It’s time to buff up those feet for a summer of sandals! There are a million and one recipes available on line for making your own soaks and scrubs but most revolve around the same core ingredients: salt; oil (eg. olive, jojoba, sweet almond); a few essential oils (especially lavender, tea tree and peppermint) and oatmeal.

Before you scrub it’s best to soak to soften the surface of the skin. Here are a few ideas:

• Whizz up about half a cup of oatmeal in a blender to make a fine powder. Fill a bowl with warm water, add the oatmeal and a few drops of rosemary oil*. Let your feet soak for 10-15 mins.

* each essential oil has it’s own properties. If you want a moisturizing soak choose oils like Chamomile, Ylang Ylang and Lavender. If you want a cleansing soak use Rosemary,  Tea Tree or Eucalyptus.

• Add about a quarter cup of sea salt (or Epsom salts [シャリ塩] if you can find them) to a bowl of warm water. Add a drop or two of lemon oil and soak for 10-15 mins.
• Add half a cup of coconut milk to a bowl of warm water and soak for 10-15 mins (good for dry feet)
• Add six drops tea tree oil to a bowl of warm water and soak for 10-15 mins (good for odor/fungal control)

Then, once you have nicely soaked feet you need to exfoliate them. Here are a few ideas:

• Mix a cup of sea salt (or epsom salt) with 3 tsp. olive oil and massage in. Don’t let the salt dissolve! Rinse well with warm water.
• Coarsely grind oatmeal and add enough citrus juice (lemon, orange, grapefruit) to make a rough paste. Massage well, then rinse off with warm water.
• Mix together 2tbsp brown sugar, 2tbsp oatmeal, 1tsp honey (optional), 1tsp olive or almond oil and 1tsp freshly squeezed lemon to make a paste. Massage into feet well, then rinse off with warm water.

Finish off with your moisturizer of choice.

It’ll only take a few weeks to see a difference, but for truly baby soft feet you’ll have to be persistent! If you manage to establish a foot care routine you should have the feet of your dreams by next year.

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