Corns and Calluses

[Fae Oonagh]

Home Remedies For Corns And Calluses
Corns and calluses are common foot conditions. They're buildups of skin in response to abnormal pressure or friction on the foot. The difference between a corn and a callus is the location. Generally a corn is located on the top or tip of a toe. When located between toes, the buildup of skin is called a soft corn. Calluses are located on the bottom of the foot. Some degree of callus formation on the sole of the foot is normal, because it is our body's way of protecting itself.

Believe us, this is a type of corn you really don't want to eat!

Corns are hard, thick layers of skin that form on the top or side of a toe-calluses form on the soles of your feet. Neither is a serious condition, but you'll probably be more comfortable if you get rid of the shoes (or whatever else) that are causing the friction that leads to corns and calluses.

These remedies should help, too.
You can soften your calluses by applying any of the following oils-wheat germ oil, castor oil, sesame seed oil or olive oil. Apply the oil as often as possible throughout the day, day after day.
Walking barefoot in the sand, particularly wet sand, is wonderful for your feet. It acts as an abrasive and sloughs off the dead skin that leads to corns and calluses.
If you're not near the beach, add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to a basin or to two plastic shoe boxes filled halfway with lukewarm water...and soak your feet for 15 minutes. Then take a pumice stone (available at health food stores and pharmacies) and carefully file away the tough skin.
Foot Salad

Cut an onion in half-the size of the onion should be determined by the size of the callused area the onions surface has to cover. Let the onion halves soak in wine vinegar for four hours, then take the onion halves and apply them to the calluses. Bind them in place with plastic wrap, put on socks and leave them on overnight.
The next morning, you should be able to scrape away the calluses. Be sure to wash and rinse your feet thoroughly to get rid of the onion/vinegar smell.

Corn Remedies
The difference between an oak tree and a tight shoe is that one makes acorns, the other makes corns ache. What to do for those aching corns...
Rub castor oil on the corn twice a day and it will gradually peel off, leaving you with soft, smooth skin.
Every night, put one piece of fresh lemon peel on the corn (the inside of the peel on the outside of the corn). Put a bandage around it to keep it in place. In a matter of days, the corn should be gone.
Make a poultice of one crumbled piece of bread soaked in ¼ cup of vinegar. Let it stand for half an hour, then apply it to the corn and tape it in place overnight. By morning, the corn should peel off. If it's a particularly stubborn corn, you may have to reapply the bread/vinegar poultice a few nights in a row.
Fresh Fruit for the Feet
Every day, wrap a strip of fresh pineapple peel around the corn (the inside of the peel taped directly on the corn). Within a week, the corn should disappear, thanks to the enzymes and acid content of the fresh pineapple.
Don't throw away used tea bags. Tape a moist one on the corn for half an hour each day and the corn should be gone in a week or two.
To ease the pain of a corn, soak the feet in oatmeal water. Bring 5 quarts (20 cups) of water to a boil and add 5 ounces of oatmeal. Keep boiling until the water boils down to about 4 quarts. Then pour off the clear water through a strainer, into a large enough basin for your feet, or into two plastic shoe boxes. Soak your feet for at least 20 minutes.
Make a paste out of 1 teaspoon of brewer's yeast and a few drops of lemon juice. Spread the mixture on a cotton pad and apply it to the corn, binding it in place and leaving it overnight. Change the dressing daily until the corn is gone.
A paste of powdered chalk and water should also take care of the corn.
Corn Cures from Afar

A Hawaiian medicine man recommends pure papaya juice on a cotton pad, or a piece of papaya pulp directly on the corn. Bind in place and leave it on overnight. Change daily until the corn is gone.
Australian shepherds squeeze the juice from the stems of dandelions and apply it to the corn every day until it disappears, usually within a week or so.