In my pre-children days I rarely had to use hand cream, but I did now and again anyway. Having silky smooth hands just feels so nice, doesn’t it? Every so often I would buy myself a hand scrub too, to give my hands an extra bit of tlc and exfoliate any rough skin that had accumulated.

My favourite one was actually one of the cheapest brands and the ingredients were simple – sugar and oil. Squeezing it out of the tube took quite a lot of strength, but it was worth it for the beautiful feel it gave my hands.

How that I have children, I have a lot less time to think about my hands. Plus I have nappies to change and a lot more housework, meaning a lot of hand-washing. Add to that a hatred of rubber gloves and you’ve got a pair of fairly battered hands on your hands, so to speak.

For a while now I have been trying to improve the state of my hands by keeping hand cream in a dispenser at the side of the kitchen sink, a tube of it by my bed and another tube in the bathroom. That has helped remind me to use the cream more often. But I’ve found that hand cream is not quite enough.

A few weeks ago a brainwave hit me – oil and sugar! Within a couple of minutes I had my own handscrub made, right in my own kitchen.

To make your own you will need

A jar or small bowl

Olive oil or almond oil

Coarse sugar

A few drops of essential oil suitable for use on skin (optional)

Combine 2 dsps oil with 1 dsp of sugar in a bowl or jar. Add a drop of two of the essential oil  of your choice to scent the scrub. Place the container of scrub next to your bathroom sink. It will keep for weeks.

To use the scrub:

Lightly wet your hands with warm water. Take about a teaspoonful of the scrub and rub it between your palms to break down the sugar a little. Then rub it into your hands with the same movements as if you were washing your hands, rubbing and scrubbing for about one minute.

Gently rinse off the scrub with warm water and pat your hands dry.  Apply hand cream and enjoy the silky feel of your hands.