Pumice Your Feet

As the sun comes out and the temperature rises, you start taking your sandals and flip flops out for the first time all year. While doing this, you might realize that your feet could use a little love. Skin toughness and growths trouble your feet, and what better way to clean them up and ease your pain than with a pumice stone? Soak your feet first, use the pumice stone to remove dead skin, calluses, warts, and corns, and make sure to clean up properly afterwards to get your feet feeling and looking great.

10 Second Summary

1. Soak your feet in a basin full of soap, water, and vinegar or oil.
2. Wet the pumice stone.
3. Gently remove calluses, corns, warts, and dead skin by exfoliating with the stone.
4. Rinse your feet and pat them dry.
5. Properly clean and store your pumice stone.
6. Continue pumicing daily for best results.

Steps

Soaking Your Feet

  1. Fill up a basin with soapy water. Get a shallow basin that when filled with water, submerges up to the ankle. Fill the basin with warm water and a squirt of body wash.
  2. Add oil or vinegar to the basin. Put a few drops of either baby oil or tea tree oil in with the water to quicken the softening process.[1] As an alternative, you can add a splash of distilled white vinegar to deodorize  and sanitize your feet.[2]
  3. Soak your feet for about ten minutes. Leave your feet resting in the basin for at least five and up to twenty minutes. The goal is to make sure that your feet are fully softened.[3] Leave them in a bit longer if you have a lot of growths on your feet that you’re trying to get rid of.

Using a Pumice Stone

  1. Wet the pumice stone. Before using the pumice stone on your feet, dunk it in the warm soapy water that’s in the basin.[3]
  2. Remove dead skin and calluses in a circular motion. Exfoliate the skin on your feet with the pumice stone and spend extra time on the tougher areas of your feet bottoms, such as the heels.[4] This will aid in removing thick, leathery calluses as well as the dead skin cells sitting on top of your healthy skin.
  3. Remove any warts or corns by moving in one direction or back and forth. Spend two to three minutes on any one corn or wart by carefully rubbing over the growth with the pumice stone.[3] This will keep the skin around the growth from tearing.[5]
    • Some growths, such as warts, have the potential to spread. If you’re using the pumice stone on a potentially contagious area, be sure to sanitize it completely before moving to another area on your foot.
  4. Rinse and pat your feet dry. After you’ve pumiced your feet, make sure to rinse them with fresh water and gently pat them dry with a clean washcloth.[4] They will be a bit tender, so refrain from rubbing them dry in a harsh manner.
  5. Moisturize your feet afterward. Since pumicing your feet can be a little irritating for your skin, it’s a good idea to soothe your feet with a plant-based moisturizer. Try rubbing your feet with cocoa butter or coconut oil.[2]

Cleaning Up and Continuing Care

  1. Keep your pumice stone clean. After each time you scrub your feet with the stone, you should rinse it with clean, clear water. After several uses, boil the pumice stone in a vinegar solution containing four cups of water and two tablespoons of vinegar.[6]
  2. Store the stone in a dry location. To maintain cleanliness, avoid keeping your pumice stone in a location near the bathtub or shower where it can collect moisture. Instead, keep your pumice stone in the towel closet or underneath the bathroom sink.
  3. Continue to pumice your feet daily. Especially if your feet have multiple growths and are feeling very dry, complete this regimen every day until you see a more lasting result.[3]

Warnings

  • Be careful not to take off too much skin and go too deep with the pumice stone. This can result in bleeding and infection.[3]

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://patient.info/blogs/sarah-says/2014/04/feet-getting-to-the-root-of-the-problem
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://ecotools.com/blog/2014/04/12/dry-feet-a-pumice-stone-can-fix-those
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/calluses-and-corns-using-pumice-stones-topic-overview
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/a5926/ultimate-diy-pedicure/
  5. ↑ https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/foot-problems
  6. ↑ http://www.youbeauty.com/beauty/how-to-clean-skincare-tools/

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