Homemade Foot Scrubs: 8 Recipes to Pamper Tired Feet
Updated: Oct. 29, 2019
These homemade foot scrub recipes can smooth and soften your feet. Make one of these simple foot scrubs in your own kitchen.
Baking Soda Foot Scrub
After a long day, soothe feet and get rid of dull skin by soaking worn-out soles in a gentle baking soda bath. Michelle Jacklett of A Happy, Hippy Mom suggests dissolving three tablespoons of baking soda in a warm-water basin. For extra exfoliation, follow up by gently scrubbing feet with a paste baking soda. (Bonus: Baking soda is also great to use around the house.)
Coffee Grounds Foot Scrub
Don’t throw away those coffee grounds! You can turn them into a scrub that will exfoliate and smooth feet, suggests lifestyle writer Aly Walansky. Mix a few tablespoons of brewed coffee grounds with equal parts course sugar, and a tablespoon of olive oil or coconut oil. Rub the wet paste onto skin. Rinse well, she says. “There is oil in it, so you don’t want to slip and slide through your bathroom,” says Walansky. If you use the scrub in the shower, Walansky offers a warning. “You may want to put a coffee filter over the drain,” she says. “Otherwise, you may need to call a plumber.” Here are more beauty uses for coffee grounds.
Honey and Sugar Foot Scrub
Suffering from dry, cracked heels? Give them a dose of hydration with a combo of Epsom salts, sugar, raw honey, coconut oil, and lemon essential oil, from Megan and Good Food & Family Fun. Check out her site for the full recipe. (Experiencing more than just cracked heels? Here’s how to fix other common foot problems.)
Sea Salt and Peppermint Foot Scrub
This scrub will soften tough skin as it releases a fresh, heavenly scent. Grab one cup kosher salt, 1/3 cup almond or olive oil, one tablespoon peppermint pure-castile soap, six drops pure essential oil of peppermint, and saltwater (pour three quarts hot water into a basin and mix in 1/4 cup table or Epsom salt), advises Women’s Health. In a bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients but the saltwater. Immerse feet in the salt water for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, massage the mixture into your feet for several minutes and rinse. Learn about the health benefits of peppermint.
Brown Sugar Foot Scrub
Brown sugar’s soft and fine grains mean that it will dissolve fairly easily in warm water. That makes it an ideal ingredient to gently exfoliate dry feet, says Bryce Gruber, editor of The Luxury Spot. Plus, the oil in her favorite foot scrub recipe helps rehydrate feet and lock in moisture for hours. Mix ½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup of any liquid oil (such as olive, canola, or almond oil, avoiding semi-solid oils like coconut, which are more difficult to mix) and ¼ cup of fragrant flower petals from your latest bouquet that have a limited life. (Gruber prefers roses but any flower works.) When mixing, scrub vigorously enough that the flower petals break up and release their own natural oils. “That’s what will give the nice color and scent to your scrub,” she says. To use the scrub, gently rub it onto wet skin in a circular motion. “I like to count to five Mississippi while using the scrub in an area and then moving to the next,” says Gruber. Rinse, and you’ll be left with soft, smooth skin, she says. The remaining scrub can be stored in a jar on a shelf for up to one week and even longer in the refrigerator, Gruber says.
Milk & Sugar Foot Scrub
Milk does a body good, especially if you can integrate it into your foot-care routine. DIY beauty expert Alexis Wolfer, founder of TheBeautyBean and author of The Recipe for Radiance: Discover Beauty’s Best-Kept Secrets in Your Kitchen, suggests starting with this foot soak, which she says will help you reap the benefits of her sugar scrub. Mix equal parts whole milk and hot water (adding enough liquid to cover feet) in a pedicure basin or roasting pan large enough for your feet. Soak for 10 to 15 minutes or until water is no longer hot. “The hot water helps soften skin while the lactic acid in the milk will help gently breakdown dead skin cells,” says Wolfer. “The milk’s fat will help moisturize feet for a more effective scrub.”
For the scrub, grab sugar from your pantry. Mix equal parts sugar in the raw and white sugar with just enough coconut oil to form a thick paste. “The sugars’ different sizes offer various exfoliation benefits,” says Wolfer. Scrub your feet, focusing on your heels and calloused areas. (Here are other ways to get rid of calluses.) Wash feet and moisturize with more coconut oil. To deeply hydrate, cover with socks for an hour or overnight.
Honey & Lemon Drop Foot Scrub
Need a mood boost? Chrystal Johnson, a natural living writer who runs the website Happy Mothering, offers a scrub that is nourishing and uplifting for your feet. Her favorite recipe: Mix a half cup each of Epsom salt, sugar, and coconut oil. Then add one tablespoon honey and five drops of quality lemon essential oil. Wet feet and apply scrub. Rinse and pat dry. Moisturize with a good natural cream. “If you scrub and moisturize right before bed, put on socks immediately to seal in the moisture,” says Johnson. “You’ll wake up with happy feet!”
Mint Foot Scrub
Amber Katz, founder of the beauty blog Rouge 18, shared a heavenly smelling foot scrub recipe to tackle cracked heels and dry feet. Mix two cups of brown sugar, ½ cup of coconut oil, and a dash of peppermint oil. Rub the mixture into feet and let sit for a few minutes. Rinse and pat dry. “It gives a fresh, menthol effect,” Katz says. Follow by applying a thick moisturizer and wearing socks overnight.
Next, learn about the DIY face masks you can make and try tonight.
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