Foot soak
- Add two cups of vinegar to two litres of water and soak for 15 minutes. This soak will soften the skin and fight fungal infections. Using vinegar infused with citrus peels will be even more effective and provides an uplifting aromatherapy boost too. Even hard, cracked skin will become soft and easy to exfoliate.
- Add a cup of 3% (10 volume) hydrogen peroxide to four litres of water and soak.
- Add two tablespoons bicarb and one of salt to a tub of very warm water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Then scrub feet as below.
- (Epsom salts is another wonderful foot soak for tired feet.)
- To get rid of Athlete’s Foot, soak feet nightly, or spray affected area twice daily, with 3% (10 volume) hydrogen peroxide.
Hand or foot scrub
- Mix two tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil with two tablespoons kitchen salt (or sugar).
- Rub on hands or feet until salt / sugar starts to dissolve.
- Rinse with warm water.
- Or, rub feet with a paste of 3 parts bicarb to one part water and rinse.
To soften and moisturise hands and feet
- Apply a liberal amount of coconut or olive oil to feet at bedtime.
- Cover with cotton socks.
- (This works for hands, too. Cover with cotton gloves or socks.)
- See here for an all-round moisturising mousse that works well for hands and feet too (one cup coconut oil blended with a quarter cup of olive oil).
For a foot spa experience at home, choose a foot soak above (peroxide or bicarb), follow with one of the foot scrubs (oil and salt or bicarb paste), and finish with the moisturising mousse. Add in a nail treatment (below) if you like.
Nail treatments
- Warm a small dish of olive oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice.
- Soak nails for five to ten minutes to soften cuticles and strengthen nails.
- To clean finger and toe nails, sprinkle bicarb onto a nailbrush and gently scrub nails and cuticles. This whitens and strengthens nails and softens cuticles.
- Because bicarb benefits nails, do your spotless household cleaning chores with your gloves off. Follow up with some coconut or olive oil to counteract dryness.
