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The benefits of foot baths

Foot baths:hot or cold water?

Whether you are looking to relax after trampling all day, relieve your heavy legs or soothe your swollen feet, the foot bath is a real well-being solution to overcome many problems. However, the temperature of your footbath will depend on the condition you want to target. If you suffer from a problem of being overweight, your position throughout the day is mainly static or you suffer from poor blood circulation, the cold water bath, even ice cold, is to be preferred:this "blow of whipping" offered by the cold water will instantly relieve your painful feet by toning your venous system, thus improving your blood circulation. Make sure that the foot bath does not drop below 15°, immerse your feet in it up to ankle height and wait until you feel a sensation of heat (usually this does not exceed 5 minutes) . On the other hand, if the desired goal is to relax and enjoy a well-being break, the hot foot bath is to be preferred. Indeed, walking or running all day can make you feel very tired in your legs, ankles and feet. A hot water bath between 32° and 37° is ideal for relaxing while enjoying fifteen minutes just for you. To take advantage of all their benefits, you can alternate between hot and cold water using two separate basins.

What to put in your foot bath?

By simply using water at the desired temperature, the foot bath is already working wonders in relieving your aching feet. But nothing prevents you from adding a few ingredients that will act as a complement and allow you to increase its effectiveness. For fans of essential oils, there's nothing like lemon (promoting venous return), peppermint (for its toning properties) or lavender (sanitizing) to meet your foot care needs. Hot or cold water, be careful not to exceed 10 drops of essential oils. Sea salt is also an element to favor to relieve your foot pain:economical and easy to have on hand, do not hesitate to add a handful of coarse table salt in your hot or cold foot bath which will act as a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory to help relax and decongest your feet. More surprisingly, two effervescent tablets of aspirin will give you the same benefits:add them to your foot bath and let their analgesic bubbles act. Finally, herbal infusions can very well help you relieve your feet:to be preferred in a hot foot bath to facilitate its diffusion, a sachet of rosemary, sage or mint will allow you to benefit from the refreshing and antiseptic virtues of these plants.