Natural remedies and treatments for corns, calluses and cracked heels

Natural remedies and treatments for corns, calluses and cracked heels

Are your feet your enemies? Do you suffer from painful corns and harsh calluses? No need to fret. The solution to smooth, soft feet is in your pantry.

WebMD explains there are several types of corns, most of which are found on the tops and sides of the feet. A hard corn is a small patch of thick, dead skin, while a soft corn has a thinner surface and is most commonly found between the fourth and fifth toes. You can also develop a tender seed corn on the bottom of the foot when the sweat ducts are plugged.

A callus is different from a corn in that it can develop anywhere that experiences friction, including on the chin of a violin player. On the feet however, calluses are most often found on the bottom of the foot.

To treat corns and calluses, follow these home remedies:

1. Castor oil and apple cider vinegar. Reader's Digest recommends making a foot bath of hot soapy water and 1 cup apple cider vinegar. Soak your feet for a minimum of 15 minutes. Use a pumice stone to rub away the callus and dab castor oil on the softened corn. Continue treatment for 10 days to heal the corn completely.

2. Lemon. You may be surprised to learn that applying a slice of lemon peel to the corn, securing it with a bandage, and sleeping with the lemon in place overnight can cure a corn. Reader's Digest says to continue treatment nightly until the corn dissolves.

3. Onion. Reader's Digest recommends placing a slice of white onion in a container and pouring white vinegar over the onion. Allow the onion to marinate during the day, and then at night, apply the vinegar-tainted onion to the corn. Sleep with the onion in place to soften the corn.

4. Bread. This one may come as a shock. Soaking half a slice of stale bread in apple cider vinegar and then securing the bread to the affected part of the food with adhesive tape can cause the corn to dissolve, saysReaders' Digest.

5. Baking soda and hot water. Heal Dove swears by the simple home remedy of soaking the feet in a tub of hot water treated with 3 tablespoons baking soda. You may also find it useful to massage the affected area with a paste made from three parts baking soda and one part water.

6. Pineapple. This miracle fruit contains enzymes known to soften corns and aid in their removal. Heal Dove recommends attaching a piece of pineapple rind to the affected area and leaving it to do its work overnight. The next day, use a pumice stone to rub away the corn.

7. Chamomile tea and Epsom salt. This nourishing, pleasant-smelling foot soak is effective in healing calluses and preventing corns, reports The Fit Indian. Simply add a handful of Epsom salts to a hot foot bath treated with chamomile tea. Soak the feet for at least 10 minutes and then use a pumice stone to soften calluses and remove corns.

8. Licorice and mustard oil. Raw licorice is a powerful agent against infections and other ailments. The Fit Indian recommends grounding 2 or 3 licorice sticks to a fine powder. Add 1/2 teaspoon mustard oil and apply the paste directly to the corn. Bandage the foot and let the healing lotion soak in overnight.

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