Before you fall down that foot care rabbit hole and are ushered into an unforgettable foot care mishap by slapping on a shiny new set of foot peeling shoes, you’re going to want to read this article. Then craft up your own batch of this homemade callus treatment balm recipe to naturally promote foot health and banish tough calluses for good.
No one wants ugly feet. Especially not when summer weather hits. We want our feet to look as awesome as those new sandals we just bought this season. What we DON’T want, however, is a YouTube video of us on a bus peeling skin off our feet. (…and then eating it.)
The horror of that video has since inspired me to experiment with various foot care products. It’s the unforeseen consequences of these products that led to my development of a homemade callus treatment balm.
Women don’t want funky feet. They don’t want you to have them either.
We’ve all heard the negative comments about feet when the weather heats up. Socks and sneakers are replaced with sandals and we tend to see a lot of chunky yellowed calluses, fungus infested toenails and the like. Women especially, I think, enjoy the gossip. Perhaps to feel better about themselves. Or maybe just because they really are completely and totally grossed out.
I remember when I worked on the farmer’s market many years ago. I overheard all kinds of remarks about unfit feet. Typically men were the brunt of these insulting observations. I imagine it’s because men in general don’t care as much about what other people think. If they did they wouldn’t wear socks with sandals, right? (wink. wink.)
I think that we, as women, tend to be more conscious of our own foot health. Many of us were raised to put more into our appearance than men were as children. And for the most part, I don’t see a lot of women wearing sandals if they have funky feet. With the hundreds to thousands of foot care care products marketed to women everyday, the money we’re willing to spend on foot health becomes more evident.
From foot scrubs, sprays, masks and soaks to pumice stones, foot butters and even foot peeling shoes, I’m always discovering new products for foot care. There’s in fact an entire aisle dedicated to just foot care products at my local Ulta.
Foot peeling shoes fall into two categories – effective and completely disgusting.
One of the stranger foot care products I’ve tried are the Tony Moly Foot Peeling Shoes. This liquid foot care product contains lactic acid, salicylic acid and a blend of plant based extracts to remove keratin from your feet. Thickened keratin or calluses, which is medically referred to as hyperkeratosis, peels off of feet when this product is applied within four to six days.
Similar to, but less expensive than, other foot peeling masks on the market, Tony Moly has seen increased popularity with the rise of the Korean skin care and beauty trend.
I first tried Tony Moly’s magic changing foot peeling shoes last year. Freaked out by some of the reviews and photos of excessive peeling, I followed the directions on using this product to a T. I left the foot peeling shoes on for an hour and a half, then washed and dried my feet as indicated.
However, before I reached the four to six day peeling period, I exfoliated my feet daily with the Earth Therapeutics Diamond File to remove excess skin and minimize peeling as much as possible. (You know. Because I had places to go and people to see.)
The product performed okay. There was no vomit inducing horror show on my feet after use, which I was happy about. I simply couldn’t imagine my feet recovering from some of the images I’ve seen from use of this type of product. (Google at your own risk.) I’ve used the foot peeling shoes twice since then.
With the arrival of spring I thought I’d give these foot peeling shoes another try. The weather has gone from spring temperatures straight to middle of August heat a few times already. Wanting to avoid any criticism of my forty plus year old feet – feet do weird things after forty – I placed an order with Ulta and waited for my Tony Moly foot peeling shoes to arrive.
I used my Tony Moly Foot Peeling Shoes within the past week or so. I cut the foot peeling shoes open and stuck one onto each foot. Each shoe was then held closed with the provided stickers. While the shoes did their thing, I did mine. I worked on social media for my blog. I made lunch. I walked around in those shoes – though cautiously on the stairs since I have a habit of falling down them.
Then Jasper, my dachshund, decided he needed to go outside. Jasper is not one who’s often willing to wait for me to primp. He’s basically a spoiled child in dog form. If he doesn’t get his way he will yell (bark) at you until he does. And if you tick him off, well. Let’s just say he will pee in all the wrong places.
There was no way however that I was going to make it out of the house in those foot peeling shoes. Our side door exits onto gravel and grass and dirt. And Jasper is finicky about where he’ll lay his load. So I removed the foot peeling shoes. I wiped my feet off with a tea towel, slid on a pair of flip flops and off we went.
My day resumed as usual after that. Work and dinner. I caught up on the new season of The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. I went to bed, got up, showered. That’s about when I realized I’d forgotten to wash off the residue from the foot peeling shoes. Oops.
A few days later the skin peeling commenced. It was the stuff of nightmarish google images – so totally gross. I would walk around the house leaving bits of dead skin everywhere. My roommate started having nightmares about her own feet peeling. So much in fact, she was peeling off dead skin in her dreams only to hit a road block that required scissors. Yes, scissors!
I alternated back and forth being using my diamond file and moisturizing – day in and day out. Until finally – FINALLY! – my feet started to resemble the feet of a normal human again. That’s when I decided to make a homemade callus treatment balm.
(And let me just say, this new guy I’ve been dating is on a whole new level of comfortable with me after this experience. Get your introduction here.)
About my homemade callus treatment balm.
I formulated my homemade callus treatment balm using natural skin conditioning carrier oils like coconut oil and camelina seed oil. These oils were then combined with turmeric root powder and a blend of organic essential oils proven to minimize inflammation caused by calluses while also encouraging blood flow, fading discoloration and softening the build up of tough skin.
Essential oils such as tea tree oil and oregano essential oil also help to prevent and treat common fungal infections you get on your feet, including athlete’s foot, toenail fungus and fungus caused by candida.
Homemade Callus Treatment Balm Recipe
Ingredients:
1 oz. refined coconut oil
1 oz. safflower oil
1 oz. natural beeswax pastilles
.75 oz. sunflower oil
.25 oz. camelina seed oil
.025 oz. turmeric root powder
12 drops tea tree essential oil
12 drops chamomile essential oil (3% dilution)
12 drops oregano essential oil
12 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions:
Weigh out the ingredients.
Using a digital scale (I use this Baker’s Math Scale for all my bath, body and homemade soap recipes) weigh out the carrier oils, beeswax and turmeric root powder.
Melt the ingredients.
Combine the oils, beeswax and turmeric in a double boiler and gently heat until the beeswax has completely melted. Remove from heat.
Add the essential oils.
Using a graduated transfer pipette or dropper, add the essential oils to the melted homemade callus treatment balm ingredients. Stir to combine.
If desired you can omit the turmeric root powder and use turmeric essential oil in place of the lavender or chamomile essential oil.
Pour into containers.
Now pour your homemade callus treatment balm into clear or amber glass jars. Once cool, screw on the lids for each jar.
Decorate or label your jars.
I used two 2.3 oz. thick wall glass cosmetic jars for my homemade callus treatment balms, then decorated the outside of the jars with decorative washi tape. Washi tape and stickers are a fun way to give your balms a personalized homemade look for gifting.
Use your homemade callus treatment balm.
To use simply apply your homemade callus treatment balm after bathing or soaking feet, then exfoliating with a pumice smoothing stone or diamond file. (Note that this product may stain light colored clothing.)
More natural foot care recipes.
If you’re a fan of my homemade callus treatment balm, then you may also want to try my other natural foot care recipes.
- Natural Neem Oil & Tea Tree Foot Scrub Recipe
- Natural Foot Repair Salve Recipe with Neem Oil
- Pedi Foot Scrub Recipe with Coconut Oil (Pictured below.)
- Natural Peppermint Foot Cream Recipe
- Natural Soothing Foot Soak Recipe
- Peppermint Foot Scrub Soap Recipe
- Natural Exfoliating Foot Scrub Recipe
- Natural Rosemary & Neem Oil Foot Salve Recipe
- Peppermint Exfolimint™ Foot Soap Recipe
- Natural Anti-Fungal Toenail Fungus Treatment
Have you tried foot peeling shoes?
If you’ve tried foot peeling shoes, I’d love to hear your experience! I’d be delighted if you shared your story in the comments.
Keep in contact.
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This article is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Information on products mentioned are based on my own personal experience and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a physician prior to making any changes that may impact your health.
