Hi Guys,

I dont know about you, but i have completely neglected my feet this winter and have really noticed how the skin has become rough, dry and hard around my heels and on the balls of the feet, especially. It felt like the task was going to be a lot of work getting them back to the soft layer of skin below. I went online for some tips on doing this at home since i can’t really afford a proper pedicure right now. To be honest i have only ever had a couple of proper pedicures in my life since they’re sooo expensive!!

I tried out a few different things to see which would work best and this is what i found worked for me. I had all the ingredients handy in my kitchen cupboard so no hassle there. I waited until my lil girl was having her nap since you really need around 20 mins to yourself, uninterrupted so make sure and set aside the time where you won’t be disturbed.

Heres what you need:

A basin of hot water, not too hot but just comfortable for your feet to soak

Towel

Bowl

A pumice or foot file

Baking soda – 1 cup or so

Shower gel

Essential oil of your choice – peppermint is nice

Coconut oil

Clean socks

Directions:

Remove any nail varnish and trim and clean toe nails before you begin.

Empty half the cup of baking soda into the basin of water and swish it around to dissolve a bit

Place your feet in the basin and just leave them for a few minutes

Remove feet and dry thoroughly

Use the pumice or foot file to slough off any hard/dead skin as best you can

Empty the basin and refill with hot water again

Mix together the rest of the baking soda with some shower gel to make a paste in the bowl

Add in a couple of drops of the essential oil

Mix well and apply to your feet, massaging it in well

Pay attention to the areas of hard skin and pressure points

Rinse off by soaking feet in the the hot water and rubbing away any remaining dead skin

Dry the feet thoroughly with a towel and apply some coconut oil

I recommend heating up the coconut oil in the palms of your hands in order to apply

If you have some cuticle oil for the toe nails it is a good way to treat dry skin around the nails

Do a file and buff of the nails if you can

Put on the clean socks socks and you can re-apply the coconut oil later on

I noticed immediate results and the next morning especially

You can continue to use the pumice/foot file, following with the coconut oil for best results

I think the baking soda really does the main work and soaking the feet should probably be done once a month at least. It is good for nail whitening too. If you want to add some lemon juice to the foot soak that can help lighten the colour also.

I really liked the simplicity of it, as it only takes 15 minutes or so. I bought a nice foot file which is easy to use and i keep it where i can see it so i dont forget to use it after my shower.

Enjoy!!

Ciara x