Can you name a body part that often gets neglected? One area that we forget to take top care of is our feet. We use them all the time; we forget how to take proper care of them, making us experience sore feet through cracks, blisters, and bad foot placement.
This is especially common if you're someone who takes part in a lot of sport, walks frequently, or has a job that requires you to move about a lot. Similarly, foot problems can be common if you keep your shoes or socks on for long periods, not giving them the breathing space they deserve.
Therefore one of the best ways you can look after your feet is to purchase Epsom salts and undergo an Epsom salt foot soak.
To know more about Epsom salt baths, keep reading as today we're going to provide you with all the information you need to know about Epsom salt soaks.
What is Epsom Salt?
Epsom salt is a chemical compound you must know about if you want to have relaxing baths and foot soaks. It's a chemical compound discovered in an English town called Epsom (hence the name). Primarily Epsom salt contains three compounds: Oxygen, Sulfur, and Magnesium.
It looks similar to table salt; however, it's not taken orally, instead to reap its benefits, it's dissolved in water. Epsom Salts are no new solution; they've been used for hundreds of years to treat sore muscles, foot pain, joint pain, remove dead skin, and more.
Epsom Salt bath for feet
Although Epsom salt has a range of health benefits such as reducing inflammation, helping relieve migraines, and much more, it really helps treat sore feet. In particular, Epsom salt foot soaks can help reduce pain in feet swelling and help treat certain symptoms associated with bad foot health.
This works as when the Epsom salt is placed in the water; the magnesium ions are dissolved into it. As a result, your feet absorb the ions and become more relaxed. The sulfate also helps reduce joint pain in your toes and ankles.
Together the chemicals and the warm, soothing water can help relieve swelling. It's also believed that certain foot baths like an ionic bath might help detoxify your feet and have anti-inflammatory properties; however, there needs to be more research done to support this.
How to make an Epsom salt foot soak
If you're interested in making an Epsom salt foot bath, it's really easy to do; you will need the following ingredients to do so:
Ingredients for a foot soak
- Basin or foot spa
- Epsom salt (300g)
- Warm water
- Exfoliating scrub
- Soap
- Towel
Method
- Get your foot basin or bathtub and fill it up with warm water. You will want to fill it up, so it covers your feet and the top of your ankles.
- Once you've filled it up with water, add the Epsom salt and let it dissolve.
- Then soak your feet in the tub for 15-30 minutes.
- After this, get an exfoliating scrub of your choice and your favorite soap. Then use them both together to help clean and exfoliate your feet.
If you want to take your hydrating foot soak to the next level, you could try adding your favorite scent by using essential oils. To make it have that real aromatherapy smell, you might want to use essential oils like peppermint, Eucalyptus, and diluted Lavender Oil.
Similarly, you could add a bubble bath to make the experience even more pleasurable. If you get foot baths with a bubbling experience, it may help alleviate muscle soreness even more.
Benefits of Epsom Foot Soaks
If you plan on having an Epsom salt foot bath, then there are a lot of benefits to each foot soak, such as the following:
Inflammation, Aches, and Pains
One of the most popular benefits of Epsom salt foot bath is that it can help soothe sore or tired feet. Many runners and swimmers swear by using Epsom salt as it can be a big relief for foot aches. It's also believed that an Epsom bath foot soak can help ease short-term foot pain and help heal bruises.
2. Exfoliation
Whether you plan on using an Epsom salt foot soak daily or weekly, it can help soften or ease cracked feet. It can help get rid of callouses located on the heel of your foot, sides, or even the ball. An Epsom salt soak can help prepare our skin for a further exfoliating treatment using a pumice stone or brush.
3. Reducing Odor
Regular Epsom salt foot soaks can help you maintain good foot hygiene and keep your feet clean. This reduces foot odor, stopping your feet from smelling in open space. On the contrary, if you have bad smelling feet, you should always have an Epsom salt foot soak first. Following this, you should use soap, and your favorite body wash to kill any odor. Always make sure you let your feet dry thoroughly before putting socks and shoes on.
4. Decreasing symptoms of athlete's foot
Athlete's foot is a fungal skin infection that causes a lot of discomfort in your feet. The infection tends to start in between the toes, and the bacteria grow the warmer the environment. Once it grows, your foot becomes itchy and uncomfortable. Epsom salt won't cure all the symptoms of athletes' feet, but it will help ease any irritation and soothe your feet.
5. Treating fungal infection
Epsom salt can't fully treat fungal infections; however, it can help draw fungal infections out of the feet. It can also help soften the skin and help promote anti-fungal medications. But, it's always important to speak to a doctor first as some fungal infections like Staph infection may worsen due to salt and hot water.
6. Relaxation & Pain Relief
If you participate in a lot of sport or just use your feet, Epsom foot soaks can help extract some toxins that cause pain and inflammation. Therefore if you have sore feet, corns, or blisters, Epsom salts might help improve foot health.
7. Improved Mood
There is research that shows that magnesium sulfate may help treat people with depression. It's believed that magnesium can help the brain make more serotonin-boosting a person's mood. In addition to helping mood, it's also thought to help your body produce melatonin, allowing for a better night's sleep.
8. Improved Circulation
A good Epsom salt bath with warm water can help increase blood flow and circulation in your feet and legs. It's also thought that the anti-inflammatory properties Magnesium Sulfate holds can help better your circulation.
9. Removing splinters
An Epsom salt foot soak can also help remove splinters. This is because the minerals in the salt work together to reduce inflammation around the affected area. As a result, your skin will become softer, and it will be easier to remove the hangnail or debris.
Precautions
If you have any concerns about undergoing an Epsom salt foot soak, you must speak to your doctor first. Also, if you have a skin infection or an open wound, you should not use Epsom salt until its fully healed. It's also important that you specifically buy Epsom salts that are only intended to be used for foot soaks.
It's also important that you select Epsom salt with USP on the label. This means scientists have tested that it's safe for human use and met safety regulations from the FDA.
Most of the time, Epsom salt foot soak is safe to have. However, there are a few occasions where Epsom salt foot baths may not be appropriate, one of which is if you have very dry skin and have a foot bath with warm water regularly.
Doing this can put your feet more at risk of having cracks. If you have diabetes soaking your feet is not safe, as it could increase the chances of you having an infection.
Moreover, if you have diabetes and soak your feet too much, it could make your feet dry out more. As a result, it may cause your skin to crack and leave skin that's become broken at risk of infection. Plus, if you don't have your feet dried properly, you could put yourself at risk of having a fungal infection, which could have a knock-on effect on your diabetes.
Plus, speak to a doctor before placing your feet in Epsom salt if you have any of the following foot-related complaints:
- Prolonged pain
- Open sores
- Constant foot swelling
- Foot pain that does not go after 7 days
You should also visit a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following:
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Skin infection after you've soaked your feet
- Low blood pressure
- Sleepiness
- Fast or slow heartbeat
Other Foot Soaks
Alongside an Epsom salt foot soak, there are alternative foot soaks that can provide a lot of benefits that you might want to consider, such as:
Baking Soda
Try adding baking soda to a foot bath to help exfoliate your skin ease muscle soreness and itching. If done well, this home remedy can help cleanse your feet. But, you don't want to overdo it though you should aim to add 3-4 tablespoons into a warm basin for your foot soak.
Vinegar
Try soaking feet in vinegar. Vinegar is a great home remedy as it can help protect your feet against fungi, bacteria, and nasty microbes. It can also help with foot odor, athlete's foot, and warts. To have a vinegar foot soak, you will want to do the following
- Fill a water basin with 1 cup of vinegar
- Add warm water to the basin, around 2 cups.
- Keep adding 1 part vinegar for every 2 cups of water till the foot bath is full
- Then soak your feet for 15-20 minutes.
Olive oil
All it takes is only a few drops of olive oil in warm water to help hydrate your feet in a foot soak. Olive oil is known to help ease dry skin and has a range of powerful antioxidants that might help your skin become softer. In particular, it has lutein, squalene, lipophilic, tocopherols, and more.
Essential oils
You might want to try a few drops of olive oil in your foot soak. Some typical ones you might wish to consider are wintergreen, peppermint, and rosemary. Together essential oils can help relieve pain, reduce dryness and provide a cooling effect for aches.
What is the best foot soak for plantar fasciitis?
If you have plantar fasciitis, there are some foot soaks that help that involve apple cider vinegar and Epsom salts. You will want to mix one cup of vinegar with 6 cups of warm water in a basin for apple cider vinegar. Then soak your feet in it for 30 minutes to help alleviate plantar fasciitis symptoms.
On the contrary, you can use Epsom salts by adding two to three tablespoons for a shallow bath to help this condition. You will want to keep your feet in the bath for up to 30 minutes.
Conclusion
Overall there are lots of benefits of Epsom salt foot soaks such as reducing inflammation, helping aches, treating symptoms of athlete's foot and fungal infections, improved mood, improved circulation, and more. But you should avoid overdoing foot soaks as it could make your skin crack and become infected.
Instead, you should aim for a couple of times a week to soften and moisturize your feet. Similarly, if you have any skin infections, suffer from diabetes, have foot sores, and constant swelling, you should not use and always speak to a doctor first. Most of the time, though, bath salts are fantastic for your overall foot health and extremely affordable to buy; check out our range here.
