It’s summer and all of the swimming, water play, and sandal wearing activities are making my feet look bad. Hobbit with a hangnail bad. My heels are cracked and peeling. No scrubbing, loofah, or cream is working at this point. I need to find a beauty fix or else I am going to have to seriously consider Birkenstocks with socks for the rest of the summer. Nobody should do Birkenstocks with socks.
So what does this savvy mom do when she needs to solve a problem? You got it: I hit Pinterest!
It’s time for a new Jen Nails It Pinterest Challenge!
Fortunately for me, Pinterest has loads of great ideas for treating my gnarly feet, but most require time and ingredients I do not readily have available. A little more research leads me to the beauty solution I had been looking for. Yay! This is the DIY treatment my sad feet have been waiting their whole life for…..
All I would need was Listerine, warm water, vinegar and a pumice stone. All of which I have.
Now armed with my DIY beauty plan it was time to mix up my foot concoction.
Here are the directions, per Pinterest:
1. Pour 1 cup Listerine into a large bowl or container you can put your feet in.
Wow, Listerine smells TERRIBLE! Who invented this stuff and why would you put it in your mouth?
2. Pour 1 cup vinegar and 2 cups warm water into your container.
See how I just took a bad thing and made it worse?
Now it smells like a French Cheese Factory was transported to the Tucson desert and allowed to sit unattended in the scorching sun for 8 months. The dogs and children have vacated the room, our rabbit is feet up with his back leg twitching, and the fish are in the far corner of their bowl. The six-year-old’s love for me is severely tested.
3. All right time to set-up some fancy spa digs.
Child size rocking chair. Check
Casserole dish with the solution. Check
4. Soak feet for 15 to 20 minutes in the mixture.
That means a little time to peruse some Instagram goodness on my phone.
Seven minutes in I am feeling kind of bored, so here is a picture of what my sink looks like while I am sitting here. Don’t forget to link up your Mommy Reality.
After about 10 minutes, I gently lift one foot up to look at it. Is it me or does my foot look kind of blue?
I ask my husband to come and look and he confirms that yes indeed it does look blue. My husband then informs me that Cool Mint Listerine is not the default flavor of Listerine. This little tidbit of information might have unintended consequences later on. He then asks me if something died in the kitchen.
It’s been 20 minutes and now it is time to take my feet out of the solution so I can scrub with the pumice stone.
Oh my goodness my feet are Smurfy blue!!
5. Use pumice stone to gently scrub off dry skin.
Quite a bit of blue stuff is coming off onto my pumice stone. This is good.
Did the Listerine Foot Scrub Work?
Yes it did. My feet and heels feel and look pretty soft, but they are semi-permanently dyed a lovely shade of Easter egg blue.
So although my feet are soft, I am not sure that having them dyed blue gets me closer to not having to hide my feet for the rest of the summer. Anyone know where I can get a good pair of Birkenstocks cheap?
Stay Happy! Stay Informed!
Love,
Jen
Go ahead and share this post, you know you want to!
Comments
Now I want to watch the Smurfs, but seriously if you feet are smooth I think it can’t be all that bad! And totally just entered your giveaway, too. Thanks :)
Janine Huldie recently posted…Eleanor & Park ~ Recalling Your First Love
It did work, so it wasn’t all a fail, but the looks I got at the pool last night when people saw my feet was kind of funny.
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
hahahaha This is too funny. Your kids probably get a good laugh from you AT LEAST 4 days out of the week. You are SO COOL! I have horrible feet too, but I probably shouldn’t try this this week due to attending a wedding this weekend. I might get some crazy stares. Thanks for making me laugh this morning!
Kristina@amominneedofadvice.blogspot.com recently posted…Spit it out!
This foot soak needs to be done on a day when you have nowhere to go for the next 24 to 48 hours! You probably should also have someone around in case you pass out from the noxious fumes….
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
Hi, um, Jen?
It’s Courtney from The Brown Girl with Long Hair blog (which you so graciously stopped by today and left such a nice comment).
I think I love you. This is the Best. Post. I’ve. Read. Today. Hands down.
Or should I say, feet down? Mine look like a pair of hooves. I must go. Time to go on a hunt for where I last saw the vinegar in this house…
Courtney Conover recently posted…#PoolProblems: Would you have complained?
You are awesome, thank you, thank you! Your comment has me smiling from ear to ear, because when you do something as memorable as dye your feet blue it’s just gotta be shared.
Good luck if you do try it, it does work and the shade of blue is rather lovely.
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
HAHAHA! So brave. LOL omg this is funny! The end results are priceless
Rebecca recently posted…My Son: The Next BIG Thing
Luckily, 2 days later I am back to normal. The 6 year old thought the blue was “very pretty” and was the only one sad to see it finally wash away!
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
that was hystercial. looks like you have frostbite.
Pamela Bates/Bates Mercantile Co. recently posted…What Inspires You Wednesday: Making The Most of Seasonal Crops
That’s the perfect description for what it looks like! Especially since I used the cool mint Listerine.
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
So funny! I’m glad it worked, but sorry that your feet are blue. I do appreciate you doing all the hard research for us though!
Lana recently posted…A Summer Style Challenge Struggle
I only chose this one because the lady who first pinned it was a Dentist who swore up and down it worked. I might be doubting either her eyesight or credentials at this point.
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
Lol I’m loving that you were sitting in the child sized rocking chair hahahaha!
Leilani recently posted…Pool time! A daydream of how it used to be. . .
You know only the best for my fancy spa treatments. Note- you probably should not come over to my house for facials or beauty treatments :)
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
Just going on the fact that it cleared the room would encourage me to try this soak at least daily – perfect, twenty minutes of alone time. Think I’ll be sticking to a warm foot soak, followed by a slathering of Vaseline and a pair of cotton socks for the night to banish the gnarly feet look though.
Debbie recently posted…Week Four Of The Mommy Reality Challenge…
Probably a wise idea indeed Debbie.
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
Hope the blue comes out! And I haven’t been following all that long but I love your blog name and the Man-day posts. I liked his take on Facebook. I’ve enjoyed your Reality posts because we’ve all been there.
lisacng @ expandng.com recently posted…Throwback: perms
Thanks for all the love Lisa! The blue did finally come out after a measly 24 hours…..Sheesh, I thought it might never go away!
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
Ha, awesome. My daughter would love the blue feet.
Amber recently posted…Things That Annoy Me Thursday: Flying On Airplanes
Hey maybe it could be ratcheted up from a DIY beauty project to a form of body art. “Dye your body blue with Listerine!” I can see it now splashed across newspapers everywhere!
Jen recently posted…Jen Tries A New Pinterest Project For Your Tootsies
Ha! That’s so funny! And something I’d totally do – turn my feet blue because I used something blue as an experiment designed to make me feel better about the way I look. Sorry, but I just have to laugh at this :)
Life Breath Present recently posted…Gym Update #8
Glad I gave you a chuckle. My family laughed about it for days, you gotta laugh at how silly this turned out!
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
That’s pretty funny. Maybe I’ll do it with the purple one and nose plug. I really like your Mommy Reality series most though!
Camille recently posted…Library 21c Review
Take pics if you do!!! That would be most epic :)
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Blue feet are better than if you tried green Listerine and ended up with Green fungus feet, though! I am tempted to try this, though. Why do they not have clear Listerine except for the whitening kind?!
Celeste @Leapfrog and Lipgloss recently posted…Mommy Reality Challenge #5 and Link up
True, smurfy blue was better than green fungus feet. What would the whitening kind do to my feet?????
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Well I love all your posts!
I did this foot soak too. It wasn’t a miracle but that’s because I did it once and things need maintenance.
Your description cracked me up, though!
The smell.. was hard.
Tamara recently posted…Like a Hug and a Pint of Ben & Jerry’s After a Long Day..
Aww, thanks! The smell was terrible. I think I seriously burned multiple nose hairs and destroyed some brain cells as well.
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Ha ha! I love that you used the blue Listerine (saves us from making the same mistake)!
Good to hear this works… I might have to give it a try!
Thanks for sharing. Wishing you a lovely weekend.
xoxo
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom recently posted…{this moment: enjoying nature}
It does indeed work. Just be careful!
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Hahah this is hilarious! I’m glad i read this before I considered trying this out! I actually reviewed a really great electronic foot file by Scholl a few blog posts ago, if you want to check it out. There may be hope for your feet yet :D
Vikki @Cuteek recently posted…Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi Review
That’s the ticket, heading your way now. No yucky Listerine for me again!
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
you see these things on Facebook all the time and wonder if there’s any truth to it. thank you for being a guinea pig & finding out! Over from SITS Saturday.
Thanks Jean, I tend to be a guinea pig a lot, when will I ever learn???
Jen recently posted…Airing Your Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
I loved the post, especially the descriptions of your gnarly feet! “Hobbit with a hangnail bad” lol! BTW, they don’t even look that bad in the before pic! I will definitely have to try that recipe for my feet, but maybe I’ll go with the regular listerine instead of the blue, just sayin’! Have a good one!
Helena recently posted…Blogger Op – Coach Event!
PS, followed you on G+ Would love a follow-back! Thanks so much!
Helena recently posted…Blogger Op – Coach Event!
Smart, smart lady. Definitely steer clear of the blue Listerine!
Jen recently posted…Airing My Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Absolutely!
Jen recently posted…Airing My Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Haha, oh no! That is pretty hilarious, and totally something I would do. Points for trying, though! (And making your feet soft.) Stopping by from SITS Sharefest.
Bev recently posted…Tiffany of Fizzy Party shares some tips for hosting a summer soiree
Thanks so much Bev! It was definitely an experience for the memory books.
Jen recently posted…Airing My Dirty Laundry: Mommy Reality Challenge #5
Too funny Jen. Thanks for testing this out for the rest of us hobbling around on Fred Flintstone-esque feet. Love the pic of your sink reality too!
Carolyn recently posted…Mom Brain: 6 Top Tips From 7 Moms Who’ve Been There, Forgotten That
If you want to try this I can send you some blue Listerine stat!
Jen recently posted…Does Your Toddler Need An Exorcist?
Oh Jen! This was hysterical. You are quickly becoming one of my favorite people to follow. Thank you for linking up again to Friday Favorites last week. Sorry it took me so long to catch up.
Laura Funk recently posted…Living Room Clean Up!
Thanks Laura! No worries, catch-up is my middle name.
Jen recently posted…Mommy Reality Challenge #6 And Link-Up
This is so funny!!! :D I hope your feet changed back in colour Jen! :) Happy (belated SITS day!!)
Dini @ Giramuk’s Kitchen recently posted…Intense Dark Chocolate Rum Balls {Rum Truffles}
Aww, thanks! Luckily the blue tint only lasted 48 hours :)
Jen recently posted…My Wish For You