8 Amazing Pedicure Foot Soak Recipes

Make your very own pedicure foot soak for an in-home span treatment any night of the week. Try any or all of the 8-different foot soak recipes that will leave the skin smooth, soft, and cleansed.

What is a Foot Soak?

In its most basic form, a foot soak is comprised of warm water, with either salts, herbs, or other ingredients.

Foot soaks are typically done to soften skin, soften nails, or soothe sore muscles and joints. Using warm water helps the ingredients properly dissolve, making it easiest to exfoliate the dead skin after the soak.

Homemade Foot Soak

Standard foot soak ingredients include epsom salt, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, herbs, or essential oils.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure HERE.

Epsom Salt Foot Soak

Epsom salt soaks work wonderfully for dry feet and for sore feet. In addition, using salts can gently detox the body. The minerals found in salts enter the body through the skin to help remove toxins.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/8 cup dried lavender buds (optional)
• 15 drops lavender essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir well to combined.
2. Transfer to a mason jar or airtight container for storage.
3. Pour 1/4 cup of the bath soak into a basin of warm water, enough to cover the feet. Place feet in the soak for approximately 20 minutes.

Vinegar Foot Soak

A vinegar foot soak can be beneficial for cleansing the feet, removing odor, relaxing muscles and even helping with athlete’s foot or fungal toenails.

Ingredients

• 1 part vinegar
• 2 parts warm water

Instructions

1. Add the water and vinegar to a basin.
2. Soak feet for 20 minutes.
3. Pat dry

Hydrogen Peroxide Foot Soak

Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used to cleanse cuts, scraps, and other skin imperfections. In addition, using hydrogen peroxide in your foot soak will be helpful for dry, cracked skin, infected skin, or fungal issues.

Ingredients

• 1/8 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 6 cups warm water
• 10 drops tea tree essential oil (recommended for fungal issues)

Instructions

1. Add the ingredients to a basin. Stir to combine.
2. Soak feet for 20 minutes.
3. Pat dry

foot soak for dry feet

If you suffer from dry, cracked, or flaky skin on your feet, a foot soak can be very beneficial. Soaking your feet in a warm foot soak will soften the skin to make exfoliation easier and more effective.

For this foot soak, you will need:

• 1/4 cup Epsom salt
• 1/8 cup baking soda
• 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil (or any other carrier oil)
• 10 drops myrrh essential oil (optional, but recomended)

How to Make a Foot Soak for Dry Feet:

1. Add the ingredients to basin of warm water. Using water between 95 and 100 degrees is best to soften skin.
2. Soak feet for at least 20 minutes.
3. After the soak, exfoliate the skin with a homemade salt scrub or with a foot exfoliator tool.
4. If needed, repeat steps 2 and 3.
5. After exfoliation, apply a natural body butter or lotion to the feet.

For best results, do this 2-3 times a week or as needed.

Foot Soak to Soften Nails

If you have hard, brittle, or thick toenails, soaking feet in a foot soak before cutting nails can be helpful. A foot soak can also help relieve pressure caused by ingrown toenails.

For this foot soak, you will need:

• Tub or basin of warm water (about 6 cups)
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fractionated coconut oil

Soak feet for 20 minutes to soften nails before cutting.

Homemade Foot Soak for Sore Feet

Foot soaks are not just for softening skin and nails; they can also come in handy for sore and achy feet. After a long day or intense workout, try soaking your feet to relieve the discomforts caused by being on your feet for extended periods of time.

For this foot soak, you will need:

• 1/4 cup Epsom salt
• 5 drops peppermint essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil

How to Make a Foot Soak for Sore Feet:

1. Add the Epsom salt to 6 cups of extra warm water. Make the water as hot as comfortable to relax muscles, release tension and reduce soreness.
2. Soak feet for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove feet, pat dry, and apply soothing lotion with essential oils.

Best Home Pedicure Soak

If you get a professional pedicure at a nail salon, you’ll notice they always start off with a foot soak. This makes cutting toenails and exfoliating the skin on the feet easier and more effective.

I love a good pedicure, but doing it at home saves money and ensures natural ingredients are being used.

To make an at-home pedicure soak, you will need:

• 1/4 cup Epsom salt
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teapoon baking soda
• 10 drops lavender essential oil
• Lemon slices (optional)
• Dried lavender sprigs (optional)

Add the ingredients to about 6 cups of warm water, or at least enough to cover the feet completely—soak feet for a minimum of 10 minutes before the pedicure.

Homemade Foot Soak without Epsom Salt

Most foot soaks call for Epsom salt because salt can help with skin irritations, muscle aches and detox the body. However, other salts can be effective for this as well, not just Epsom salt.

If you want to make a foot soak without Epsom salt, you can use sea salt for similar benefits. Or, leave the salt out altogether and use vinegar, essential oils, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide.

Soaking in warm water alone can help to relax muscles, loosen joints, soften skin, nails, and cuticles.

How to Remove Dead Skin from Feet?

For really dry skin or cracked heels, simply exfoliating the skin can be very successful. The best way to remove dead skin from the feet is by exfoliating the skin after a foot soak.

Soak your feet in any one of the recipes listed above for at least 20 minutes, remove feet from the water and exfoliate with a salt or a sugar scrub.

For very dry feet, repeat until skin is soft.