33 recipes

Hand & Foot Care

Hands and feet take more punishment than any other skin and get the least attention, which makes this a satisfying category to cook from. Here you will find cuticle oils and butters, hand polishes made from rice bran or oats, foot soaks, heel butters, cooling foot masks and powders for warm days. The soaks and masks are quick fixes for a long day; the butters and oils are the ones to keep by the bed and use every night for a week before you judge them.

Nothing here will heal cracked heels overnight, treat fungal problems or make nails grow — those need a pharmacist, and we say so. What they do is leave rough skin feeling smoother and hands looking cared for. Oil- and butter-based recipes keep for months; water-based soaks are made per use. Skip essential-oil blends on broken skin, patch test anything new on the inner wrist, and if you have diabetes or poor circulation, ask a doctor before regular foot soaks.