubs are designed to be used in the bathroom and during your daily shower, itโs easy for these to become contaminated with water. It only takes a little water on your fingers to totally ruin a product like this.
Therefore, I always pop an oil-soluble, broad-spectrum preservative in my scrubs. Itโs better to be safe than sorry, as contaminated products can wreak havoc on our skin.
Your best option for a natural preservative system here is Geogard ECT known as Preservative Eco in the UK (Inci: benzyl alcohol, salicylic acid, glycerin, sorbic acid). It is accepted in natural skin care and is soluble in both water and oil (up to a certain point).
If youโre not bothered about the natural status of your ingredients, there are several other preservatives available.ย
Kiwi Burst Hand and Foot Scrub
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Equipment
- Mixing Bowl (Glass, Aluminium or PET)
- Spoon or Spatula
Ingredients
- 70 g Fine Sea Salt
- 40 g Epsom Salts
- 52 g Baking Soda
- 10 g Kaolin Clay (or Bentonite)
- 16 g Kiwi Carrier Oil
- 2 g Vitamin E Oil
- 4 g Kiwi Fragrance Oil (or something similar)
- 2 g Preservative
- 4 g Poppy Seeds
- Pinch Green Mica
- Cosmetic Jar 8oz (200g)
Video
Instructions
- Mix the Salts, baking soda and clay together, breaking up any lumps or clumps. Then give them a good stir so that it's well combined.70 g Fine Sea Salt, 40 g Epsom Salts, 52 g Baking Soda, 10 g Kaolin Clay
- In a separate container mix together the kiwi oil, vitamin e, fragrance oil and preservative.16 g Kiwi Carrier Oil, 2 g Vitamin E Oil, 4 g Kiwi Fragrance Oil, 2 g Preservative
- Now we can combine our wet and dry ingredients together. Pour the oils into the bowl containing the salt mix, then stir well until completely combined.
- Sprinkle in your mica and give it another good mix. The amount I've suggested is just a guide, so you can add a little more or a little less depending on the color you want to achieve.Pinch Green Mica
- Now it's time to add your poppy seeds, again this is just a guide so you add more or less it's completely up to you.4 g Poppy Seeds
- Spoon into a suitable container, PET, glass, or aluminium jars are perfect for this. Store in a cool dark place ready for use.Cosmetic Jar 8oz
How To Use This Homemade Foot Scrub
Using this DIY foot scrub couldnโt be easier. I like to use it just before I get in the shower, or while Iโm in the bath tub.This is because it just helps if the area of skin youโre exfoliating is already wet.
Just scoop out a generous amount with your fingers or spoon, and then massage onto the skin of your feet and hands using circular motions. You want to focus on the areas with the largest build up of dead skin, but try not to push too hard.
Once youโve exfoliated the skin, you can rinse it off with warm water and then pat the skin dry. You might have excess oil on the skin, but this should be minimal and will sink in quickly.
If you have tattoos on your hands or feet, I would recommend using these scrubs with the utmost care. Tattoos in these areas are more prone to fading anyway, and so youโll want to go easy if this area has artwork.
I recommend using this once or twice a week. It really depends on how much dry, dead skin you find accumulates on your hand and feet. Always pair with a good quality moisturizer.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe, itโs one of four lovely salt scrubs.