I am up in Michigan for 2 weeks with my children and they are filthy. Not a little bit dirty, like they need to take a bath tonight, but truly coated in grime. There is an armor that forms on children up here consisting of pine sap, sun block and sand. This titanium-like shield of goop is virtually impossible to remove. In fact, pine pitch was used by the ancient Romans to waterproof their boats and seal barrels. It is powerful stuff. My cousins use a paint scraper to get it off of their children’s feet! My kids are not very enthusiastic about the paint scraper. Also, that only takes care of the feet. For the rest of the body I have developed a powerful salt scrub that will remove the grime, condition the skin and smell wonderful. A bonus is that the kids can help make it.
- Epsom salt (crushed)
- Olive oil
- Liquid soap
- Grated lemon peel
This is a recipe that does not require precise measurements. There really is no wrong way to make it. You put a
bunch of Epsom salt in a bowl, squirt in some aloe vera and soap, add a spoonful of oil and grated lemon peel and you are done. You want it to be on the dry side so that it has some grit to it. So, when you have added everything and stirred it together, you may want to top it off with more salt if it seems too wet.
This is not the kind of salt scrub that you can package and store. The fresh lemon peel means you should use it soon after making it. I store mine in the fridge in a covered container for a few days. For longevity you could use a lemon essential oil instead or dried lemon peel shavings.
Other things you could add:
- Other citrus fruit peel
- Baking soda
- Corn starch
- Baby shampoo in place of liquid soap
- Grated bar soap in place of liquid soap
Do you have any additional ingredients that you would add?
