These are the best essential oils for foot soak recipes. Overworked feet will benefit from soaking in a foot bath with these soothing, healing and deodorizing essential oils. I prefer doing my foot spa treatments at home, it is a far safer and less expensive way to care for your tired, sore or swollen feet.
Our poor tired feet go through all sorts of abuse. Foot soaks with essential oils are a great way to relieve the pain of overworked feet and can even help minimize unpleasant foot odor caused by sweating and wearing shoes all day. Soaks improve blood circulation, and many of the oils discussed here also have antifungal properties, so important for proper foot care. It is easy to put together a simple foot soak at the end of the day and well worth the small effort.
You can also use these beneficial oils to create balms and lotions that you can rub into your feet as needed. They can be applied with a carrier oil topically right on the skin as a massage oil as well for quick relief.
7 Best Essential Oils for Foot Soaks
These are some of the best working essential oils to treat foot odor and pain associated with activity, some of which might already be your favorite oils. Soak your achy feet in one of these or create your own essential oil blend with two or three that appeal to you most.
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree oil is useful for eliminating the causes of unpleasant foot odors. A simple foot bath with essential oil added to it eliminates everything from sweaty foot smell to the worst foot smell you can imagine.
If there are any cuts or scrapes on your feet, the tea tree oil foot soak also helps to heal the skin. The antifungal properties of tea tree aid in killing off any infection that might be present.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint is a wonderful essential oil to use on skin and is especially great for foot odor because it freshens and deodorizes the strongest sweat borne foot smell. Tired feet that are irritated, burning, swollen or just sore also benefit from a peppermint essential oil soak or rub. Peppermint oil has a cooling effect that can calm the skin down fast and has a long lasting effect.
In combination with Epsom salt, peppermint essential oil makes a powerful DIY foot soak to reduce inflammation and pain. The menthol in peppermint essential oil helps to soothe tired, sore feet and reduce swelling. It is also a wonderful antiseptic that helps kill off any bacteria responsible for making the feet smelly. It of course also has an uplifting aroma.
Lavender Essential Oil
Also great for deodorizing and healing, lavender essential oil works with other deodorizing oils to give feet a long lasting pleasant odor. A single drop is enough to add a light floral scent that is not overwhelming, but leaves feet smelling great. Dry, cracked feet benefit from the lavender because this oil has healing properties and hastens the healing process of the skin.
Lavender essential oil is well known for its calming and soothing properties. Lavender oil has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antiseptic properties, making it a great choice for treating foot pain caused by inflammation or infection. It's also an effective deodorizer, helping to reduce the unpleasant smell of sweaty feet.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Tired, sore feet benefit from the use of eucalyptus oil which has long been used as a stimulant and as a muscle pain reliever. Add this oil to any foot soak immediately after any increase in foot pain or long walks and hikes. It can also be added to lotion and then rubbed into feet on a regular basis in order to promote foot health.
German Chamomile Essential Oil
Chamomile is prized for its healing properties and can be used in foot care. Burns, rashes, inflammation, irritation and blisters can all benefit from German chamomile essential oil being applied to the area. Adding it to a warm foot soak is not only good for your feet, but it promotes a sense of calm that always helps while you are giving your feet the time they need to heal.
Rosemary Essential Oil
Rosemary essential oil is another excellent choice for treating foot pain and odor. Rosemary has antiinflammatory, antifungal, analgesic, and antibacterial properties that help to reduce inflammation and pain in the feet. Rosemary oil can help reduce foot odor by killing bacteria and fighting the fungal infections that cause this problem.
Lemon Essential Oil
When used in a foot soak, lemon essential oil helps to soften the skin, reduce foot odor, and alleviate pain. The anti-inflammatory properties of lemon essential oil make it an effective treatment for swollen or aching feet.
It also has antiseptic, antibacterial, and astringent qualities that help to reduce any foot fungus or bacterial infections that may contribute to unpleasant odors. The calming and refreshing scent of lemon oil can also help reduce stress and anxiety.
How to Use Essential Oils for Feet to Make a Soak
Making a homemade foot soak is easy. Generally a few drops of the essential oil are added to a basin of hot water with ¼ cup of epsom salts, sea salt or magnesium flakes (if inflammation is an issue use warm water instead of hot then rinse or soak with cool water after). A little baking soda is also a common addition it foot soaks, as it absorbs odor and is said to support healing. You should soak your feet for at least 15 minutes to get through the top layers of the dermis.
It is suggested you use a carrier oil as well to aid in distribution and to help moisturize the skin of the feet. That is nice if you are using a simple bowl or basin to soak in.
I don't use a carrier when using a bubbling or vibrating foot spa. I am not keen on the film it can leave. A foot soak is usually just the first step of a full home pedicure for me. I pat dry with a towel and immediately exfoliate any rough areas on my feet with a foot scrub, pumice stone or foot file. I then treat cuticles with nail oil, trim nails, moisturize and paint my toenails.
If toenails are discolored, my tips for whitening nails fast can apply to them too.
Beyond Soaks, Applying Essentail Oils to Feet
Foot Scrubs
Foot Scrubs are also great choices for using essential oils to keep your feet in top shape. They exfoliate off dead skin cells and are a great way to gently tackle calluses. The oil used to make a scrub is also useful to moisturize dry skin on your feet. Use some of the essential oils suggested here to make your own salt scrub for your feet.
There are a wide array of options in creating foot scrubs, see my homemade foot scrubs for, recipes and to learn more about their benefits for your feet.
Massage Oil
If you are short on time a quick foot massage can help alleviate foot discomfort. Simply add a few drops of essential oil to a carrier oil such as coconut oil, jojoba oil or even olive oil and massage each foot with a circular motion for a few minutes.
As you can see the potential benefits of an essentail oil foot bath for common foot issues is well worth the minimal effort and expense to add to your self-care routine.
Arather Neil
Thanks my feet a fresh and exfoliated now!