Today I gave Mika a full manicure: hand soak, scrub massage (it tickled), lotion and nail polish. She, of course, loved it. I made the hand soaking solution and the hand scrub myself, following recipes I found online (that I'm posting below). I think both worked reasonably well. I used a lotion I had made previously, but I have another recipe for a hand lotion that I want to try. I first want to get rid of most of the other bottles of lotions that I've made, however. If you live in San Leandro and want some all-natural lotion, I'll be happy to give you some (I have extra Tropical Sun lotion available now).
As for the nail polish, I bought a set with 10 bottles of nail polish at Grocery Outlet for $5. The nail polishes are Sally Hansen brand, a low-end brand for what I understand. Most of them are in the pinkish-to-reddish spectrum, there are a couple beige/cream ones and a blue one. The kit seems to have been put together from bottles that were being sold individually, as some of the bottles have a 50% off sticker on them and/or price stickers (original price $4.29 per bottle!). In any case, we'll now have nail polish for the rest of our lives.
Cinnamon Milk Hand Soak Recipe
From Skin Care Recipes and Remedies.com
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
- pinch cinnamon
Mix all ingredients together in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high until warm (30-60 seconds). Soak your hands in the liquid for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
Olive & Lemon Hand Scrub Recipe
From Good Life (eats)
Note: I halved this recipe as I don't know how long it'll keep and will refrigerate just in case. I also added more sugar and salt than required as it otherwise was too wet. This recipe is very similar to the face scrub I made a couple of months ago - however, the addition of coarse salt will probably make it too rough to use on your face.
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- zest of 1/2 a lemon, grated
- 1/8 tsp. lemon extract (optional)
Mix all ingredients and spoon into a lidded container. When ready to use, massage a tablespoon or so on/with your hands.