Summertime means sandals — at least, when you absolutely have to wear shoes at all!
It also means painting your nails cute colors, feeling the grass beneath your soles, and enjoying the cool breeze on your toes.
But it also means that you might become more aware of the less cute aspects of your feet…
After years of wear and tear, being stuffed in shoes, and holding up your whole self, everyone's feet develop rough patches and bumps. This is normal and natural, but it's not always pleasant.
While calluses typically only look unpleasant and feel rough to the touch, corns — which are hard, rounded types of calluses — can be painful when pressure is applied, such as when walking or wearing a shoe.
It can also make you self-conscious if you're walking around barefoot or in shoes that leave your feet mostly exposed.
And since there's a lot of evidence that shows going barefoot is really good for your overall health, you'll definitely want to show off your tootsies this summer.
But if you have corns, calluses, or other rough, hard skin on your feet? Never fear. There are simple, inexpensive, and all-natural ways to smooth your feet and get them soft and ready to show off, and you can do them all right at home.
And of course, this isn't just for feet, so if you have corns or calluses elsewhere, like on your hands, you can try these remedies there, too.
Read on to learn how to make your feet summer-ready, and then break out some nail polish and wiggle your toes!
What Is A Callus?
A callus is a thick, tough area of skin that forms in response to repeated and regular friction or pressure. Your body builds up a callus to protect your skin.
Most people have calluses on their hands and feet caused by walking, holding a pen, or other activity.
Calluses might be unsightly, but they're typically harmless and painless.
What Are Corns?
A corn is actually a type of callus. It's a round bump of hard, dead skin and is usually found on the thin skin of your body, like the tops of your fingers and toes.
Like a callus, corns form where the skin regularly rubs against something, like where the knuckles of your toes run against the top of your shoes.
Unlike a callus, corns are often painful due to being a hard, ball-like shape that digs in, rather than a broader surface.
So, if you have issues with corns and calluses, what can you do?
Remedy #1: Apple Cider Vinegar And Castor Oil
In a bowl or basin of hot, soapy water, add 1 cup apple cider vinegar and soak your feet.
This will soften calluses enough to file down with a pumice stone. For corns, rub a dab of castor oil on each one after each soak.
Do this daily, and your feet will be soft and smooth in about 10 days.
A word about filing down calluses: Be gentle. It will take longer, but rubbing hard with a pumice stone will actually just make the callus worse.
Remedy #2: Vitamin E Or Vitamin A
While they're meant to be taken internally, you can also topically use the gel inside of vitamin capsules by breaking them open and squeezing a bit out.
Rubbing the oil inside a vitamin E or vitamin A capsule is a great treatment for corns.
Rub the contents of a capsule on a corn before going to bed, then cover with a clean cotton sock.
Do this every night until the corn disappears.
Remedy #3: Lemon Peel
Slice off a piece of lemon peel the width of the toe with the corn on it.
Press it pith-side down on the corn and secure with a bandage. Keep everything in place with a clean cotton sock and wear overnight.
Repeat every night until the corn is gone.
Remedy #4: Onion And White Vinegar
Like the lemon peel, a piece of onion soaked for about a day in white vinegar, secured to the foot and left on overnight, also breaks down corns.
But be forewarned that the smell will be much stronger!
Just like the lemon peel, the vinegar-soaked onion piece should be attached with a bandage, covered with a sock, and left on overnight.
Remedy #5: Bread And Apple Cider Vinegar
Half a slice of stale bread soaked in apple cider vinegar is a great way to get rid of a callus that takes up a large area, like across the heel or ball of your foot.
Attach the soaked piece of bread to the foot with some plastic wrap to make sure it doesn't leak, and then cover with a sock.
The callus will be softened and ready to file, or gone completely by morning.
Remedy #6: Castor Oil
This remedy can be done during the day and worn under socks and shoes as you go about your business. It's also great for corns on small, hard-to-bandage places.
Take a non-medicated corn pad and place around the corn. Dab a few drops of castor oil onto the corn, and then cover with some adhesive tape to keep everything in place.
If you're wearing socks, wear old ones in case the oil leaks.
Remedy #7: Aspirin
Crush about five uncoated aspirin tablets into powder, and mix with equal parts apple cider vinegar and water to form a paste.
Rub the paste generously onto a corn or callus, and wrap with a bandage to hold in place.
Leave the paste on for at least 10 minutes, then rub the corn or callus with a pumice stone, and it should come off.
Remedy #8: Epsom Salts
This remedy will take a bit longer, but it's very relaxing!
Dissolve a handful of Epsom salts in a basin of warm water, and soak your feet for about 10 minutes.
Once the dead skin has softened, gently file with a pumice stone. Continue to soak and file every day until the callus is gone.
Depending on the hardness of the callus, this can take up to a few weeks, but be patient.
As an added bonus, soaking your feet every day is a great way to unwind!
If your feet have been feeling and looking stressed, treat them to some TLC with some of the remedies listed here. After all, your feet support you every day. Return the love!
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