How to with Pumice...
The Answers You Need
How to make your own pumice sponge
A pumice sponge is a block of handheld sized pumice that is most often used to exfoliate dry skin, particularly from the heels and feet. Raw pumice is formed when lava explodes from a volcano and reacts with water. The simultaneous cooling and depressurizing of the lava and water mixture gives pumice its unique porous texture. Raw pumice is inexpensive and easily carved, so buying a large piece of pumice and shaping it into smaller sizes is cost-effective for commercial or personal uses.
Decide the size and shape you wish the pumice sponge to be. Make sure the design is smaller than the raw pumice.
Mark an outline of the shape with tape or permanent marker on the raw stone.
Carve your marked design with a metal spoon and dampen the pumice with water if it starts to crumble.
Drill a hole approximately 1/2 inch wide into part of the shaped pumice sponge if you wish to place a rope for hanging at one end. Feed the rope or string through the hole and tie the ends in an overhand knot.
How to make blocks with pumice
I either own or can borrow the following tools:
- shovel
- pick
- hammer
- bucket(s)
- wheelbarrow
- trowel
- nails
- boards
- saw
Proper moisture content of pumice-concrete
Heed the following points in preparing your pumice concrete:
- Use only clean pumice.
- Saturate the pumice with water prior to mixing.
- Use only new cement.
- First mix the presaturated (soil-moist) pumice with cement; then add water and mix thoroughly to obtain a moldable mix.
- Compact the mixture well, but not excessively.
- Keep precast building members out of the sun and cover them with, say, wet cement bags to keep them from cracking.
- Keep building members out of the rain.
- Let pumice bricks, blocks, planks and panels dry for at least 28 days, or one month, prior to use.
- Stack building members on a level base.
- Handle them carefully to avoid breaking off their edges.
- Remember that pumice building materials can also be made with lime instead of cement.
How to exfoliate with pumice
Soak your calloused skin in warm water. The most common part of the body to exfoliate with a pumice stone is the feet. Heels tend to develop a layer of hard, calloused skin that can become cracked or scaled. Your elbows are another area that may benefit from exfoliation. Soak the calloused body part in warm water for about five minutes to soften the skin.[1]
If you're working on your feet, you may want to fill a bowl with warm water and soak your feet in the bowl.
For other parts of the body, pumicing as part of your shower may be easiest.
Wait until your dry skin has softened. The skin will be easier to remove if it's soft and supple. Feel your skin after several minutes of soaking. If it still feels tough, wait a few more minutes (giving the water a warm-up if necessary). If it's soft, your skin is ready for the pumice stone.
Wet the stone. Wetting the stone will help it slide more easily across your skin, rather than catching on it. Run the stone under warm water, or dip it in the water where you're soaking your skin, in order to thoroughly wet it.
Rub it gently over the calloused area. Use a circular motion to start sloughing away the dead skin with the pumice stone. If the skin is nice and soft, it should start coming right off. Keep going until you remove the dead skin and get to the fresh, supple skin underneath.
Don't press too hard. Light pressure is all that is needed; let the surface of the stone do the work.
If you're working on your feet, focus on the heels, the sides of your toes, and other areas where dry skin tends to build up.
Rinse and repeat. Rinse off the dead skin and take a look to see if you need to keep going. If you still see bits of dead skin, go over the area again with the pumice stone. Continue using the stone on the area until you're satisfied with the results.
Since the pumice stone will wear down slightly while you use it, you may need to turn it over to get a fresh surface you can use to exfoliate your skin.
Rinse the pumice stone often to keep its surface clean and effective.
Dry and moisturize your skin. When you're finished, use a towel to pat your skin dry. Coat the area with an oil or cream to prevent it from drying out too quickly. Your formerly calloused skin should now be soft, supple and gleaming.
- Coconut oil, almond oil, or body lotion are all fine to use to condition your skin after pumicing.
Repeat as often as needed to keep your skin in good shape.