Thursday, May 6, 2010

Fantastic Foot Soak


I Tivo episodes of The Doctors, a television show that is produced by one of Dr. Phil's sons, Jay McGraw. It's really an interesting show where I pick up all kinds of health tips and information, am educated about things I never knew before, and often, get some pretty cool, homemade beauty formulas. The Cajun even loves the show - well, maybe not the beauty tips so much, but all the other stuff. You know how it is. I can tell him things all the livelong day, but until he hears somebody say the same thing on the television he doesn't see to be able to validate the vast head of knowledge of his own wife!

So let's talk feet.... see, the thing is, we barefoot down south a lot. I can literally remember running around the streets everywhere barefoot as a young teen!  We ran around barefoot. We drove barefoot. We drove to the beach barefoot and then ran around barefoot. Yep, I can actually recall going into Shoney's to visit with a friend of mine {and have a piece of strawberry pie} wearing no shoes at all, and you know what? It was so common back then, nobody even batted an eye about it. Which is hilarious now that I think about it.  I could not imagine running around anywhere barefoot (ouch) these days, much less going into a restaurant barefoot (could you imagine hitting Applebees for lunch, with no shoes on?) but... we still do a lot of barefooting, at least around the house and yard.

Yep. I am what you might call a "barefoot gardener," meaning that when I garden it's typically in flip flops. Is there any need to guess that I don't treat myself to pedicures often?  It would just be a waste of money.  Thankfully, I am limber enough still that I am able to tend to my feet myself, to make those tootsies at least somewhat sandal presentable, manicure them a bit, and slap on a bit of nail polish, and thank goodness because - as you see - I can get some pretty dirty feet out there in the garden.

Anyway... on The Doctors recently, they had a gal who had a problem with rough, calloused and scaly feet, and embedded dirt.  Yeah, I know, yuck... but run around barefoot a lot and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.  To get that dirt off of your feet, you really have to give them a good soak and scrub them down good and hard {ouch again}! This is my own adaptation of the remedy that they gave to her - using an ingredient I somehow had not ever thought to use in a foot soak.  But you know what? It sure worked, and my feet are so soft and happy, that I'll be doing this treatment a couple times a week this summer!

All you need is a cozy chair to sit in for awhile, a pan that you can set your feet comfortably into, some nice warm water - enough to cover those feet, a towel for under the pan, a towel to wipe your feet, some olive oil, some baby oil, a pumice stone, and a pair of socks.  If you have essential oils, add some of those to the soak too if you like, but it's totally optional.  Some good choices would be rosemary, chamomile, peppermint, lavender, or any combination - about 4 to 6 drops total.  If your feet are tired and achy, stir in about a cup of epsom salt until dissolved. Try this soak, your feet will love you for it!

Now... if only I could talk The Cajun into a foot massage...




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Fantastic Foot Soak
Courtesy of My New 30

A comfortable chair to sit in a bit
2 towels
A basin for your feet
Warm water
1 cup of epsom salts, optional
4 tablespoons of olive oil
4 to 6 drops of essential oils (rosemary, chamomile, peppermint,
   lavender, or a combination), optional
Baby oil
A pumice stone
A pair of socks

Grab a glass of sweet iced tea, a warm cup of herbal tea, or maybe a cocktail or a glass of wine, a book, magazine, or the remote to catch up on your favorite Housewives of episodes, and place one towel on the floor in front of your favorite chair. Place a basin on top of the towel in front of your chair. Fill the basin with warm water and stir in the epsom salts if using, until dissolved. Add the olive oil and essential oils and stir them in well. Place your feet into the water, and relax, enjoying your guilty pleasure and soaking your feet for 20 minutes.

Dry your feet well and then use the pumice stone to exfoliate them to remove any rough skin.  Wipe your feet well and rub thoroughly with the baby oil. Put the socks on immediately and leave them on overnight.

Source http://mynew30.com
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3 comments:

  1. Sounds lovely....at Walgreens they have Lavender Epsom salt...mmmm nice.....We have one of those feet machines, it vibrates and bubbles, which feels nice..but I may try to put the epsom in there....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy Mother's Day Mary, hope your day is extra special... I'm going to give this foot soak a whirl..not today..for I must work...:( Olive oil..love it...I need to get some epsom...good for the garden to I hear...hee hee..

    ReplyDelete
  3. hope you had a great mother's day girl...this foot soak sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete

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