DIY Gardener’s Hand Scrub in a Mason Jar

You’re going to love this homemade gardener’s hand scrub. It’s easy to make and works wonders on dirty, hard-working hands.

Gardening season always means lots of time spent standing at the sink trying to get all of that mud and dirt off of your hands and out from under your finger nails. This gardener’s hand scrub makes quick work of the whole process, it moisturizes your hands, and it smells great too! I have a tendency to discard my garden gloves and just work in the dirt with my bare hands, probably mostly because all the garden gloves I find are usually a bit too big for me. I really don’t mind getting my hands dirty and it does make things easier in the moment, but I do need to get the dirt off and out from under my nails when I come back in so I can cook and continue working on whatever inside things I want to do in the house. If you have similar gardening habits, this scrub will be your new best friend. Here’s how to make it.

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Ingredients Needed for the Gardener’s Hand Scrub

You’ll need:

• Plain epsom salt
• Baking soda
• Coconut oil
• Essential oils of your choosing (about two drops total)
• A small four ounce mason jar

For the essential oils, you can use a single scent if you like, something like lavender, lemon, or orange smells fresh and clean, or you can mix together a few oils for a really lovely scent. I used a mix of lemongrass, lavender, and grapefruit essential oil and for mine and then scent is so refreshing when coming in after a long day outside.

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How to Make This Homemade Gardener’s Hand Scrub

In a small mixing bowl combine:

• 5 tablespoons plain epsom salts
• 3 tablespoons baking soda (Good for so many things! I always buy the biggest package I can find!)
• 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (just melt in microwave for a few seconds if your house is cooler than 24 degrees Celsius or about 75 Fahrenheit, if it’s warmer than that, it will already be melted!)
• 2 drops lemongrass essential oil
• 3 drops lavender essential oil
• 4 drops grapefruit essential oil

Mix everything together until it forms a thick paste, then transfer it in to a 4 ounce mason jar. Store at room temperature away from direct sunlight to keep the coconut oil from liquifying.

Just a note on the coconut oil: Some coconut oils are more coconutty than others and some have almost no scent at all. Typically, unrefined coconut oil will have a more pronounced coconut scent and flavor than refined coconut oil. For this project, I used the unrefined and it turned out wonderfully and really added to the amazing fragrance.

If you don’t have lemongrass, lavender, and grapefruit essential oils on hand, a simple blend of lemon and lavender works well, or you can use about ten drops of a single oil if you prefer.

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The Good Stuff

I love how well this cleans my poor, hardworking hands and the fact that it smells so good is really nice after being outside in the dirt. The last time I made this, I put the mixing bowl in the sink when I was done. I kept walking into the kitchen and wondering what smelled so good in there for the next few hours until I finally put it in the dishwasher.

I’m always surprised by how soft my hands are the next morning after using this hand scrub when I come in from the garden. It’s just the best.

Definitely give this quick project a try if you or someone you love has been spending a lot of time in the garden this summer!