Monday, September 1, 2014

DIY Homemade Natural Herbal Foot Soak

I am an avid heel wearer and in the summer I live in sandals plus I do a lot of walking. By the end of the day, my feet are tired (and living in a big city, not always the cleanest!). I like to end the day by soaking my feet in a therapeutic and cleansing mini-bath. I usually buy natural foot soak salts (my favorite is Earth Therapeutics, see below) but since I have an abundance of herbs in my garden right now I thought I would try making my own. I love the scent of fresh rosemary and lemon balm and since both have good cleansing and aromatherapy qualities, I am using these first. The smell of these two herbs together as I poured boiling water over them was so soothing and pleasant that I think I may try a facial steam with them too! I also purchased some pharmaceutical grade tea tree oil for added benefit, though it is not necessary.

Here is my recipe:
Ingredients
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3-4 sprigs of fresh lemon balm
1/4 cup of epsom or sea salt (I also used course Kosher salt)
1-2 drops of tea tree oil
enough water to fill your foot soak tub or bucket to cover your ankles

Pour about 2 cups of boiling water over a few branches of rosemary and lemon balm and let sit for about 20 minutes to cool.
The hot water will release some of the fragrant and medicinal natural oils in the herbs.
Add 1/4 cup of the salt. Add warm water and the rosemary water and test to make sure the temperature is good for you.
Add a few drops of the tea tree oil (it is pretty strong so only 1-3 will do!)
Soak feet for 15 minutes or so.
If you don't have lemon balm you can substitute with some fresh lemon zest shavings or even lemon slices.

Following your soak with a little scrub using a pumice brush or sugar rub also helps get rid of dead skin. I also like to use a little peppermint lotion afterward to cool and refresh while retaining moisture. Burt's Bees makes an excellent peppermint foot lotion that really cools feet after a long hot day. Made with natural ingredients like peppermint oil, coconut oil, beeswax, tea tree oil and witch hazel, this lotion is a great way to naturally pamper your feet!

You can purchase Burt's Bees at Amazon.com at a great price by selecting Subscribe and Save to receive up to 20% off - Click here: Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion, 3.38 Fluid Ounces

If you don't make your own foot soak, check out Earth Therapeutics Tea Tree Oil Foot Soak. The scent is lightly minty but not over powering. One capful of salts does a great job at softening rough skin.
Purchase this foot soak here: Tea Tree Oil Foot Soak 10 oz

Enjoy!