Foot bath: heal your feet and relieve your body – happiness and health

For many of us, foot care is not a vocation! However, we put them to the test all day long and they often find themselves weakened.

With an exceptionally high concentration of nerve endings, our feet are very sensitive to external aggressions… and by the same token, to the little pleasures you grant them.

So start pampering them as they deserve! Here is a complete article on the foot bath: methods and benefits.

Do all foot baths have the same effects?

Absolutely not. Foot baths can have multiple virtues. It is the ingredients used that give the bath its qualities. These are available under different themes: pain relief, beauty treatments, relaxation.

Before presenting you thematically the problems that foot baths can solve and the ingredients to use, let’s take a look at the temperature. Hot water, cold water, we hear a little about everything and everyone has their own personal opinion. Here are the facts:

Cold water : it is invigorating. It energizes the body, making it possible to fight against fatigue, not only of the mind, but also of the body! (besides, don’t forget the cold shower)

Indeed, cold water stimulates circulation at all levels. The venous return at the level of the legs and feet makes it possible in particular to fight against the swelling of the feet, the excess of heat and the feeling of heavy legs. Moreover, if cold baths primarily treat the local area, they also have a derivative effect, a bit like acupuncture.

It is therefore the entire neurovegetative (the great chief of metabolism, for short), hormonal and immune system that is boosted! The ideal temperature for a cold foot bath is 15-18 ° C.

Hot water as for it has two main actions. On the one hand, it softens the skin, which facilitates the assimilation of the ingredients that you will discover in a moment and the complementary techniques such as the exfoliation.

On the other hand, it has a well-being effect and calming properties which have repercussions on all of our organs. Thus, it is the perfect ally for relaxing baths! To relieve the stress of a trying day, the hot foot bath is second to none. Recommended temperature: 35 to 40 ° C.

What about lukewarm water in all of this? It is simply used not to rush the body and neurotransmitters, for young natures. It does not come with as many benefits as its big sisters. So I’m not a fan of it, although it can still be found in some recipes.

Homemade foot baths: recipes and tips

I told you: the feet are rich in nerve endings. In addition, they are constantly in friction and locked in uncomfortable hooves. No wonder then, in view of the life we ​​lead them, that a whole lot of pain and other ailments develop there. Here are my tips.

My little secret and effective solution is to use my massager once a week. The result is more than positive.

You can do your own homemade foot bath. Here are my recipes.

Essential oils and salt: a terrific combo

Coarse salt, or ideally Epsom salt, is an ancestral raw material. Used for centuries, it is rich in minerals, especially magnesium. It has a triple effect: it detoxifies, remineralizes the body and relieves local pain.

Essential oils are particularly recommended for people who work standing, trample or walk a lot. They have various virtues that 5 small drops are enough to reveal. There are many, it’s up to you to choose according to the desired effects!

Peppermint is refreshing and invigorating, ideal for deflating the feet by stimulating blood circulation. This is also the case for lavandin.

Sage essential oil fight for its part against the excessive sweating of the feet which can become a real handicap for you… and a great discomfort for the others!

Camphor, bergamot and green clay (which it is not an essential oil, but you will forgive me) have cleansing properties. They therefore fight against the development of fungi and in particular against mycoses, this scourge feared by our toes.

Finally ginger, ravensare and wintergreen help soothe inflammation.

Note that essential oils have a little trouble mixing in the foot bath water. To facilitate their dispersion, you can add half a teaspoon of avocado oil to it.

Starch for itching

Half a mug of corn or wheat starch poured into your basin will soothe your itching and tightness. After bathing, remember to dry your feet well, ideally using cotton, to avoid residue.

Little tip: powdered starch, we don’t all have it at home! Otherwise, the rice cooking water can do the trick: it is rich in D-glucose, the main starch molecule.

If your itch is between the toes and they look bad, chances are you’ve developed a yeast infection on your feet.

In this case, it is apple cider vinegar that will need to be added to your foot bath. This indeed has a powerful antifungal action: it kills fungi, thus limiting the spread of the fungus and getting rid of it after a few uses.

Moisturizing recipe: because your dry feet need love!

To gain softness and suppleness, your feet need rich, nourishing elements. Indeed, the skin of the feet being particularly thick, fatty substances are the most likely to cross it.

Vegetable oils are therefore friends of choice: olive oil, sweet almond or argan oil will all soak up deep into the tissues of the epidermis.

For the preparation: 2 tablespoons of oil in your basin of water. No need to try to mix oil with water, they are not miscible (you had to listen to chemistry lessons when you were young!). Add an egg yolk and the magic will work.

Resplendent feet for this summer: mission impossible?

Aesthetic level, is your feet a hell of a job? When you go to the beach, are you more of the toe-to-toe style than the fan-toe style? I have what you need.

Say goodbye to the horn under your feet

Against the horn and the asperities: several remedies of grandmother.

Does hyperkeratosis speak to you? It is the excessive thickening of the stratum corneum of the epidermis. It is associated with hardening of the skin and the appearance of horns, warts and other roughness. Any good recipe that attempts to remedy this has two steps: soften and exfoliate.

So, a lemon squeezed into a liter of milk will have incredible effects. The milk softens the skin, then the lemon does not clean up your dead cells.

Its exfoliating action is chemical since it is an acid: it will dissolve dry skin. In other words, you treat yourself to a real foot peel: luxury at a lower cost! Stripped, your feet reveal a new and fresh layer of skin.

It is therefore softer, softer and brighter. If your asperities are deep, they will not disappear completely from the first baths, but they will be largely reduced!

Is the milk bottle empty? More lemons at the convenience store? Do not Cry ! There is a technique, certainly a little less effective but with similar effects, which requires only one ingredient that you necessarily have at the bottom of a cupboard: effervescent aspirin.

Immerse two tablets in your hot water bath and you’re done. Indeed, acetylsalicylic acid is a keratolytic: it softens corns and thicker dead skin before exerting an exfoliating action.

Yellow nails? do not panic…

Whether your nails are yellowed by a yeast infection or by wearing nail polish regularly (you were told to use a primer!), Your savior is the same: baking soda. It has almost become a staple of any health or wellness item.

Its antimycotic action is coupled with purifying properties that prevent the spread of the fungus in a preventive manner.

In the case of nails yellowed by varnish, it’s a bit like teeth whitening: the alkaline properties of baking soda will dissolve the top layer of the nail on which this ugly coloring is present. As a mild abrasive, it unclogs without damaging the nail, unlike some chemicals.

Additional tip: it’s not at all mandatory but I admit that I enjoy the use of my massager and foot bath from time to time. Wondering what it is, here are a few examples:

The final word

As you will have understood, foot baths are an easy and effective way to treat a number of pain and aesthetic problems, or to relax. Ideally, combine them with the use of a pumice stone and then a moisturizer to maximize the benefits.

Don’t wait for sunny days to arrive to get to work. The benefits of foot baths being progressive, it is over time that you must adopt this little well-being ritual!

Finally, if the first bath does not meet your expectations, start over by changing the temperature and selecting another recipe. Sometimes it takes time to find the right fit