Our feet get arguably more wear and tear than any part of our body, so it's no wonder that many of us struggle to keep our feet soft and touchable. With the amount of heavy moisturizers available at beauty counters and in nature, it hadn't occurred to me to try aspirin to get rid of dry skin until my trust Google Alerts kept persistently sending me DIY aspirin foot scrub recipes. Finally, I warily began to allow myself to think about using aspirin on my feet. I mean, if I was going to stray from a completely all-natural routine, I may as well start with my feet, right?
So why aspirin? Well, as it turns out, this over-the-counter pain reliever has been a DIY beauty secret for quite some time, most known for its ability to relieve acne due to its acetylsalicylic acid and anti-inflammatory properties. This may sound like a stretch, and as I've learned, there are many DIY remedies for acne that work amazingly for some and turn into horror stories for others. Softening dry skin is no easy task when you have dead skin cells in the way, but according to sources at Livestrong, aspirin can actually remove those dead skin cells.
Frankly, I always need to see it to believe it. So, I put my feet to action by making a DIY aspirin foot scrub, focusing mainly on my big toe that lives in a constant state of dryness. Here's how it went down.
1. Use 10 Uncoated Aspirin Tablets
When I first tried this DIY hack for dry feet I used coated aspirin because that's what the guys at my corner bodega were selling. It did not work. The only ingredient you want in your aspirin is aspirin, so avoid the coated tablets and any additional medicine with your aspirin for your foot scrub.
2. Muddle Your Aspirin Into Powder
I don't own a muddler, so I used several different tools in my kitchen before I decided a mini-hammer was my best bet for gently mashing my aspirin tablets in a ceramic bowl. Yes, this was risky, but true DIY beauty has an edge.
3. Make Sure Your Aspirin Is Smooth
Regardless of what method you use to crush your aspirin, make sure you don't have any big chunks inside to avoid a coarse paste, this is likely to take away from the exfoliating experience. You want instant powder for your feet.
4. Add A Citrus To Your Powder
Next, add a citrus to form a paste. I squeezed fresh lime juice into my bowl, about half a lime did the trick. You can use any type of citrus for your vitamin C, but if you choose grapefruit just use a quarter of the fruit.
5. Apply Directly To Damp Feet
Gently massage your aspirin foot scrub directly on your feet, making sure they are free from any dander or floor dust. You don't want to massage spilled coffee grinds into your feet! Although that probably would just give your feet some extra stimulation... Actually, just use your judgment.
6. Let Your Feet Bask In Aspirin
One tip I learned during my aspirin investigation was to place bags loosely around your feet to avoid messing up your floors and to let the aspirin do its job. Since I found walking around in plastic bags hilarious, I decided to go about my house chores while making an obnoxious amount of noise. My roommate was disgusted. If you can't sit for 10 minutes or if you just feel like being annoying, use small plastic bags to allow your feet to soak up the foot scrub.
7. Rinse Your Feet Off & Examine Results
After I rinsed and wiped my feet off, I was pleased to find that they were super soft and that the dry area in question seemed to soften as well. I would imagine that this foot scrub would have best results being used a few times a week, but I would avoid over-medicating your feet daily. Exfoliating everyday can lead to more dryness and irritation,
Aspirin may not be the best way to relieve dry, cracked feet and it's certainly not going to be the least time-consuming. However, this beauty hack is definitely a cheap fix, since generic aspirin runs you about four dollars at any drugstore. If you're stuck on vacation with a case of the calluses, this would work great in a pinch.
Image: Kristin Collins Jackson (9)
