I found a $1 foot softening scrub so good I’d be willing to pay $1,000

When you lace up your kicks and run your first-ever mile, no one tells you that the humble sport of running will destroy (and I mean: vanquish, maim, wreck) your feet. That’s a lesson I quickly learned when I began pounding the pavement years ago. So last night, when I was considering surrendering to my not-so-pretty feet and tossing my last pair of sandals in the garbage, I decided one last Google was in order. I typed in “how to get soft feet” (LOL) and found a DIY scrub that called for just four pantry ingredients. Would it work? I shoved aside my skepticism for all things “do it yourself” and gave it a try.

The first thing that should be said about the scrub I found on YouTube is that it’s as easy to make as a TV dinner. All you need to do is combine two parts sugar (a mix of brown and white) with one part oil (a blend of coconut and olive oil). Frankly, I only felt like spending $1 on this whole experiment. So I combined coconut oil with white sugar and came up with a paste very similar to that of YouTuber Recipes by Carina. (You know, it’s kind of like when a recipe calls for 10 different spices and you opt to use only three…because, priorities.)

Once I had about one cup of that ready to go, I soaked my feet in the bathtub for 10 minutes so my skin would soften a bit. I then pinched a tablespoon of the sugar concoction between my fingers and began rubbing at the particularly gnarly parts of my feet (I know, it’s gross! I’m gross!). Not only could I feel the exfoliation at work, but the sensation of the sugar on my feet felt like an absolute dream. Like I was getting a $1 pedicure—ha!

I used up every last drop of the stuff, drenched my feet in lotion, and slipped my socks on to lock in all that moisture. Flash forward 18 hours and I’m overjoyed to share that my feet feel a lot more like the slippery skin of a dolphin than the tough terrain of an alligator’s back. I fully plan on adhering to a repeat treatment schedule until my feet return to how they felt straight out of the womb. And can I just say, thank the food powers that be for sugar and coconut oil. The only thing that saddens me more than cracked heels is the prospect of never running again. Now, I get my miles and my baby feet.

Got sweaty feet? This is how to make them smell better the natural way, and what to do if they start cramping during your sweat sesh.