Can you relate to the feeling of a good foot soak after a long day of hiking, exercise, or being at work? There's nothing quite truly like a rejuvenating foot bath full of warm water, essential oils, and more to help relieve aches and reduce inflammation in your body.
Often, if you ask other people what consists of a great foot soak, they may have a range of different answers, such as adding essential oils, baking soda, tea tree oil, coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, and more.
But, the truth is it can totally depend on the person having the foot bath and their opinion surrounding it.
To know more about soaking your feet, how to do it, and the benefits, keep on reading.
What are the benefits of a foot soak?
Just sticking your feet in warm or hot water is exactly defined as a foot soak. To truly get rid of your sink feet and ease sore muscles, you will want to think about what you add to the water.
One of the best types of foot bath with the most health benefits tends to contain Epsom salt and apple cider vinegar. In general, though, a good foot soak tends to be associated with the following health benefits:
Stops dry skin
When you soak your feet frequently, it can help make your feet more presentable and reduces the risk of dry skin. Depending on the water and type of ingredient you add can help soften your skin and reduce the risk of getting associated problems such as calluses, corns, and more.
Alleviate stress
Have you ever felt your muscles ease up in warm water? Foot soaks are equally, if not more soothing; they can promote relaxation by allowing your mind and body to be calmed down, taking you to a relaxed mindset.
Once you're relaxed, you're less likely to overproduce certain hormones associated with stress, like cortisol. It's much more likely your cognitive function will improve; you'll feel more creative and have a better sleep, therefore having a better mood in general. In addition to this, it might help you manage mental health conditions like depression and anxiety that little bit more easily.
Can make you feel less fatigued
If you soak your feet regularly, you might feel less tired in the long run. Part of this is that baths can help relax your muscles and stimulate your nervous system. Then once your nervous system is stimulated, it could more likely make you feel a lot more relaxed and alert to what is going on around you.
Epsom Salt and its Benefits
One major chemical compound many people add to their soaks is Epsom salts. If you're not familiar with Epsom salt, it's basically a chemical that contains magnesium, oxygen, and sulfur. The salt itself is not like something you put on your food; it's mainly called salt due to its chemical structure.
You may know this name as bath salt, as it looks like table salt and dissolves in the bath like salt. However, this salt is not edible due to the bitter taste it holds. Nowadays, Epsom salt is available everywhere in most grocery stores, drug stores and beauty outlets. It's believed that once Epsom salt dissolves in water, magnesium and sulfate ions are released and then absorbed by your skin.
Epsom salt baths also have a lot of benefits, which are:
Helps aches and pains
A good Epsom salt foot bath can benefit both genders and various ages of people who suffer from muscle soreness. In particular, many athletes use it to alleviate pains in their joints and muscles and decrease inflammation. However, you don't have to be a fitness enthusiast to feel the benefits. If you have arthritis, swelling, or any other joint or bone condition or even pain, Epsom salts could bring down swelling and provide you with a lot of relief.
Improve circulation
When cramps occur, the minerals from the crystals in Epsom salt can help encourage your blood to be pushed through arteries and veins, relieving stress pretty much instantly. Therefore if you've been walking after a long day or suffer from a lot of cramps, an Epsom salt foot soak could help ease them.
Can help skin disorders
If you suffer from one or several skin disorders, you might feel a lot more comfortable using Epsom salts. After all, it can ease cracked skin, help itchy skin and be the perfect solution for those with sensitive skin. Most importantly, though, this chemical can help treat athlete's foot and toenail fungus.
It can do this because the magnesium and sulfur in Epsom salts have antifungal and anti-microbial properties, helping reduce the risk of fungal infections and damage.
A thorough foot treatment
An Epsom salt foot soak can allow you to clean your feet more efficiently than in a shower or a regular bath. This is because the minerals from the magnesium soak in your feet and clean them thoroughly, removing any germs or dirt you can't see with your eyes. Moreover, bacteria tend to dislike salty environment; they can't breed in it, so instead the salt and hot water inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms.
How to prepare for a foot soak
If you want to prepare for a DIY foot soak, you should try and plan a little so the experience is as relaxing as possible. One of the main things you should do is fill your foot bath with warm or hot water, enough to cover your feet.
Then, add essential oil or any additional ingredients you wish to use in the water, then mix together. It's also a good idea to keep a towel nearby and moisturizer so you can gently attend to your feet after soaking. Try and keep a timer nearby or on your mobile so you can time your soak for around 15-20 minutes and have cold water to rinse them off.
Foot soak For Dry Skin
Feet dry? Then one way to help alleviate dry skin is by undergoing foot soaks specifically to remove them.
Ingredients:
- Epsom salt
- Baking soda 1tbsp
- Oil moisture cream
- Essential oils
- Water
- Basin or foot bath
Instructions:
1. Fill the basin up to your ankles with warm water; make sure it's not hot as you will want to easily put your feet in it.
2.Add one cup of Epsom salts to the water; use your hand or a large spoon to mix untill dissolved.
3.Add one tablespoon of baking soda for every quart of the water. This will also help remove any foot odor and get rid of stinky feet (if you have them).
4. Then, if you wish to make your bath more relaxing, you could add an essential oil like lavender, peppermint, lemon, or chamomile.
5. Soak your feet for 20 minutes, then pat gently with an oil based moisturizing cream.
For Aches
Epsom salt can also help ease off any aches and pains in your feet. This is mainly because the magnesium in the salt can get rid of the tension.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of Epsom salt
- 6 tsp of carrier oil
- 5-20 essential oils of your choice
- Basin
Instructions:
1. Fill up the basin up to your ankles with warm water.
2. Dissolve the Epsom salts into the water.
3. Mix the essential oil and carrier oil.
4. Soak your feet in the basin.
For Itchiness
Epsom salts can be also useful for relieving itchiness and to do this; it's best you just use them and water on its own.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of Epsom salt
- Water
- basin
Instructions:
- Fill the water basin up to your ankles.
- Dissolve the Epsom salt.
- Soak your feet for 20-30 minutes.
For Exfoliation
Soften calluses and get rid of the dead skin on your feet using Epsom salt DIY foot soaks.
Ingredients:
- 1-3 fresh lemons
- 1-3 cups of either white vinegar or apple cider
- 3 cups of Epsom salt
Instructions:
- Fill up the basin with water and add vinegar.
- Next, squeeze in the lemon juice.
- Use the insides of the lemon peels to clean your toes and feet gently.
- Rub some of the Epsom salt on your feet in light circular motions.
- Then add the salt to the bath, mix, and soak for 20 minutes.
- After soaking,
- Use the insides of the peels to gently clean toes and feet.
- Before adding the salt to the bath, rub it on your feet using light circular motions.
- Then use a pumice stone or exfoliating brush to remove the dead skin.
For Relaxation
Sometimes a doctor might recommend an Epsom salt foot soak for relaxation purposes.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of bath salts
- 5-20 drops of essential oils of your choice
- 1/4 cup of dried flowers
- 2 tbsp of carrier oil
Instructions:
- Together mix the carrier and essential oils into a large bowl.
- Next, add the other natural ingredients into the mixture.
- Fill the basin up to your ankles and dissolve the ingredients into the hot water.
- Soak feet for 15-20 minutes.
Antifungal
Many people have reported bath salts to have antifungal benefits; however, these benefits have not been medically reviewed and are still not widely supported by the scientific community.
Ingredients:
- 4 drops of tea tree oil
- t tbsp of carrier oil
- 2 drops of essential oil (lemon)
- 1/4 cup of baking soda
Instructions:
- Fill the basin up with water and mix the carrier oil.
- Add the other ingredients into the water.
- Soak for 15-20 minutes.
- Dry your feet with a fresh towel.
Detox
Again Epsom salt for detox has not been medically reviewed properly; therefore, there still needs to be, pre peer-reviewed studies conducted to support this.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of Epsom salt
- 2tbsp of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp of bentonite clay
Instructions:
- Get the clay and mix it with apple cider vinegar until it's thick.
- Apply the paste to your feet for 10 minutes at a minimum and keep it on untill it's dried completely.
- Dissolve the bathsalts into the tub.
- Soak in the tub for 15-20 minutes, and watch the clay dissolve naturally.
- Afterward use an exfoliator or pumice stone to remove any excess dirt.
Safety Tips
If you have any skin conditions, it's always best to speak to a doctor about your health before you begin such treatment. In addition to this, you might want to consider the following:
- Water temperature: Test the water temperature first using a thermometer.
- Essential oils: Always dilute the essential oils in a carrier oil first.
- Skin sensitivity: Do a patch test first to see how your body reacts before soak your feet.
Conclusion
Overall, bath salts are a chemical that is fantastic for helping dry skin, removing fungus, detoxing, and making you relax while having a bath. There's a wide range of benefits that exist when it comes to using bath salts in a foot soak.
But if you plan on using them, you must speak to a doctor first and take precautions if you're planning on adding additional chemicals. Other than that, they're highly affordable and widely available; you can even get them from us at Body and Earth. Have you tried Epsom salts before? Share your experience with us in the comments.
