DIY Beauty: fix your cracked heels with rice vinegar

You don’t like the smell of vinegar? Neither do I! But vinegar is a magic seasoning in some of my dishes that will make my son devour his food in double-quick time. I use apple cider vinegar for my salads but when it comes to Chinese cooking, it’s gotta be rice vinegar! And it’s a lot cheaper too! Today, this post is not about cooking but rather, how to use rice vinegar to get rid of the dry and cracked skin on your heels.

Pedicure soak
Quite similar to western vinegars, rice vinegar is said to be higher in vinegar content but less acidic and milder in flavour. Some of you may think that using vinegar for the skin sounds absurd but it’s not so if you know that rice vinegar can change the skin’s PH value and soften skin cutin layer. It also has anti-bacterial properties. So this is why it makes a great pedicure soak because it can help to prevent and eliminate any nail fungus. Just use equal parts of water and rice vinegar and soak your feet for about 20 – 30 minutes. This will help to soft the hard skin on your heels too.

Heel scrub
Alternatively, mix a scrub by adding one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon or more of coarse salt to one tablespoon of rice vinegar. You may want to add a few drops of olive oil if you like to the mixture. Make into a watery paste and use it to scrub the cracked heels and hard skin on your heels. You should find your heels a lot softer even after just one scrub. If you continue and do this continuously for a few times, you should find an improvement to your cracked heels because the vinegar will help to dissolve the thickened layers of the dead skin while the salt will gently abrade the toy layer of the dead skin. The honey acts as a sort of natural moisturizer to keep your feet soft and moisturized to prevent further cracking. However, I suggest you still slather on a foot cream after scrubbing and put on a pair of socks to let the cream sink in.

Other types of vinegar can be used
Rice vinegar is widely available in supermarkets and grocery stores. But if you really can’t get your hands on rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or other forms of vinegar work as well. But like I mentioned, rice vinegar is a lot cheaper and so you won’t feel the pinch when you’re using it generously on your feet.

iherb

Comments

  1. Jyoan says:

    This is interesting! I used white rice vinegar to cure my “feng wo” (the honeycomb itch).
    Jyoan last post is: Essence Multi-Action False Lashes Mascara

  2. Sesame says:

    What’s feng wo? Is it hives? I did read that vinegar can help skin itching.

  3. Swati says:

    didn’t know about rice vinegar!!! I used apple cider vinegar only till now but yes, I hate the vinegar smell a lot ?
    btw, Sesame, I wanted to ask you how does the spree work out for you?? I mean when you buy in group, do the products get delivered to individual addresses or do they get delivered to one person and they pass it on?? was planning to do a spree from MVO.
    Swati last post is: Kama Brigandi Intense Hair Treatment {Product Review}

  4. Sesame says:

    The products will get delivered to one individual and the individual will send out the items to the rest. So this person coordinates and has to calculate all the cost with exchange rate, shipping, mailing all considered. The point to consider is that you need to ensure that items do not get lost during shipment or mailing or you might get some quizzes by the spreers.

  5. Swati says:

    oh!!! thanks a lot ?
    Swati last post is: Open Pores? {Reader’s Query}

  6. Amanda says:

    I rarely paid any attention to my heels though I know they urgently need some treatment. Will definitely try it out!!
    Amanda last post is: Review: Elysambre Lip Gloss

  7. vivavoomz says:

    Sounds interesting. I’ll give it a go. ? I usually use baking soda to make it in a paste to scrub off the dead skin on the soles of my feet.
    vivavoomz last post is: Gmarket Hauls: Holika Holika Jewel-light Waterproof Eyeliner in Pink Topaz

  8. Sesame says:

    Baking soda is good for cleaning and has exfoliating properties but if you add vinegar, it can make the skin around the heels softer.

  9. Sesame says:

    I not only pay attention to my own but also pay attention to other people’s heels. ?

  10. buggalcrafts says:

    I may be the only person on the planet who enjoys the smell of vinegar!!! In fact I will even taste it too! It brings me back to summer days spent canning pickles, etc. with my mom and grandma!

    Thanks for the tips!

  11. Sesame says:

    I like it seasoned with food but the smell alone is quite…well…strong. I think rice vinegar is milder than apple cider vinegar. The latter is just “awesome” when put to the nose! ?

  12. Carlie says:

    Wow vinegar is amazing! Never knew you could do that. Will definitely have to try that one on my feet.

  13. Sesame says:

    Hope you’ll enjoy using it.

  14. C Dabis says:

    I’ve used apple cider vinegar and warm water as a foot soak for years. I’m probably older than most of you at 65. Monthly, I treat my husband to a vinegar/water soak for 30 minutes, then I use callous rasps, fine sand paper, and towels to remove all the calloused tissue and the dead skin cells. He has diabetes and I keep a keen eye on his feet. When I’m finished I apply a Neutrogena Foot Cream which I believe is no longer available. Good thing I have a few tubes of it in our supply case.

    A vinegar with water (50/50) is an excellent hair rinse. It removes all soap residue. Another 50/50 mix of vinegar/water is used to remove mineral deposits in coffee makers and kettles.

  15. Sesame says:

    Sand paper? Wow, that’s really interesting!!! I should give it a try cos the texture works. I read about the vinegar rinse for hair but am afraid of the lingering vinegar smell. ?

  16. Coco says:

    Sesame,

    The vinegar smell goes away when your hair dries–I might use less than a 50/50 ratio, though. When I used that it was intolerable while I was drying my hair! However, the vinegar smell will come back should your hair get wet again…just an FYI, should you decide to give it a try. I’ve been using a baking soda/water “shampoo” and vinegar/water “conditioner” for a couple of months now and I LOVE the results! I never want to use shampoo/conditioner again!!! Plus, it’s super cheap!

  17. Sesame says:

    Oh I see…okay, I’ll see if I can brave the attempt one of these days. The weather here is terrible and we do perspire quite a lot and so that might bring the smell back.

  18. Lorraine says:

    Love this, thanks for sharing!!

  19. Sesame says:

    You’re welcome!

  20. iVicci says:

    If your hair has color on it does the baking soda wash help keep the color in or wash it out. I use a low soap shampoo but it still washes out my ‘non’ permanent color after a few weeks. I’d really like to get on the baking soda regime.

  21. Diana says:

    Hello, love this and was wondering if same could be used for cracked winter hands?

  22. Sesame says:

    I can’t say for sure. For the hands, you might want to use something protective instead.

  23. StanBell says:

    I haven’t tried rice vinegar before. I was only curious when my friend recommended it to me since it’s a lot cheaper compared to apple cider vinegar as foot soak and you still get the same result. I tried and yes it works pretty well! One of the commenters mentioned about sand paper for removing dead cells which is totally true and it’s cheap too! Highly recommended. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to reading your other posts.

  24. Sesame says:

    I haven’t tried sand paper…actually the texture is the same as the foot buffer used in salons!

  25. Valiree says:

    What if I don’t have the rock salt

  26. Sesame says:

    Sea salt? That’ll do too.

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