Sandal season is far gone, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop giving your feet the TLC they need. Regularly covering up our feet in closed shoes and socks can dry out the skin. Dry skin and a lack of exfoliation can lead to painful, cracked heels and rough bottoms of the feet. 

If you walk a lot or run, you’ll notice the discomfort that comes with dry feet much sooner. Even if you don’t, it’s a good idea to dedicate some time to caring for your feet to avoid any future problems. Having healthy feet isn’t only about aesthetics, it can affect your entire body. Read on to learn more about natural foot skincare advice and tips to try at home.

The Importance of Foot Health

Our feet are what move us from place to place, so caring for them is crucial. However, caring for our feet isn’t just about pampering them now and again. In order to care for your feet, there are somethings that you should flat out avoid.

Essential tips for foot health:

• Avoid wearing shoes that are too tight.
• Don’t share shoes or pedicure tools with anyone.
• Avoid painting discoloured nails with nail polish, as this can keep you from identifying any underlying issues.
• Don’t treat calluses or ingrown toenails without the help of a certified professional.
• Do give yourself a foot massage or try the legs-up-the-wall yoga pose after a long day.

Making a conscious effort to care your feet will help you avoid future foot problems. Soaking, scrubbing, and moisturising your feet can also help maintain your foot health.

Powerful Foot Soaks

Foot soaks can improve circulation, cleanse, reduce pain, and eliminate odour from feet. Moreover, if you’re on your feet all day long or do a lot of physical exercise, a foot soak can help you feel better instantly. The most common ingredient for foot soaks is vinegar, as this wonderful ingredient has many powerful natural properties. Soaking your feet in one part vinegar and two parts water can help combat athlete’s foot, dry or smelly feet, and even warts.

Epsom salts and warm water also make a great natural foot soak. You can even combine Epsom salts, vinegar, and a few drops of essential oils to craft a more potent foot soak. When it comes to natural foot skincare, you should always choose what works best for you. Try out one or both of these foot soaks to see which you prefer. Also, don’t worry about your feel stinking of vinegar because once the foot soak dries, the smell will disappear along with it.

Remember to Scrub

We may not always have time for a lovely foot soak, so a nice foot scrub is a great alternative. Scrubbing your feet with a pumice stone is excellent in a pinch, but using natural homemade foot scrubs can have long term benefits. Natural exfoliating scrubs incorporate powerful ingredients that can improve your skin condition, keeping it clean and healthy. These scrubs are also an effective and low maintenance way to treat your feet and prepare them for winter.

Coffee grounds, salt, sugar, and baking soda all provide natural exfoliation that can quickly take your feet from drab to fab. Mix used coffee grounds with olive or coconut oil for an easy foot scrub. Combine sea salt with almond oil and peppermint Castile soap to make a scrub that freshens up and softens your feet. To treat cracked heels, add sugar, honey, coconut, and lemon essential oil together for a soothing scrub. Anyone with sensitive skin should be wary of using baking soda, although this ingredient can craft a mighty foot scrub!

For a quick and cheap foot scrub, you can also try sandpaper. Yes, you read that right. Read more about Mayca’s experience exfoliating her feet with sandpaper here.

Moisturising Your Feet

The effectiveness of natural foot skincare depends on how much moisture your feet receive at the end of the day. When we hide away our feet, we deprive them of the moisture they need to stay soft and smooth. Therefore, regularly moisturising with nutritive creams, butters, or oils is necessary. Finding the right cream for you is a personal choice, but we recommend searching for a few key ingredients.

Shea butter helps moisturise skin, reduce inflammation, relieve itching, and restore skin’s elasticity. Coconut oil also helps reduce inflammation, moisturise, and speed up wound healing. Essential oils such as peppermint, lavender, tea tree, and eucalyptus help cleanse, heal, and treat the skin, as well. Selecting moisturisers with one or more of these ingredients will help ensure that they are useful and help improve your foot health naturally.

The Takeaway

Putting your feet first won’t only help make them softer and smoother, but it will also improve their overall health. When using natural foot skincare, we can care for our feet without spending a fortune. If you’re interested in learning more about making natural products at home, check out WapoBeauty’s recently updated soapmaking eBook here. Although this weekend’s Soapmaking Workshop for Beginners is full, this eBook is an excellent way for those who couldn’t make it to the class to learn about soapmaking. In this eBook, you’ll find step-by-step instructions for cold process soapmaking, different soap formulas, helpful tips on where to find your materials, and learn about all the benefits of soapmaking.

ABOUT OUR BLOGGER

Ashuni Pérez is an American writer based in Valencia, Spain. She has a passion for natural beauty and the environment. Ashuni loves to cycle and drink smoothies in the sun. Follow her on Instagram at @ashuuuuni