DIY foot bath with herbs

This homemade foot bath will hydrate and soften your feet leaving them smooth and free of any odor or dead skin.

There is nothing that calms me more than taking my dog for a walk outside.  During the weekends we like to extend the walk into hikes and whole day tours. 

The scenery of the Swiss Alps region where we live is beautiful and our dog Chip enjoys it as much as we do. While my mind enjoys the serenity, my feet struggle and feel neglected. 

And just lately I discovered foot soaks.

After a long day, foot soaks are a wonderful way to relax. 

DIY foot bath at home

Unwind with a relaxing at-home mini pedicure.

People love to take care of their skin and hair, but tend to neglect their feet.  Feet are the foundation of your body, and keeping them happy and healthy is vital to our overall health.

Foot bath at home works wonders especially if you wear closed shoes and socks all day or if your feet are sweating during exercise. It is also one of the fun things to do with your Mom. 

• Hydrates your feet so the skin and nails will be softer and prevents bunions, corns, cracked heels and ingrown toe nails
• helps reduce the buildup of bacteria associated with foot odor and athlete’s foot.

foot spa at home ingredients

Herbs for foot bath

I selected herbs that possess healing and soothing properties leaving your feet baby soft in no time.

However, you can use other herbs such as calendula, lavender or red clover. Don’t be afraid to experiment with various herbs and their ratios too

 

Rose petals

Roses help reduce redness to calm irritated skin.  The antioxidant activity of rose petals heals and soothes and skin. 

Chamomile

The wonderfully soothing, healing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of chamomile make it a popular ingredient in skin care.  Antibacterial properties of chamomile reportedly help protect against certain types of bacteria, fungi, and viruses.

Rosemary

The anti-inflammatory properties of rosemary help the skin to reduce swelling and puffiness as well as heal burns and soothe the skin. It can also be used in the form of tincture.

Then you can add other ingredients such as Epsom salt, baking soda, vinegar or essential oils into your foot soak with additional benefits for your feet.

Homemade foot soak with Epsom Salt

Epsom salt is a popular remedy for muscle aches and stress. It contains magnesium sulfate and some small studies suggest that magnesium can penetrate the skin when immersed in the Epsom salt bath.

Absorbing magnesium through the skin from an Epsom salt foot soak may provide relief from muscle soreness and muscle cramps, as well as help ease inflammation and reduce odor. Its crystalized compound provides exfoliation of the dead skin and decreases roughness leaving the feet softer.

Add half or three-quarters of a cup of Epsom salt to the hot water with herbs.

Epsom salts foot bath can dry out your feet, so it’s best not to do it every night. Try soaking the feet once or twice a week to make sure it does not cause dryness.  Always end your foot soaking with moisturizer!

Vinegar foot bath

Vinegar can help protect against bacteria, fungi, and other harmful microbes, so putting it into a foot soak may have potential benefits for the feet. Just simply mix two parts of water with one part vinegar. Vinegar bath soak may also help with foot odor, athlete’s foot or warts 

Similarly, I use rosemary and vinegar to rinse my hair that makes them soft and shiny.

Baking soda soak

Adding baking soda to your foot soak can help exfoliate your skin, relieve itching, and cleanse your feet. Add 3–4 tablespoons of baking soda to a foot bath full of warm water. 

However, the baking soda may disrupt the natural pH of the skin and may lead to further dryness so use it with caution.

Lemon water soak

Another natural ingredient that you might want to add to your homemade feet spa is lemon juice. Use the juice from one lemon that you squeeze in the foot soak with pieces of lemon peel if you wish. Lemon works wonders with the bad odor of your feet, is antibacterial and antiseptic, and acts as a natural bleach.

In addition to lemon’s benefits for foot odor, its high vitamin C content can also promote healthy nail growth and strengthen the nail bed, making it a great natural remedy for those looking to grow natural nails.

Its acidity may help to remove dead skin however it may interfere with the natural ph of skin and similarly to baking soda may lead to more dryness. This especially applies to people with sensitive skin or people with open cuts or sores on the foot.

How do you make a DIY foot bath?

First step

Prepare your herbs and add them to the bath basin. You can either use muslin bag to tighten the herbs in or just leave herbs floating freely in the foot bath.

Second step

Add hot water to the bath basin to make tea on a large scale. Wait for the temperature to cool a bit but is still warm enough. Ideal temperature is around 120 F (48 C)

Third step

Bring a towel and something to read before you place your feet in.

I also like to bring some hot water in the thermos and keep adding more hot water to the bath soak to keep the temperature pleasant.

Fourth step

Optionally you can add Epsom salt, vinegar or baking soda to your bath soak for additional benefits

That could be the end of your at-home mini pedicure but if you want to make your feet really happy you  continue in the following steps

Fifth step – Removing dead skin from your feet – optional

once your feet are sufficiently soaked (approx. 15 minutes) dry them with the towel and use an exfoliating scrub to remove dead skin. There are various tools to do that from pumice stone to foot brush. This sugar scrub bars will help you to achieve the best result. 

Sixth step- Moisturize your feet

End this procedure with applying moisturizing and nourishing butter or cream to your feet