Most people will have suffered from tired, aching feet at some point in their lives. And it isn’t very pleasant for anyone when they get home after a hard day’s work and put their feet up only to find that the ache just won’t go away.
Foot baths are especially helpful for soothing tired, aching feet. Just soaking your feet in a nice, warm bowl of water will often ease the pain, but the addition of a few essential oils can work magic, not only on tired feet, but on sweaty feet too. And if you are unfortunate enough to be cursed with athlete’s foot, don’t worry because essential oils can help there too.
Foot bath blends usually contain 8 to 10 drops of essential oils to 2 gallons of warm water. If you want to you can add a cup of Epsom or sea salts as well.
An Essential Foot Bath For Tired Feet
3 drops lavender
3 drops rosemary
4 drops lemon
Add the above oils to 2 gallons of warm water and mix them in. This blend is a God-send when you have been on your feet all day. The lavender soothes while the rosemary and lemon refresh, revive, and stimulate the circulation.
An Essential Treatment For Athlete’s Foot
4 drops tea tree
4 drops lavender
2 drops sandalwood
Add the oils to 2 gallons of warm water and mix well. If you are plagued by chronic athlete’s foot this combination of pure essential oils is just what you need to start fighting back. Tea tree is anti-fungal. So is lavender. The sandalwood conditions, softens and soothes sore and cracked feet and toes and its antiseptic and soothing properties help protect the feet from any secondary problems that might arise from the open cracked skin. If you prefer you could substitute the sandal wood with patchouli. Patchouli also has fungicidal properties and will act as a skin regenerator.
An Essential Treatment For Burning Feet
3 drops peppermint
4 drops lavender
3 drops Roman chamomile
Add the oils to 2 gallons of warm water and mix well. This blend is great for those hot, weary feet that have been on the move all day. The peppermint cools the feet and the lavender and chamomile soothe the feet.
Aromatic Foot Powder
1/2 cup arrowroot (or equal parts of baking soda, cornstarch and clay)
8 drops of the essential oils of your choice. Any of the foot bath recipe blends will be okay or, alternatively, you can use blends containing any of the following: cypress (especially useful for sweaty feet), pine, juniper, ylang-ylang, grapefruit, rosewood, frankincense.
Mix the arrowroot with the essential oils, crushing the small clumps of oil between your fingers to evenly distribute them. This blend is made with pure essential oils. No base oil is added. Remember to wash you hands after handling pure essential oils and avoid any contact with the eyes or delicate mucous membranes.
Store your finished foot powder in an airtight container (preferably one that has a closable shaker top, like a baby powder bottle). Aromatic foot powder is nice sprinkled in socks, tennis shoes, and boots. Your feet will feel better and they will smell better too.