Kiwi Burst – A DIY Foot Scrub

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diy foot or hand scrub
diy foot or hand scrub
diy foot or hand scrub

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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 

diy foot or hand scrub

Introduction

Iโ€™ve 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 isnโ€™t your thing, you can easily adjust this recipe to make it a watermelon scrub instead. Iโ€™ve 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, letโ€™s take a look at some of the ingredients in a little more depth. 

Whats In This Recipe?

Exfoliants

The exfoliants Iโ€™ve 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 canโ€™t 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). 

Salts and baking soda for a diy foot scrub

Cleansers

For cleansing power, weโ€™re 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. Itโ€™s 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: Thereโ€™s 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 Iโ€™ve found kaolin clay works great. Bentonite clay is also a good option. While the color of the clay doesnโ€™t really matter for your skin, it does help to have a white backdrop for our green mica. 

Carrier oils

Iโ€™ve selected kiwi oil for this recipe, to help sell that kiwi theme a bit better. It doesnโ€™t smell like kiwi, but is packed full of goodness our skin craves. 

Kiwi oil has been found to improve the skinโ€™s 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).

mix together the kiwi oil, vitamin e

Antioxidant

Because we have liquid carrier oils in this recipe, itโ€™s best to include some kind of antioxidant to help slow down oxidation. We really donโ€™t 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 doesnโ€™t 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 itโ€™s very strong and potentially sensitizing for the skin. While this one does have a strong smell, because we use very small amounts itโ€™s unlikely you will smell it over the kiwi fragrance oil. However, stick with the vitamin E if youโ€™re 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, youโ€™ll want to opt for a Kiwi fragrance oil.

Fragrance oils arenโ€™t technically natural, but sometimes theyโ€™re 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 youโ€™re going for. Itโ€™s likely youโ€™ll 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, weโ€™ve combined green mica with poppy seeds to help make this product look more like its inspiration โ€“ a kiwi fruit! 

These ingredients donโ€™t have any skin benefits, so you can happily omit these without any changes to the quality of your skin. However, it wonโ€™t 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!

adding your poppy seeds for a salt scrub

Do We Need A Preservative? 

This is a tricky question, because technically no you donโ€™t need one. Why? Because there is no water in this product at all, and so microbes canโ€™t grow. 

However, because scrubs are designed to be used in the bathroom and during your daily shower, itโ€™s 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. Itโ€™s 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 youโ€™re not bothered about the natural status of your ingredients, there are several other preservatives available.ย 

diy foot or hand scrub

Kiwi Burst Hand and Foot Scrub

Discover how to make a delightful kiwi-scented foot and hand scrub at home. Pamper yourself with this easy DIY beauty recipe.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 200 g
Author: Angela Wills

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Equipment

Ingredients

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
    Salts for s diy foot scrub
  • 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
    mix together the kiwi oil, vitamin e
  • 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.
    combine our wet and dry ingredients together
  • 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
    Sprinkle in your mica and give it another good mix.
  • 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
    adding your poppy seeds for a salt scrub
  • 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
    Spoon diy foot scrub into a suitable container
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How To Use This Homemade Foot Scrub

Using this DIY foot scrub couldnโ€™t be easier. I like to use it just before I get in the shower, or while Iโ€™m in the bath tub.This is because it just helps if the area of skin youโ€™re 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 youโ€™ve 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 youโ€™ll 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, itโ€™s one of four lovely salt scrubs.

Strawberry Jam Body Scrub

This salt scrub is definitely red and wild. And because strawberry is my favorite fruit, I had to see if I could get a scrub to be just as cute. Iโ€™m just so excited to share it with you.

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Angela Wills

Angela is the founder and driving force behind Savvy Homemade. With over fifteen years experience in DIY home crafts, and a Diploma in skincare formulation, Angela brings a wealth of knowledge and dedication to every post she writes. She is fearlessly dedicated to creating tried, tested recipes & products that will work for everyone, and she infuses each DIY product with her passion and expertise.

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