I often say this and I will say it again, our feet are the most neglected part of our body even though they work really hard to take us to places. We’re often busy pampering our face and skin that we forget all about caring for our feet.
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The feet are prone to so many issues: calluses, smelliness, cankles, cracked heels, and chapped skin.
Moreover, unhealthy feet might cause a myriad of diseases. Thus, it’s essential to care for them.
Needless to say, your feet are closest to the dust, dirt, grime, and all the bacteria. Naturally, they’ll end up attracting all the unwanted mess. Hence, it’s important to keep them clean.
And I’m not talking about expensive pedicures at the salon since you can do most of the things at home. Here are some tips on how to clean feet right at your home.
9 Steps to Clean Your Feet at Home
Anyone can clean their feet and it’s super easy. You simply need to find the energy and time to do it. Here’s a step by step guide on what to do and when.
Things You’ll Need
- Crystal salts
- Nail cutter and file
- Cuticle stick
- Liquid soap, shampoo or body wash
- Loofah
- Epsom salt
- Scrub
- Pumice stone
- Moisturizing lotion
- Clean towels
- Essential oils (optional)
Step 1
To prep your feet, first, remove any nail polish or accessories from your feet. That’s so you can easily reach all the corners!
Step 2
Fill the tub with warm water. Add a spoonful of the crystal salts, Epsom salt, and liquid shampoo or soap. You can also add essential oils of your choice to the warm water. Essential oils are full of vitamins and minerals that can come to be beneficial to your skin.
This case study shows that the application of aromatic compounds helps to avoid microbe overgrowth on feet. Therefore, consider adding either cinnamon, thyme, oregano or tea tree essential oil that are antibacterial. Finally, swirl the water to the point you see a thin layer of bubbles on the top.
Step 3
Dip your feet inside the tub and allow your them to soak in the soapy mixture for 15-20 minutes. Studies show that bathing in Epsom salts increases magnesium levels in the blood.
Therefore, you should take your time and let that magnesium sulfate work its way in.
Step 4
Start your feet. You can use a loofah to scrub the dead skin off as well as a pumice stone for harder areas.
Pay special attention to the webs between your toes, area under the toenails, and the arch of the foot. Additionally, you should use a bar of soap to scrub and lather up these areas.
Step 5
Take your feet out and pat them dry using a clean towel. It doesn’t have to be very soft. The rougher it is, the better for your feet!
Step 6
Groom the nails. After soaking your feet, the nails should become pliable. Thus, it’s a good time to clip them with a nail cutter.
Additionally, push back the cuticles using a cuticle stick. If you don’t have one, you can always use your own fingers or towel.
Step 7
Gently massage your feet first and then use a mild scrub to exfoliate them (I’m sharing natural foot scrub recipes down below). Meanwhile, keep on massaging your feet. Might be a good idea to get someone to do it for you!
Afterward, apply your favorite oil to them and dip smaller towels in warm water, squeeze out the water and wrap them around your feet. This will seal the moisture in.
Step 8
Wash off the scrub and leftover oil with warm water and pat your feet dry. Your feet will still be a bit oily but that’s a good thing! Let them be.
You’ll notice that your feet are much softer than usual. This might be a good time to use a moisturizer and let it all soak in.
Step 9
Let your feet rest for an hour or two. Don’t put the socks on, let them breathe and enjoy that cleanliness!
A Few Useful Tips
- I highly recommend using Epsom salt. It’s excellent in relieving muscle pain, tension, and inflammation. Tired and sore feet will come out looking rejuvenated for sure.
- If your heels are cracked, then add 3 tablespoons of baking soda to the water. It’ll soften your skin.
- Always use a tub that is large enough to comfortably accommodate both feet. You should have some room for movement.
- You might have to scrub hard if there’s an excess of build-up on your feet. It shouldn’t be painful though.
- If at any point the water turns murky, discard it and replace it with fresh and clean warm water.
- If you are diabetic, be careful. Do not use sharp instruments on your nails if you cannot see what’s going on clearly. Instead, have that task carried out by a professional.
Homemade Foot Scrub Recipes
As promised, here are some of the scrubs you might want to try. Obviously, you can always just by an organic scrub and let it do its job. However, it might be fun to make something of your own!
Sugar & Oatmeal Scrub
You’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or any neutral oil like almond or jojoba oil)
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
- 3 tablespoon oatmeal
Combine all the ingredients and mix them until you get a consistent paste. And you’re done! It’s that simple and all the ingredients are readily available around the house.
Brown Sugar & Baking Soda Scrub
You’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Combine all the ingredients and start scrubbing. Yes, it’s as simple as that!
How to Clean Feet Without Water
Yes, you read that right. There is an alternative method of cleaning and washing your feet without getting them wet. It’s called a Sand Bath.
- Purchase some standard sand or go steal some from the beach.
- Pour the sand in a bucket or tub that is large enough to accommodate your feet.
- Stick your feet inside the sand and move them around so that the sand gently rubs your feet.
- Do that for a while (about 10-15 minutes ideally).
You can mix Dead Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt with the sand to add mineral value to the sand. In fact, some types of sand are already rich in natural minerals. Heated and has a pleasant effect on your feet, and it also opens up your skin pores.
It improves blood circulation, therefore, increases blood oxygen levels and detoxifies your skin. Sand has been traditionally used for curing ailments like arthritis.
But be careful to not burn yourself while artificially heating up the sand! It’s a good idea just to go to the beach on a warm day and let it works its magic.
Best Essential Oils for Cleaning Your Feet
Take it from me, essential oils make everything better! Use them while cleaning the feet. Also, you can either add a few drops of these oils into the warm water bath or massage your feet with essential oils after cleaning them.
Breathing them in helps with overall relaxation and improves the experience.
1. Tea Tree Oil
Tea Tree Oil contains natural antiseptics. It works well as an anti-fungal agent and can also prevent and cure Athlete’s foot (source). It also effectively cures toenail infections.
2. Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil is not only effective for getting rid of smelly feet due to its minty fresh smell, but it also has anti-inflammatory properties.
In fact, it can be used for bruising, muscular aches, skin irritation, and itching.
3. Rosemary Oil
Rosemary oil alleviates muscle and joint pain (source). It can also treat skin diseases like eczema. That could be useful for your feet.
4. Eucalyptus Oil
The Eucalyptus oil contains anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and pain relieving properties. Breathing it in has been proven to be helpful with relieving subjective pain and lowering blood pressure (source).
Therefore, if you have had a tiring day and your feet feel tired and sore; make use of it.
5. Lavender Oil
I love this essential oil enough and constantly use it for my skin. It has anti-fungal properties that are comparable to an anti-fungal cream. Additionally, it also helps your muscles relax.
Importance of Cleaning Feet
- Cleaning your feet regularly reduces the probability of developing infections. You’ll avoid foot odors and infections around toenails that could be painful.
- Cleaning feet gives you more time to actually look at them and examine what’s going on. That can never hurt anyone.
- Regular cleaning helps with preventing or maintaining corns, fungal infections, and bunions. Exfoliation helps with the aesthetic look of the feet too.
- Hydrated feet have lesser chances of chapping or cracking.
- Cleaning and massaging the feet improves blood circulation. That’s especially important in the winter time. Additionally, it helps to relax and forget your daily problems at least for a moment.
Conclusion
Thoroughly clean your feet at least twice a month and your body will thank you. Now that you know how to clean feet, it’s not hard to notice how easy it actually is.
All you need to do is find a little bit of time for yourself!