Your favorite shoes may take your outfit to the top of style mountain, but if they're too tight, you might pay the price for fashion. Poor-fitting shoes stress the feet and can cause a callus or a buildup of thick, tough skin. Calluses normally don't hurt, but if the skin buildup gets very thick, those tough mounds may become painful. If you'd like to treat your callus naturally, try soaking it with lemon juice -- the acidic juice softens the callus, allowing you to gently buff away that mini-mountain of skin with a fresh pumice stone.
Fill a large bowl or tub with warm water. Add a few drops of mild soap to the running water.
Soak your callused foot in the soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then pat your skin dry with a towel.
Soak the gauze padding of an adhesive bandage with a small amount of lemon juice. If you don't have fresh lemon juice, bottled juice works just as well.
Cover the callus with the juice-soaked bandage pad. Press down firmly so the bandage sticks to your foot.
Lift the bandage a few hours after putting it on. Soak a cotton ball with tea tree oil, then dab the callus with the oil. Press the bandage back down. Repeat this tea tree oil application two to three times per day.
Replace the bandage with a fresh one each day. Apply a few drops of lemon juice to each bandage pad before putting it on. Continue doing this until the callus has softened.
Rub the callus gently with a pumice stone, once the callus has softened. Use small, circular motions to buff the rough skin away. If the callus doesn't come off fully, it may need to soften more. Apply another lemon-juice-soaked bandage and try to remove the callus again the following day.
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Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.