Lemonade Hands

(You’re going to love your hands after this treatment!)
     Excerpted from Natural Hand Care by Norma P. Weinberg

Here’s a simple recipe that will immediately improve the smoothness of your skin. In the countryside of Chile, people use real sugarcane mixed with lemon juice to produce a mild dry skin exfoliant. I recommend finishing this treatment with a few drops of avocado oil, which has therapeutic value because it contains the vitamins A, D, and E, is easily absorbed, and helps heal the skin. You’re going to love your hands after this treatment!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon (14 g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) fresh lemon juice
A few drops of unrefined avocado oil

Note: Store avocado oil in refrigerator.

To Prepare:

1. Thoroughly wash your hands and pat (do not rub) them dry.
2. Have ready the squeezed juice from one lemon or 1 teaspoon commercially prepared pure lemon juice.
3. Pour about 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar in the palm of one hand.
4. Sparingly, add enough lemon juice to the sugar to make a gritty paste.

To Use:

1. Rub your hands together in a rotary motion, either clockwise or counterclockwise. At first, the paste will feel gritty.
2. Continue rubbing gently. Work the gritty paste up and over each finger, nail, and cuticle, and over the back of each hand. The heat of your hands will melt the sugar. The final coating is a shiny glaze. (If you suffer from cold hands, it will take a bit longer. If you can, step outside to warm sunshine.)
3. Leave the glaze on your hands for 5 minutes
   Relax!
4. Rinse with warm water. Pat your hands totally dry with a soft paper towel.
5. Apply a drop of avocado oil to one hand, then to the other. Gently massage the oil over the palms and backs of your hands, around your cuticles, and over your nails. The result will be silky, smooth hands!