Are you pregnant and suffering with uncomfortable swollen feet, or feet that cramp painfully during the night? If so, then I really hope my DIY pregnancy foot scrub can help you as much as it’s helped me!
Disclosure: this post contains references to PR gifted products. My views are honest and my own.
My scrub contains beneficial ingredients known to help with swollen and cramping feet. Like other foot scrubs, it will help keep your feet lovely and soft.
I’m 39 weeks pregnant now, so my feet love this gorgeous scrub. I adapted it from a post by the lovely Wellness Mama, specifically with pregnancy feet in mind.
How can a pregnancy foot scrub help?
First, epsom salts slough off dead skin and help with cramping by replenishing magnesium levels. Tamanu oil aids drainage and circulation. To soften rough skin, add calendula, olive, or almond oil – I prefer calendula for its ability to soften and repair cracked and rough skin. A small amount of Castille soap softens the skin and helps with cleaning up your feet afterwards. Finally, add some pregnancy safe essential oils with anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling qualities, et voila!
Let’s take a look at the recipe.
Pregnancy foot scrub recipe
I’m British, but I tend to use American cups for my recipes because it’s easier.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 300g/1 cup epsom salts
- 100ml/1/2 cup of tamanu oil
- 60ml/1/4 cup calendula infused oil, olive oil, or almond oil
- 1 tsp Castile soap – optional (I used Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Baby Hemp)
- 15 drops of peppermint oil
- 10 drops grapefruit oil
To make your pregnancy foot scrub, just combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl, then decant in to large glass jar.
Let’s take an in-depth look at the benefits of the ingredients.
Epsom salts
Not only do epsom salts slough away rough skin, they help to replenish magnesium levels. Good magnesium levels are crucial for a healthy pregnancy, and help to prevent cramping, water retention, preeclampsia, and gestational hypertension.
I’ve found epsom salts to help greatly with cramping in my feet and legs. What’s lovely about this scrub is that it doubles up as a foot soak, so you can get plenty of magnesium goodness.
If cramps are a real problem, try magnesium spray, which is magnesium chloride – more readily absorbed than the magnesium sulfate of epsom salts.
Westlab Epsom Salts
Tamanu oil
This green oil gives my pregnancy foot scrub its gorgeous green colour. Tamanu oil is used as a traditional remedy to help with circulation and drainage, but it also has great healing properties, encouraging new skin growth and elasticity – perfect for cracked heels. With its circulation stimulating properties, it’s a real pregnancy winner.
Organic Unrefined Tamanu Oil
Buy Now – £6.30 at Naturally Balmy
Calendula oil
The infused oil of this golden flower is wonderfully healing in any skincare preparation, softening and repairing cracked and rough skin. It’s especially useful in foot care since it has anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Calendula Infused Oil
Buy Now – £2.59 at The Soapery
Peppermint oil
Naturally, peppermint oil makes my scrub feel so refreshing and cooling. But it’s also incredibly useful in this recipe since its anti-inflammatory qualities help to treat swelling. Helpfully, peppermint oil calms the spasms that cause muscle cramps.
Naissance Organic Peppermint Oil
Grapefruit oil
As well as adding a refreshing fragrance, grapefruit oil has anti-inflammatory and diuretic properties – especially useful for pregnancy fluid retention.
Naissance Organic Grapefruit Oil
How to use the pregnancy foot scrub
Take a spoonful and use to gently massage your feet. Better still, get your partner to do it. You can also use it as a soak, which gives the ingredients extra time to work.
Rinse your feet, then massage the remaining oil in.
Final thoughts on my pregnancy foot scrub
This foot scrub is so good for swollen and cramping feet, and it’s got to be one of the easiest DIYs you can try. I really hope you have a go at making it – I’m sure it will help!
What’s your favourite way to take care of yourself during pregnancy? Let me know in the comments – I’d love to hear from you.
Update: My baby arrived in November – read Cara Grace’s birth story!
Until next time!
10 Comments
Such a brilliant idea, even if I’m not pregnant I like to use foot scrubs
I’m quite new to them, but I’m so glad I tried making one! It came out really well.
This looks like the perfect product to use for swell feet, essentials oils have incredible benefits.
They really do! It’s so nice to be able to tap into this natural resource!
Epsom salts are sooo good. I wish I had this when I was pregnant, but I may use it even though I’m not!
They’re brilliant aren’t they! So many uses for them!
I love foot scrubs! I’m not pregnant yet but I know a lot of pregnant women so i’ll definitely share this link to them!!
Thanks so much, I’m sure they’ll love it!
I’m not pregnant, but this sounds so soothing and relaxing. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, they are soothing, it’s so nice to get a foot rub! 🙂