Calluses are a buildup of rough, thick patches of skin on your feet (and sometimes hands).

Corns are similar to calluses, yet the buildup of hard skin is more concentrated in one area and can be deep at their core. They can be soft or hard, depending on what area of the skin they’re on. For example, if a corn is between your toes, chances are it’s a soft corn because the moisture keeps it soft.

If you spend a lot of time on your feet each day or your feet experience regular pressure and rubbing, corns and calluses can develop - especially as you grow older.

Some like to take care of their calluses and corns by clipping them off with toenail clippers or small razors. Please don’t, it’s too easy to give yourself an infection since the tools aren’t sterilized or you can nip yourself too deeply.

Here’s a step-by-step list to get your feet back into shape.

Home Remedy Treatment

Materials Needed:

1/2 cup Baking Soda
1/2 cup Kosher salt
Pumice Stone

Directions:

• Soak feet in a tub of hot water with the baking soda and Kosher salt stirred in. Soak for about 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, lift one foot out of the tub and begin to scrub the callus or corn with the pumice stone. Do this gently, your skin will be tender from the soak.
• Rinse the pumice stone in the tub as needed, you’ll have loose skin building up. Also rinse the loose skin pieces off the foot you are working on as needed. Continue working on the foot with the pumice stone until the callus or corn has been removed, or at least as much as is comfortably possible. Sometimes this will take more than one treatment.
• Repeat the procedure on the other foot (which has been soaking in the tub the whole time). The skin will be softer yet on this foot, so go gently.
• Once you’ve successfully removed the calluses or corns or removed as much as you could in one sitting, rinse off your feet and pat dry. Apply your favorite moisturizer and cover your feet with wool or cotton socks.

The first treatment will always be the biggest job, but if you regularly soak your feet and treat rough spots with a pumice stone as soon as they start to appear, your feet will benefit and you won’t have much of a problem controlling calluses or corns. You can also try these foot spa recipes and turn it into a foot pamper time: Homemade Foot Soak Recipes and Foot Therapy Scrub.

If calluses and corns are particularly thick, you may need to give the above treatment over a period of several days.

If you find your feet develop calluses easily, try treating them regularly with coconut oil or shea butter and fitting your shoes with cushion insoles. Corns can be helped by wearing shoes that fit well, use cushioned insoles and avoid wearing high heels. You can buy special pads to cover your corns that help them heal faster. There are home remedy recipes to apply on corns, but you have to tread carefully since you don’t want to damage the surrounding healthy skin.

If you have calluses or corns that seem to be permanent, are painful and don’t disappear with treatment, have your doctor check them. He (or she) may be able to prescribe something for you, sometimes surgery is required for extreme cases.

Careful: If you have diabetes, it’s always recommended to consult your doctor first before treating your feet.

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