Do you like to take care of your nails using folk remedies? Then you should definitely try making nail baths with soda. Agree that a bag of baking soda is available in every home, so you don’t have to spend money on expensive cosmetics. At the same time, by performing such procedures, you can significantly whiten the nail plates, soften the cuticles and make the skin of your hands soft. Considering all the benefits of baths with soda for nails, we can conclude that this is the most budget-friendly and highly effective method of hand care. Well, we will tell you how to properly prepare and use them in our article today.
What causes thickening of the skin on the heels
When walking, the entire load of the body falls on the foot, mainly on its edges. The skin is also subject to friction and pressure. As a result, skin cells change and grow to create additional area of the foot and distribute the load along the edges.
But the thicker and less elastic the stratum corneum, the more the cells of the foot will be injured and destroyed when walking, which leads to the formation of cracks. In medicine, this phenomenon is called hyperkeratosis.
In a normal state, the process of cell renewal is controlled by the body, but in the presence of certain diseases or lack of immunity, it leads to the formation of cracked heels.
This is mainly for diseases such as:
- diabetes
- vitamin deficiency (lack of vitamins A and E)
- Iron-deficiency anemia
- dermatitis
- obesity
- fungal infection.
That is, when cracks in the heels are not a banal pathology, they may indicate the presence of endocrine, metabolic and immune diseases in the body.
Some useful tips for your feet:
- Don't forget to massage your feet daily. A tennis ball or a 1.5-liter bottle filled with warm water is suitable for this. With the bottle you will also train your calves and joints.
- Do gymnastics for your legs; simple exercises for ten to fifteen minutes will improve blood circulation and remove the feeling of heaviness.
First exercise: walk on your heels, alternating with walking on your tiptoes.
Second exercise: walk first on the outer edges of the foot, and then on the inner edges.
Third exercise: rock on your feet - with pressure from your whole body from your toes to your heels.
- Choose the right shoes - comfortable, comfortable, made from high-quality, natural materials. Better to save money on something else. After all, the health of our feet affects our well-being and mood!
Causes of cracked heels
Therefore, it is important to decide and identify the reasons that led to this manifestation. And if you can’t do it yourself, and home treatment does not give the expected results, you need to contact a specialist and undergo laboratory tests such as:
- general and biochemical blood tests
- glucose tolerance test
- microscopy of tissue from the lesion site
- Dopplerography of the vessels of the extremities.
When the cause of a disease is eliminated, the effect itself disappears, naturally, not without your help.
In this case, the panacea for all ills is hot softening foot baths, which will allow you to painlessly remove the hardened stratum corneum, eliminate cracks in the heels, and achieve baby-soft skin. But, again, there are some “buts”.
How to prepare your feet for soap treatment
In order for the laundry soap solution to produce results, it must penetrate as deeply as possible into the nails damaged by the fungus. To do this, you can first make a bath of hot water and softening shampoo. Soak your nails in a 50-degree bath and trim them short. It is also worth going over the top of the nail with a nail file, especially if they have already transformed into growths. If your nails are too hard, you should steam them as best as possible before cutting them.
After you have removed as much damaged nails as possible, you can begin treatment with laundry soap. Use either bubble baths or grate soap and apply to your nails. Wrap them with a bandage and keep them on for 2 to 8 hours.
Contraindications for foot baths
As with any procedure, even the most harmless one, there are contraindications, knowledge of which is necessary. Hot foot baths are contraindicated for:
- pronounced varicose veins
- diseases of the heart and blood vessels
- illness with fever
- presence of abrasions, cuts, wounds (postpone the procedure for a while)
Hot foot baths are necessary at any time of the year: in winter and in the off-season, when feet are kept in closed shoes for a long time, and in summer, when they are open for a long time and the skin becomes rough and dried out under the influence of hot dry air and street dust.
Making hot baths is quite simple, they will take no more than 15-20 minutes. They will not only relieve various problems and make the skin soft, healthy, well-groomed, but also improve the overall condition.
At this time, you can turn on light music, sit in a comfortable chair, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to hot water, and get an incredible feeling of comfort and relaxation.
The most important ingredients for baths can be base and essential oils, infusions of medicinal herbs, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar and baking soda.
Contraindications and side effects
Despite the relative safety of using sodium bicarbonate to combat fungus, the product has a number of contraindications for use and can cause side effects.
Carrying out water procedures using soda is prohibited when:
- increased skin sensitivity;
- individual intolerance to the product;
- elevated body temperature;
- the presence of open wounds and irritated areas;
- diabetes mellitus
Important!
Hot soda baths are also contraindicated for people with cardiovascular diseases, bronchial asthma and pregnant women.
Among the possible consequences of improper use of the medicinal solution or ignoring contraindications are:
- the appearance of a small red or pink rash on the skin;
- itching and burning of fungal-affected areas of the skin;
- the appearance of peeling and cracking on the feet;
- blistering.
Baking soda is the most important component of foot baths
Baking soda is the most accessible and inexpensive product that is found in every home. It has ideal softening and disinfecting properties. Soda solutions create an alkaline environment where various bacteria die.
Therefore, using hot baths with soda, you can:
- disinfect and steam the skin of the feet well, relieve tension,
- painlessly get rid of calluses, corns and rough stratum corneum
- eliminate unpleasant foot odor, sweating
- fight fungal manifestations of the nail plate and heels
- remove skin irritation, itching, swelling, heal damage.
IMPORTANT : To avoid relapse, if you have an unpleasant foot odor and various types of fungal manifestations: fingers, nail plate and heels, after baths you must use a clean towel, socks, shoes and bedding. Only this can guarantee quick relief from any problem.
To do this, just wash socks and other things that your feet have come into contact with, and pour a few drops of 70% vinegar essence into your shoes and close them in a plastic bag without access to oxygen for 24-48 hours.
Or use 5D anti-sweat and odor powder (sold at the pharmacy). In this case, as practice shows, a one-time use is sufficient.
Below we will look at several recipes for hot foot baths that you can make depending on the problem, the desired effect or the availability of certain ingredients.
Effectiveness of soda
Baking soda is a white, finely crystalline powder consisting of sodium and acid. It can be used externally, in the form of baths, pastes and compresses, or taken internally. As a rule, the substance does not have an aggressive effect and does not cause harm to humans. This is an effective and accessible way to cope with a number of diseases.
Sodium bicarbonate has long been used to treat various diseases in the human body. This action is due to a number of beneficial properties that sodium bicarbonate has:
- has bactericidal and antibacterial effects;
- cleanses;
- softens;
- dries;
- creates or normalizes an acid-base environment.
A large number of options for using soda allows you to choose the most convenient and affordable one, which will help you heal from annoying fungus. But despite all its harmlessness, the product should be used only after consultation with a specialist. Only a doctor can determine the type of fungal infection, the degree of its neglect, and prescribe appropriate medications for treatment. The doctor must decide whether the use of traditional recipes in the treatment of the disease is rational.
Hot foot bath with baking soda
Boil 3 liters of water. Dilute 1.5 liters of this with cold water until the skin of your feet feels hot but pleasant. Dilute two to three tablespoons of baking soda in it and lower your feet. As it cools, add hot water. A soda foot bath can be used for 15-20 minutes.
Then treat the stratum corneum of your feet with pumice: remove calluses and rough skin on your heels. Rinse your feet with the rest of the water and dry with a towel.
In case of fungal manifestations, apply a few drops of tea tree oil to the skin of your feet. To remove unpleasant odors (which can also be a fungal manifestation), you can dilute tea tree oil in a 1:1 ratio with any base oil or use essential oils of juniper, pine, cypress, eucalyptus, grapefruit.
Then thoroughly massage your feet, especially your heels, as these are where the nerve endings of all the organs of our body are located.
If you have nail fungus (as a rule, the lesion occurs along the edges of the nail plate), be sure to move the nail plate (you can use a nail file) and pour a few drops of hydrogen peroxide under it. Wait until the foaming stops and put on socks.
Rules for the procedure
To get the most positive effect and pleasure from the procedure, you must adhere to the following rules when performing it:
- To begin, clean the nail plates from varnish, if any, with a special liquid, thereby degreasing the surface of the plates.
- Before making a bath, you need to remove burrs with tweezers.
- If there are scratches or wounds on your hands, it is recommended to postpone the procedure until they heal.
- The water for the procedure must be heated to 40 C.
- The optimal duration of the procedure is considered to be 10-15 minutes; it is not recommended to exceed the procedure time by more than 20 minutes.
- After the bath, dry your hands thoroughly and treat them with nourishing cream.
- Take a bath at least 1-2 times a week.
- Use only fresh powder for baths; after opening the package, you must use sodium carbonate within six months. After the expiration date, do not use baking soda, otherwise it may cause irritation.
Following these simple rules for carrying out a cosmetic procedure will allow you to get the expected result and avoid unpleasant consequences.
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Hot foot bath with baking soda and sea salt
As in the first case, boil 3 liters of water, dilute some of it, and add two tablespoons of baking soda and 4 tablespoons of sea salt (you can use regular table salt).
If you want to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the water, first stir it with salt, then the oil will not float to the surface of the water.
Also add boiling water and keep your feet in the bath up to your ankles for 15-20 minutes. Then dry your feet and apply oils: tea tree or juniper, cypress, eucalyptus, etc.
If there is no problem and you just want to relax, use a few drops of mint and lavender oil. If you just want to soften the skin of your feet, take any base oil: coconut, almond, sea buckthorn (they have bactericidal properties). Everything else is the same as in the first case.
When to expect results
If you find a fungus in the initial stages of development, it is not difficult to restore the health of your nail using folk recipes. Typically, a healthy plate begins to grow after 2-3 weeks of manipulation.
However, when treating a progressive disease, it will take several months; for safe exposure, consider the alternation schedule:
- Use iodine solution for 2 weeks.
- Then take a break for a week and use other methods of removing fungus - more gentle ones.
- Reuse iodine for 3 weeks.
- Take a break for 7-10 days.
If the fungus has not completely disappeared, repeat the course and take breaks periodically.
Hot herbal foot bath with baking soda
Pour three to four tablespoons of dry herbs into 1 liter of boiling water, wrap well and let steep for 40-45 minutes. Then add 2 liters of boiling water and two tablespoons of baking soda. Keep your feet in the broth for 15-20 minutes, adding a little hot water.
Next, you also remove corns and rough skin on the heels, rinse your feet, wipe and apply oils.
For herbal decoction, you can use one or more types of dry or fresh (2 times more) medicinal herbs: celandine, calendula, sage, chamomile.
Herbal foot baths can be used with the addition of sea salt and used on their own. Care and application of oil are the same as in all other cases.
How alkaline baths act on the skin: properties and benefits
Baking soda is a universal foot skin care product. Its many amazing properties are used far beyond the food industry.
- Soda baths help your feet relax after a hard day at work. Women in offices tend to wear high heels.
- Excessive sweating disappears, therefore, there is no unpleasant odor from the feet, which appears due to the abundance of bacteria on the skin.
- For heavily soiled areas where regular soap cannot cope, soda baths easily remove dirt and dust.
- Baking soda softens corns.
- Dead cells are exfoliated and the ability to regenerate returns.
- This is an effective remedy for nail fungus.
- Soda has an antiseptic effect. Relieves inflammatory processes, heals small cracks and wounds.
Be careful! Baking soda is an alkali. Any alkaline drug can corrode substances (including human skin). Taking a soda bath should not last more than 20 minutes.
Hot bath of baking soda with laundry soap
Boil 3 liters of water, dissolve two or three tablespoons of shavings of 72% laundry soap in 1 liter, add 1-2 tablespoons of soda. Stir well and wait until the soap shavings dissolve. Then soak your feet in the solution and add hot water as needed.
A soda foot bath with laundry soap is also taken for 15-20 minutes. It ideally softens rough areas of skin and heels, after which they can be cleaned quite easily and painlessly with a pumice stone. Next, rinse your feet with clean water, dry with a towel, and apply oils.
How to prepare and use soda foot baths: recipes
All recipes are simple and healthy. In combination with a home massage, the result is noticeable instantly.
For corns
Corns are dry calluses that occur as a result of frequent injury. A night bath with the addition of essential oils will help solve the problem:
- lavender;
- orange;
- or tea tree.
The products soothe and nourish the skin, eliminate unpleasant odor. Oils can be purchased at any pharmacy. A few drops of the product per liter of warm water will be enough.
A bath with pepper tincture will not only soften the skin, but also improve blood circulation. The effect of a gentle patch is obtained.
For heels
The skin on the heels is the most problematic: it can peel, change color, crack and hurt. A starch bath will perfectly heal and eliminate skin itching.
For 1 liter of water you will need 50 g of potato or corn starch. The powder is dissolved in the liquid, and then a few natural drops of pine oil are added. The water is stirred from time to time, because the starch quickly settles. It is permissible to take a bath on a regular basis, literally every 1-2 days.
How to treat an ingrown toenail?
Traditional medicine uses surgery to treat ingrown toenails. But folk methods also did not stand aside. The skin is steamed in a soda bath, and then the diseased nail is pryed off with a toothpick. Place a small ball of cotton wool under the corner and wrap it with adhesive tape. If the ingrown toenail is inflamed, a saline solution is needed. Salt perfectly pulls out all the dirt and germs.
For gout and arthritis
Baths for gout and arthritis are part of the therapy. The most effective are considered:
- saline;
- hydrogen sulfide;
- and turpentine.
Thus, hydrogen sulfide improves blood microcirculation and nourishes cartilage. If you use turpentine, the initial dosage should not exceed 2 ml per 25 liters of water.
It is important to avoid getting turpentine in your eyes and to protect your ears properly.
Soda:
- reduces joint pain;
- relieves the inflammatory process;
- promotes the normal functioning of connective tissues of the joints.
To take a bath, dilute a teaspoon of soda in a liter of warm water and add a few drops of alcohol tincture of iodine. Procedure time: 10–20 minutes. Duration of treatment: 2 weeks.
For varicose veins
Varicose veins are a common disease in women. Soda and salt baths have become popular in the fight against illness. Treatment of varicose veins with soda is officially recognized by doctors and is recommended as part of complex therapy. Such baths relieve swelling and relax. For 5 liters of water you need 100 g of soda and 70 g of salt.
You can also make a solution based on fir ether. During the first procedure, add no more than seven drops to a medium-sized bowl of water. An alternative to ether is an emulsion, the dosage of the drug is similar.
For cracks and calluses
An unexpected duet of soda and milk will give your feet beauty. Natural homemade milk with maximum fat content is heated on the stove. Soda is added to it at the rate of a teaspoon per liter. The maximum effect is achieved within 20 minutes after use. The epidermis becomes soft and tender.
From an unpleasant odor
Excessive sweating is fraught not only with an unpleasant odor, but also with a decrease in the protective functions of the skin on the legs.
As a result, cracks form and fungal diseases occur. For a foot bath, oak bark is used: 100 g is poured with 0.5 liters of boiling water. Then the finished broth is diluted with plenty of warm water and the legs are lowered for 10 minutes.
For a cold
No one is immune from flu and colds. A reliable way to stop the disease is to start floating your legs at the first symptoms. The most common ingredient is mustard powder. Warming with mustard increases blood flow and activates immune defense. For a bath, dilute a tablespoon of powder in a liter of boiling water. Not recommended for people with sensitive skin.
For fungus with apple cider vinegar
In addition to medications, complex therapy includes the use of baths. The following ingredients are suitable for baths:
- iodine;
- Apple vinegar;
- tea tree ether;
- cinnamon.
Shoes are also treated with a vinegar solution to disinfect them from infection. For baths, a glass of 9% acid is usually used in a basin of warm water. You only need 2-3 drops of iodine in a basin of water. If you are making a bath with cinnamon, you need 1 tablespoon per 3 liters of water.
From fatigue
This bath will help you calm down. For a liter of boiling water you will need 2 tablespoons of herbal mixture: nettle + St. John's wort. Each plant is characterized by its positive properties. The effect is observed in eliminating stiffness and promoting foot health.
For edema
Leg swelling is not considered a disease. The reason for this is easily remediable phenomena: excess fluid drunk at night or excessive physical activity. Grape baths are useful for strengthening the walls of blood vessels. The grape leaves are poured with three liters of water and the legs are steamed for 15 minutes.
To soften
If the skin on your feet is very dry, try the following recipe. Two teaspoons of your favorite vegetable oil (olive, sea buckthorn) are diluted in a liter of warm water. The bath is taken for 20 minutes. After this, be sure to dry your feet well and put on socks.
For exfoliation
Softening with soda and exfoliating with clay in combination can effectively combat excessive roughness, “dry” calluses and cracks. An additional bonus is increased nail strength. Bring two liters of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of soda and 4 tablespoons of white clay. Procedure time: 20 minutes.
Relaxing vinegar bath for tired feet
Warm 3-5 liters of water, stir in 3-4 tablespoons of salt and half a glass of apple cider vinegar. Keep your feet in the bath for 15-20 minutes. Then rinse your feet and apply any vegetable oil.
Such a bath will relieve your feet from fatigue, eliminate unpleasant odors, and restore their lightness and freshness.
If you add a few drops of tea tree oil (juniper, pine, thyme) to the salt, it will be an ideal remedy in the fight against fungal manifestations.
Hot foot bath with baking soda and vinegar
Warm 3 liters of water, stir in half a cup of apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar and two tablespoons of baking soda. Take this bath for 15-20 minutes, everything else is as in the first cases.
Benefit
Sodium carbonate is a powdery substance that has emollient, antiseptic, cleansing and wound-healing properties. The powder helps remove dead layers of the dermis, stimulating the growth of new cells.
Home procedures help renew the skin of the feet, improve their appearance, health, and blood circulation.
Using soda, you can get rid of calluses and corns, reduce sweating of your feet, and remove unpleasant odors.
The substance also has an anti-inflammatory effect: any skin damage heals faster if it is treated with a soda solution.
What products can be used after baths?
The fungus quickly adapts to any home remedies and medications, so they should be alternated. In addition, if you are infected with a fungus from someone who has already used these products, then the spores are already adapted to them and they may not help you.
After baths, you can apply to the skin of your feet:
- hydrogen peroxide (with a cotton pad - generously 1-2 times)
- birch bark tar (directly on the sites of infection) or additionally wash them with tar soap
- onion juice and garlic solution (very effective, but unpleasant).
Today, medicine is armed with a wide range of different medications that can be used against fungi, these are ointments:
- Miconazole – destroys the structure of yeast-like fungi and dermatophytes
- Econazole – inhibits the reproduction and growth of fungi such as trichotons, dermatophytes
- Diflucortanol is a drug for the treatment of fungal diseases with an aggravating factor - varicose veins
- Bifonazole is a universal drug for affecting all types of fungi
- Anmarin is a broad-spectrum gel based on natural ingredients.
In addition to folk remedies, you can use a ready-made cosmetic product for hot baths.
Preventing the spread of fungus with large soda baths
The fungus has the unpleasant property of spreading to other nails, as well as to the skin of the body (especially in the folds). Moreover, onychomycosis is rarely the primary focus of a fungal infection - as a rule, the fungus enters the nail from an already formed “skin” lesion.
You can’t lubricate your entire body with antiseptic (and you won’t do it all the time). For this reason, there are baths with a general tonic and antiseptic effect.
In addition to the mild antiseptic effect, a soda bath provides the following effects:
- Relieves irritation, reduces inflammatory reactions (allergic, including);
- Reduces stress, calms the nervous system (which has a positive effect on the process of treating fungal infections);
- Normalizes general metabolism, improves superficial blood circulation. A side effect associated with the metabolic effects of a soda bath is moderate weight loss in premenopausal women and an anti-cellulite effect.
Large soda baths
To achieve results, a soda bath must be used in courses - 10 procedures, with intensity - every other day.
How to take a soda bath: the water should be 38-39 0C, the procedure time should be up to half an hour. After the bath, you need to wrap yourself in a blanket and relax.
