Saturday, January 7, 2012

Foot Care



With the heater running and drying out the air O Wise One and I have started to have a problem with the heels of our feet. For us this problem comes with over exposure ( going barefoot or wearing flip flop or garden clogs) during the summer, a lack of exfoliating and moisturizing ( shame on us) , and dry skin. It seems with heating the house it flares up every winter. From what I have read this is also something that older people tend to have problems with as well but we won't go there. Part of our New Year's resolution is to pay more attention to this part of our bodies. In my web surfing over the holidays I ran across several DIY products that have really helped us with this issue.


DIY Foot Scrubs



During the holidays you find lots of these recipes floating around the net as homemade gifts. I personally don't give cosmetics as gifts but that doesn't keep me from experimenting with these for myself. I made up a wonderful concoction by mixing brown sugar, vanilla, and olive oil. I put this in a small jelly jar and placed it in the bathroom. At night I exfoliate my feet with this foot scrub and they feel wonderful. I guess the sugar helps get rid of that dead skin on your heels and the olive oil moisturizes. I have started also using it on my elbows and knees to exfoliate and moisturize. It works wonderfully. The only downside is you need to make sure and clean the tub afterwards with a little baking soda as it will leave your tub slippery.  


Basically I add enough brown sugar to loosely fill a pint jar then add enough olive oil to make a paste and a Tablespoon of vanilla extract. Stir well and put top on jar. At bath time you just dip your wash cloth in the jar and get a small scoop to wash heels and elbows. Sometimes it will separate and settle and you may have to take your finger and remix your scrub.   


You can find lots of these sugar scrub recipes at this link : Tip Junkie


I think a small tub of this for washing those dirty gardening hands will be by the bathroom sink this summer as well. 






DIY Moisturizing Lotion






The other foot care product I have started making is a homemade lotion.There is a great tutorial for making this lotion over at Lisa Takes Six Blog Spot


Following her advice I went to the Dollar Store and bought a jar of  inexpensive Vitamin E Lotion, Petroleum Jelly and Baby lotion. Put them all in a bowl and got out my mixer. This whipped up a quart jar and a pint jar of fluffy moisturizing lotion that we must say is the best we have ever used on our feet. Although with the Petroleum Jelly it is a bit heavy to use anywhere else. We keep a jar in the end table between our recliners. We put it on every night while we sit in our chairs and watch tv, read or crochet. We use a foot file first to remove any dry skin and put on clean white socks after applying the lotion. I must say the improvement has been wonderful, and inexpensive


In the future I would also like to experiment with making a beeswax and olive oil solid lotion bars for a little more natural approach.  But for now we are seeing a daily improvement to that dry itchy skin and cracking heel problem that so many older people experience.  


Anyone else have any great cures for this ailment?




Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter












3 comments:

  1. You have been awarded the Liebster Blog Award by Moving On To The Past. Thank you for all your wonderful posts. Please see my blog to receive your award and the instructions on how to pay it forward. http://movingontothepast.blogspot.com/2012/01/liebster-blog-awards.html

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  2. I just read on someones blog, that you should soak your feet for a few minutes a day in vinegar and water, it restores the ph. I don't know if it works, but its worth a try. lol
    xo

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  3. For a quick fix I wet my feet to restore some moisture and then rub almond oil over that. It helps seal in the moisture plus its a good oil to use for that too. You could use that all over your body and I often do after a shower. A little bit goes a long way. Ive used the same bottle for over a yr now. When feet are really dry tho I use pure shea butter. I buy the organic in bulk off ebay and keep small containers around to use. It seals the skin and is nourishing too. I often put some on my hands just before I do dishes since I break out from that. My biggest problem is remembering to do any of these lol.

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