Dry & Chapped Hands, Elbows & Heels: {Remedies}

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Here’s an assortment of recipes and tips you can try for treating dry and chapped hands, elbows (including remedies for getting rid of dark patches), feet and other trouble spots you may have.

Homemade Balm:

Ingredients:

1 cup Cocoa Butter
1 cup Shea Butter
1/2 cup Jojoba Oil
1/4 cup Beeswax

Directions:

• If you have a large enough Pyrex measuring cup, place ingredients in that or just use a deep casserole dish of some kind. Loosely cover the top with foil (for steam and moisture to escape).
• Heat in oven at 180°F for two hours or until all ingredients are melted.
• Stir very well then pour into heat proof jars with mouths large enough for your hand to get in. Once cool, cover with lids and let set fully.
• Use as needed on dry or chapped skin (it doesn’t take much).

Alternative Tips:

If commercial hand creams and balms are too harsh for your sensitive skin (due to perfumes, additives, etc.), a couple quick & easy home remedies you could try:

• Crisco Shortening (Plain) – Rub into skin just like a lotion. Strange, but true.
• Mineral Oil (Baby Oil)
• Olive Oil – Rub into skin
• Vaseline – Coat hands then cover in cotton gloves (at bedtime)

Dark Patches On Elbows Are Dry & Patchy Skin That Just Need A Little TLC

Dry & dark patches on elbows can be caused by heavy use (such as leaning on them all the time) and neglect if you don’t moisturize them regularly.

Here are a few remedies I’ve collected to help clean those dark patches up. If you have a painful case of dry skin (cracked, sore), check with a doctor since you might have a condition that can easily be cleared up with a prescription.

Sugar Scrub

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup olive oil

• Mix ingredients in a bowl. Massage the scrub into elbows, knees, ankles & any other trouble spots. Wash off after 30 minutes.

Crisco (or any other lard)

• Before bed rub Crisco into skin then slide on a pair of clean cut socks (to use as elbow protectors). Do this every night until patches disappear.

Lemon Salt Scrub

• Squeeze the juice out of two quarter wedges of a lemon, add salt then scrub into skin gently, trying to sluff away the dead skin. Then take the lemon wedges and lean your elbows on them (one on each). Rest like this for 10 minutes. Do this daily until the darkness disappears.

Lemon Soft Scrub

• Mix fresh lemon juice and baking soda to make a thick paste, apply to dry spots. Gently rub in to exfoliate the skin and leave to sit for about 15 minutes. Wash off and apply a moisturizer or Vaseline.

Rehydrating Soak

• Exfoliate with a favorite scrub or loofah, then soak elbows in warm water for 10 minutes. Apply Vaseline. If you apply Vaseline to the dry areas right after a hot bath or shower, this will have the same effect.

Basic Maintenance Treatment: Exfoliate or scrub elbows daily then apply honey, Vaseline or a rich moisturizer to trouble spots. If using honey, leave on for 30 minutes before washing off.

Tip: Use a clean sock, cut off to have two open ends, and slide on over your elbows when applying moisturizing treatments to try to protect the moisturizer from rubbing off (especially good for overnight treatments). You could also wrap them in plastic wrap.

If patches are thick and quite dark, this will take several regular treatments to clear up.

Massaging Bare Feet

Summertime means strappy sandals and barefeet since it’s more comfortable for our feet to breathe in hot weather than to keep them bundled up in socks and shoes. For some this leads to problem dry skin that can progress to the point that it starts cracking and can get painful (especially around the heels).

Here’s a home treatment that can help soothe and moisturize your skin to repair that damage:

• Soak in a warm foot bath for about 15 minutes. See this page for soak recipes.
• Pat dry then gently scrub the skin with a pumice stone.
• Apply a rich moisturizing skin cream, Crisco lard or Vaseline all over.
• Put on a pair of socks to protect the layer of moisturizer so that the skin has a chance to absorb it. Wash off in the morning when you shower.
• Do this treatment each night until skin is healthy again.

If you don’t see any improvement after a couple weeks the problem may not be as simple as dry skin, it could be a fungus that you’re dealing with. Spray skin with apple cider vinegar and let it sit for about a half hour before soaking in the bath. You could also try one of these remedies.

Scrub Recipe: For dry, rough patches on feet, try this simple treat that you can pamper yourself with while giving your tootsies some TLC.

Ingredients:

3 TBS used coffee grounds (fine)
1 TBS flour
1 TBS heavy cream (whipping)
1 tsp cornmeal
1 to 2 tsp olive oil (extra-virgin)
2 drops lavender essential oil
2 drops tea tree oil

Directions:

• In a small glass bowl, mix the coffee grounds, cornmeal and olive oil.
• Next add the cream and flour to make a thin paste. Add the essential oils and blend well.
• Gently scrub on your feet, making sure to focus on dry or rough areas. Rinse off completely, pat skin dry then apply your favorite moisturizer.

Also rubbing a layer of olive oil into your skin is a good treatment.