This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. This is at no extra cost to you but helps support this blog.
With the summer around the corner, it’s time to get your feet sandal-ready. And these DIY pumice foot scrub bars are a great way to get it done on the cheap. Simple to make and inexpensive, pumice scrub bars will get your feet silky smooth in no time at all.
Table of Contents
- What is Pumice Powder?
- What are Pumice Scrub Bars
- How do Pumice Scrub Bars Work?
- How to Use Scrub Bars
- DIY Pumice Scrub Bars For Silky Soft Feet
- FAQs
- Research
- Looking for more recipes?
What is Pumice Powder?
Pumice powder is a lightweight exfoliant used in personal care to remove calluses from the bottom of feet but also to soften and polish the skin.
Derived from pumice, a naturally occurring volcanic rock, pumice powder comes in different grain sizes to suit various uses. While coarse pumice powder efficiently removes dry and hardened skin on the heels of the feet, fine pumice powder is excellent for smoothing and polishing.
Lightweight and naturally abrasive, this natural exfoliant is found in various products, from foot scrubs to exfoliating gels, creams, and lotions.
Naturally exfoliant, pumice powder is perfect for softening and smoothing the skin on your feet. Not only does it help remove dead skin cells and soften calluses. It also helps restore the skin, leaving your feet healthier looking!
What are Pumice Scrub Bars
Pumice scrub bars are exfoliating bars designed to scrub away dry, hardened skin from your feet. The bars contain pumice powder for effective exfoliation, refreshing essential oils to keep your feet smelling fresh and nourishing oils and butter to moisturise your feet.
How do Pumice Scrub Bars Work?
Hard skin patches on the feet are a common problem and are often due to pressure, friction, and prolonged hours on your feet in closed shoes or boots. Hence, the skin on your feet requires coarser exfoliants to remove it. So how can the pumice scrub bars help? Pumice scrub bars work like sandpaper, removing the dry, hardened layers of your skin and leaving feet soft, smooth, and healthy-looking.
Here are the main ingredients included in the recipe and the reasons I have included them:
- Pumice powder is an excellent exfoliant that helps to remove dry, hardened skin on the feet and soften the calluses.
- Wax helps to harden the scrub bars. It also helps reduce moisture loss by forming a protective layer on the skin.
- Cocoa butter and avocado oil are nourishing moisturisers that help restore the skin’s moisture barrier.
- The refreshing scent of rosemary, peppermint and tea tree essential oil help refresh feet. Tea tree oil’s antibacterial and antifungal properties may help with fungal infections and fight foot odour.
How to Use Scrub Bars
Use this foot scrub about once to twice a week to keep heels soft and healthy. To make the most out of them:
STEP 1: Soak your feet for 10-15 minutes in warm water to soften the skin.
Step 2: Gently move the scrub bar in circular motions around your feet to remove dead skin, focusing on the outer side of the big toe, ball of the foot and the heel. It will help stimulate healthy cell turnover, prevent layers of dry skin from building up and keep feet healthy.
Step 3: Rinse well and pat dry.
Step 4: Apply a nourishing moisturiser like orange peppermint foot cream to keep your feet soft and hydrated.
DIY Pumice Scrub Bars For Silky Soft Feet
DIY Pumice Scrub Bars For Silky Soft Feet
Difficulty: Beginner Formulator100
grams10
minutes30
minutes40
minutesGet your feet sandal-ready with pumice foot scrub bars. Simple to make, these scrub bars will get your feet silky smooth in no time at all.
Ingredients
- Phase A
15.00g carnauba wax
5.00g beeswax
42.10g refined cocoa butter
5.00g shea butter
10.00g avocado oil
20.00g pumice powder
- Phase B
1.00g vitamin E
0.30g tea tree essential oil
0.30g rosemary essential oil
0.20g peppermint essential oil
0.10g lemongrass essential oil
1.00g preservative ECO
Directions
- Bring 2-3 cm of water to a simmer over low heat in a saucepan.
- Weigh out the beeswax, carnauba wax, shea butter, and cocoa butter in a heat resistant glass beaker. Then, place it into the water bath to melt the ingredients.
- When fully melted, keep the beaker in the water bath and add avocado oil and pumice powder. Keep stirring for a few minutes until well blended and remove from the hot water bath. Keep stirring. The mixture will thicken up fast as carnauba wax has a high melting point. You’ll notice the trace building up quickly. It will also stick to the side of the glass beaker and spatula.
- Once the mixture’s temperature drops below 40°C, add vitamin E, essential oils, and preservative Eco at this point. If the mixture is too thick to pour into the mould, place it back in the hot water bath for a few minutes. Do not overheat it as high temperature degrades essential oils.
- Pour the mixture into the mould and allow the bars to set overnight.
- Once firm, remove them from the mould, label and store them in an airtight jar.
How-to Video
Skin Patch Test
- Carry out a skin patch test first before incorporating scrub bars into your skincare regimen. Although they may be well-tolerated by most, some people may be sensitive or even allergic to ingredients. Apply a small amount of the product onto a clear patch of skin. Somewhere you can leave it alone for 24-48 hours. If your skin turns red, itchy, or you experience any irritations, discontinue using the product.
Equipment
class="wp-block-heading" id="shelf-life-and-storage">Shelf life and storage
If stored well, pumice scrub bars should keep well for six to twelve months. Keep them away from direct sunlight in a dry, cool room or a draw. If they change colour, smell or texture, dispose of them and prepare a new batch.
Substitutes
Please remember that swapping the ingredients in the formula will alter the final product. Consider how the ingredient you switch will affect the final product’s texture and smell when making changes.
Waxes: If you prefer working with vegan waxes, you can replace beeswax with candelilla or rice bran wax.
Butter: There is numerous butter on the market you can choose from. You could swap cocoa butter with tucuma butter and shea, mango or cupuacu butter.
Avocado oil: Avocado oil is a perfect oil for foot care. It helps to soften, moisturise and replenish dry skin. Plus, it adds a lovely green shade to the formula.
>Exfoliants: Pumice powder is lightweight, heat resistant, and comes in various grades, making it a super easy ingredient to work with. You could swap it for other foot exfoliants like jojoba beads, ground apricot kernels or walnut shell powder.Essential oils: Tea tree, peppermint, rosemary and lemongrass add fresh scent, plus they are known for their antibacterial and antifungal properties, making them a great pick. You can swap them, of course. Before switching essential oils, be aware some can cause sensitisation. You can learn more about the safe use of fragrance ingredients by visiting https://ifrafragrance.org.
FAQs
Is pumice powder safe for the face?
Fine pumice powder is excellent for removing dead skin cells on the face. In fact, many skincare products use exfoliating scrubs and masks containing pumice powder to help re-polish and brighten dull skin.
What are the benefits of scrubbing?
Exfoliating your feet on a regular basis can help prevent the building of calluses, improve blood circulation, and prevent cracked heels. What’s more, shea, cocoa butter, and avocado oil in the formulae help moisturise the skin. In addition, essential oils will help keep your feet smelling fresh.
Research
Looking for more recipes?
If you are looking for even more scrub bar ideas, I have put together a handy ebook with 20 recipes you’ll find on Amazon. To purchase, click the link below.