15 Home Remedies for Calluses and Corns that Work Quickly

Calluses treatment

Rough, unsightly, and often uncomfortable, calluses on your feet or hands are something that nearly everyone is eager to get rid of, but where do you start? A similar effect of continuous pressure or rubbing on an area is the formation of corns. Fortunately, you can start by making use of home remedies for calluses and corns, many of which can be found in your kitchen. Though the issue of calluses corns are hardly critical ones, they can be taken care of rather quickly and without a lot of trouble and expense.

What Causes Calluses and Corns? 

Before we get into the details of how to get rid of calluses, we first need to understand what they are. Calluses is the formation of hard skin on your heels or other areas on the foot. Sometimes, they can be simple fluid filled bumps or just raised bumps on the skin. With enough force, they can even tear and cause more discomfort. You’ll usually find calluses on the soles of your feet or on your toes. But, you can also get them in your palm as well.

The main reason for dealing with a skin callus is because your skin has experienced friction from it rubbing back and forth too many times. If there is an added amount of friction, then the callous can rip open. The more friction there is, the worst the skin callus will be usually.

If you are wearing uncomfortable shoes that are too tight or are not well insulated or cushioned, then a skin callus will likely form. Most of the time, when you wear a brand new pair of shoes for the first time, your feet are not accustomed to them yet. There will almost always be an added amount of friction that will lead to a callus on your foot. It’s because of this reason that you are always supposed to break in your shoes before you wear them for an extended period of time.

Children will often get calluses inside their palm because of harsh activity outdoors. For example, playing on the playground and experience the friction between the monkey bars will not only create calluses, but it will cause them to open as well. 

Adults can get calluses on their palms as well. If they work with heavy machinery or hand tools that require a lot of force and they do not use gloves, then a callus will likely form. 

Prevent Calluses and Corns Easily

While skin calluses can be super annoying to deal with, there is some good news. You never really have to go to the doctor to allow a callous to heal.

Preventing calluses is an important aspect of maintaining foot or hand health. So when you are dealing with continuous friction you’ll want to make sure to always moisturize your hands or feet and keep the area with the callus proected by wearing gloves, socks, padding and bandages or cushioned insoles. Reduce as much friction as possible and avoid the use of tight shoes.

There are plenty of things you can do right at home to help encourage a callous to heal up. With that being said, let’s take a look at our top 15 home remedies you can try to heal a skin callus. The good news is you probably already have everything you need right in your medicine cabinet or kitchen! 

The Difference Between Corns And Calluses

Corns and calluses are both thickened, hardened areas of skin that often form on the feet and sometimes on the hands due to repeated friction or pressure. While they have similarities, they are distinct in several ways:

  • Corns: Corns are typically smaller and have a well-defined, raised center that is hard and surrounded by inflamed skin. They often develop on the tops and sides of toes, as well as on the bottom of the feet. Corns have a more concentrated and pointed appearance, resembling a cone with the tip pointing inward into the skin. They can be painful, especially when pressure is applied directly to them.
  • Calluses: Calluses are larger, broader areas of thickened skin that are typically not painful. They often form on the soles of the feet, but they can also occur on the palms of the hands and other areas of the body that experience repeated pressure or friction. Calluses appear as flat, thickened patches of skin. They are usually not painful by themselves unless they become very thick or crack, which can lead to discomfort.

Natural Treatment of Calluses And Corns

Use Lemons as a callus remover

When it comes to removing calluses at the top of any list of home remedies are lemons. Whether you make use of lemon juice or peels, the acidic nature helps to not only soften them, but can also alleviate any associated discomfort.

What to do:

  • Peel a lemon and place a small piece of the peel over the affected area.
  • Bandage the peel in place and leave it overnight.
  • An alternative is to saturate a cotton ball or piece of gauze in freshly extracted lemon juice.
  • Bandage the cotton ball or gauze in place and leave it overnight.
  • Repeat either of these remedies daily for several days.
picture of ripe lemons

Sea Salt Or Epson Salt

One of the methods for ridding yourself of calluses is through the use of a scrub, which softens the area, gets rid of dry, dead skin, and helps to promote the growth of new skin tissue. Sea salt is among the best home remedy ingredients for creating a scrub.

What to do:

  • Mix together equal amounts of sea salt and olive oil.
  • Presoak areas that are thickly callused in warm water for about 10 minutes.
  • Apply the sea salt and olive oil mixture in circular motions for several minutes.
  • Rinse and pat dry.
  • Apply moisturizer.
  • Repeat this process daily for several days.

Chamomile

More than just something to make you relax and sleep better, chamomile is another home remedy that is popular among those who would like to remove calluses. Its anti-inflammatory properties help to reduce inflammation around the affected area and promote the growth of new skin tissue.

What to do:

  • Brew 2 cups of chamomile tea.
  • Fill a small tub with the tea and some warm water.
  • Soak the affected area in the tub for 10 minutes or so (you can do this before doing s scrub).
  • Apply moisturizer after patting dry.
  • Repeat this daily before bedtime.

Onion or Garlic

Home remedies don’t get more basic than onions. Because of the acidic nature of onions, they help to break down calluses, but the sulfates contained in them also work in an antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory capacity to help encourage the growth of new, healthy tissues.

What to do:

  • Sprinkle some salt and a few drops of lemon juice on a thick slice of onion.
  • Place the onion slice over the affected area and cover it with a bandage to keep it in place overnight.
  • Repeat this remedy nightly for a week.

Castor Oil

When it comes to moisturizing and softening calluses few oils work better than castor oil. Applying castor oil as a home remedy will get rid of thick, rough skin and encourage the growth of new skin tissue in its place.

What to do:

  • Fill a small tub with warm water and soak the affected areas for about 10 minutes.
  • Rub with a pumice stone or a scrub, rinse, and pat dry.
  • Apply the castor oil to the affected area on a piece of gauze and secure it in place overnight.
  • Repeat this solution nightly as well.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Another great home remedy for removing calluses is apple cider vinegar. Not only does the acidic nature of apple cider vinegar help to soften hard, thick skin, but it is also anti-inflammatory and encourages the growth of new skin tissue to replace the old.

What to do:

  • Saturate a cotton ball or piece of gauze with ACV and place it over the affected area.
  • Secure it in place and leave it overnight.
  • Exfoliate the area the following morning, rinse and pat dry.
  • Apply moisturizer.
  • Repeat this process daily until the callus is gone.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is another home remedy to add to the list of exfoliating agents. Besides having low-level exfoliating properties for softening calluses, baking soda also helps to maintain balanced pH for the promotion of healthier skin tissue growth.

What to do:

  • Create a past of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water.
  • Rub the paste on the affected area in a circular motion for several minutes.
  • Rinse off the paste and use a pumice stone to continue exfoliating.
  • Rinse off dead skin and moisturize the area.
  • Repeat this daily for a week or so.

Bread and Vinegar

The mixture of bread and distilled vinegar might give you pause for a second, but it is a great home remedy for removing calluses to keep in mind. The paste made from the combination of the two helps to soften calluses and make them easier to get rid of.

What to do:

  • Soak ½ slice of bread in ¼ cup of white vinegar.
  • After exfoliating, place the soaked bread over the affected area and secure it in place.
  • Leave on overnight and remove it in the morning.
  • Repeat nightly for a week or so.

Aspirin

We are often so focused on swallowing aspirin for pain relief that we forget that it has some other properties as well. When it comes to being used as a home remedy to get rid of calluses it acts as both a softening agent as well as anti-inflammatory one.

What to do:

  • Crush a half-dozen aspirin in a Tablespoon.
  • Add enough freshly extracted lemon juice to create a thick paste.
  • Spread the paste over the affected area and wrap it with plastic wrap and then a warm towel.
  • Leave the two in place for 10 minutes or so and then remove, rinse and scrape off dead skin with a pumice stone.
  • Repeat daily for a week or so.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is common as a home remedy for fungal infections brought on by too much moisture, but it can also have an effect on calluses as well. Keeping your skin dry of sweaty moisture can also help prevent swelling and other complications sometimes associated with the formation of calluses.

What to do:

  • Use cornstarch in your socks or in gloves wherever calluses are building up.

Vitamin E And Vitamin A

Another way to soften and heal calluses is through the use of vitamin E. Vitamin E not only helps to soften the affected area, but it also reduces swelling and encourages the growth of new skin tissue to replace the old.

What to do:

  • Prick a vitamin E capsule with a needle or clip off the end with nail clippers.
  • Apply the gel from inside the capsule to the affected area and rub it in well.
  • Cover the area and leave it overnight.
  • Repeat this nightly for a week or so.

Papaya

The enzyme papain, found in papaya, makes this tropical fruit an excellent home remedy to help soften and remove calluses. Papain helps old, dead skin to slough off and other nutrients in papaya nourish the growth of new skin tissue to replace it.

What to do:

  • Slice off a piece of papaya and place it over the affected area.
  • Wrap the papaya to hold it in place overnight.
  • Repeat this remedy nightly for a week or so.

Pineapple

Calluses can also be eliminated through the use of pineapple. Pineapples are an excellent home remedy because they contain the enzyme bromelain, which helps to reduce inflammation. The acidic properties of pineapple also help to dissolve the thick, hard skin to help soften and remove it.

What to do:

  • Affix into place over the affected area a slice of pineapple with plastic wrap and a bandage.
  • Leave in place overnight and remove it in the morning.
  • Repeat this remedy nightly until you see the desired results.
pieces of coconut with milk and oil

Coconut Oil

Along with our list of tropical solutions to calluses is coconut oil. Coconut oil is a wonderful home remedy for moisturizing because of its anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin and mineral makeup. Not only does coconut oil soften hard, thick skin, but it also nourishes developing skin tissue.

What to do:

  • Massage ½ to 1 tsp of coconut oil into the affected area for several minutes as one of the best moisturizing solutions.
  • Whether day or night, leave it alone and allow it to be absorbed on its own.
  • Repeat this a couple of times daily for a week or so.

Willow Bark

Salicin is present in willow bark and will help to remove corn in foot areas since it works as a substitute for salicylic acid,

To use this method, 1-2 teaspoons of willow bark powder with water to make a paste. Apply to the affected area and cover with a Band-Aid or bandage. Leave overnight.

Conclusion

Though they are not a serious health threat, calluses are unsightly and can become uncomfortable. To keep your feet free of these menaces, make use of one of our 15 home remedies for calluses and keep your skin soft, supple and attractive. Also, don’t forget to leave your questions, comments, additional home remedies or success stories in the comments section below.