Saturday, January 17, 2009

Happy, Healthy Feet: 3 Steps to Pamper Your Soles At Home

By devoting mere minutes to your feet, you can rejuvenate them after a long, hard day. These three simple steps will soften rough heels, revitalize your sleepy soles and keep feet in tip-top shape.

1. Soak. After work take a load off and soak your tired travelers in a tub of warm water for eight to 10 minutes. Use Dead Sea salts or scented bath crystals to relax the muscles and soothe sore joints. These salts also cleanse wounds and help to relieve pain. In fact, Dead Sea salts have been used since ancient times to relax and beautify the skin. Cleopatra controlled the Dead Sea area and was responsible for numerous cosmetic and pharmaceutical factories along its borders.

  • Product picks: Refresh your mind and body with SpaRitual Open Your Eyes 21 Mineral Bath Salts. These bath salts contain organic Australian eucalyptus essential oil, which soothes sore muscles and eases exhaustion. Don’t have time to soak your soles but want to reap the benefits of Dead Sea salts? Then, apply AHAVA Pure Spa Dead Sea Liquid Salt for feet that look and feel refreshed, smooth and soft.

2. Exfoliate. Foot scrubs are essential to fresh, healthy feet. The small microbeads slough away dead skin cells and soften brittle edges. To make your own scrub, use a mixture of salts and your favorite oils. Start with a base of two tablespoons Dead Sea salt and two tablespoons Epsom salts. Add a tablespoon of sweet almond oil and a tablespoon of rosehip oil. Work the scrub onto your feet, letting it set for 10 minutes. To spruce up traditional scrubs, add a few drops of spearmint oil to the mixture.

3. Moisturize. After soaking and scrubbing, show your feet some love with a mini-massage. Simply knead a hydrating lotion into your feet, starting with the toes and working back to the ankle, repeating the same motion on the sole. A simple foot massage will increase circulation, ease achy feet and improve your mood.

  • Product picks: Hydrate your feet with a rescue treatment like Bliss Foot Patrol. This tingling treatment uses peppermint and salicylic acid to restore moisture. For help with calluses, Philosophy Soul Owner is specifically designed for troublesome areas and extremely dry skin, leaving feet smooth and supple.

When you’re in desperate need for a soothing session to calm fatigued feet, at-home treatments are a wonderful way to bring on the comfort and tranquility. Pick up some sea salts, a few oils and a heavy-duty lotion and tackle those rough spots!

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