Calluses are caused by repeated pressure on a spot of your skin. Extra layers of skin grow over the affected area until a harder, raised bump appears. Your body does this to protect your skin from being exposed to irritants or broken. Calluses don’t usually hurt and are most often found on your heels, palms, toes, and knees. Wearing tight-fitting shoes, walking barefoot, playing instruments, and working with your hands are common causes of calluses. Calluses don’t indicate a medical problem and they aren’t a reason to seek emergency care. If you’d like to get rid of calluses because you don’t like how they look, there are some natural remedies you can try at home.
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How To Get Rid Of Calluses
Warm water
Before you try anything else, you might want to treat the callused area to a 20-minute soak in warm water. After towel-drying your skin, see if you can gently rub a layer of the callus away with just your finger. Over the course of several soaking sessions, you may be able to completely remove the callus one layer at a time. A simple warm-water soak is the first remedy recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology.
Apple cider vinegar
The acid content in apple cider vinegar can soften the hard skin of a callus. Mix together a solution of four parts water and one part apple cider vinegar and soak your callus for about 20 minutes. When you remove your skin from this soak, you may be able to better peel a layer or two of the callus off. Don’t pull too hard, and try to be patient. Breaking the skin around or on top of the callus can result in an infection.
Castor oil
Castor oil has properties that make it a natural skin lubricant. This can be helpful when you’re trying to condition your skin to rub a callus off. Soaking your callus in a warm water mixture with 5 tablespoons of castor oil should be enough to both lubricate the tough skin and soothe the affected area.
Pumice stone
A pumice stone can be especially handy when you have a callus on the bottom of your feet or on your elbows, where it’s hard to see. After soaking your callus thoroughly, apply the pressure of the pumice stone to your callus and rub in a circular motion. Don’t try to get the whole callus off at once. The idea is to rub the skin away over the course of a few applications of this remedy.
Epsom salt
Epsom salt is regarded as an exfoliator. This treatment is especially helpful if you’re trying to relax after working with your hands and get rid of a callus at the same time. The fine grains of the salt dissolve to relax your muscles and soothe your skin. Mixing 2 to 3 tablespoons in a basin or bowl of warm water before soaking your callus may make it easier to peel off.
Baking soda and lemon juice
This remedy involves combining an acid component (lemon juice) and a chemical component (sodium hydrogen carbonate, also known as baking soda) to spark a reaction that makes calluses easier to remove. You’ll need warm water, a basin, and 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice to start with. After a few minutes of soaking your callus in this solution, add in the baking soda. The fine grains of the baking soda and the fizzy action of adding it to the lemon juice might give this soak some extra callus-dissolving power.
Use a callus remover
Once the callus is softened, you can try a grinding stone on the area to help peel away dead skin cells. Or, when it is still hard, you can try a battery-powered callus grinder that helps sand away dead skin cells. These devices won’t finish the task (and you want to be especially careful with them if the callus is small and not thick enough to accommodate for this tough friction). However, if you’ve got a bruiser of a callus, these can help break it down fast.
Visit your podiatrist or dermatologist
Sometimes, a callus may be too big, too painful, or too stubborn to handle at home. And in any such instance, you should visit your podiatrist (or get one in the first place), to discuss ways to smooth down the feet. You’ll should also learn how and why this callus occurred in the first place, and talk about methods for preventing its recurrence.
