This DIY cooling foot soak comes together in a few minutes with oats, sea salt, baking soda, green tea, and peppermint essential oil, no special equipment required. Mix it once, keep the jar on hand, and it's ready whenever your feet need a break.

A wooden bowl filled with a white, powdery flour sits on a wooden surface, with a small wooden scoop resting inside the bowl.

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Some days call for it more than others. Between long days on my feet during photo shoots, hours in the garden, and plain summer heat, this is the one I reach for the most. There's something about finally sitting down at the end of one of those days and soaking tired feet in something cool that resets the whole rest of the evening.

I like peppermint and green tea together specifically because they do different jobs. Peppermint's natural menthol is what actually makes the water feel cooler against your skin, while green tea softens that sharpness into something calmer instead of just minty. It ends up feeling more like a spa treatment than a first-aid soak.

It's also stupid easy to make, which matters, because a soak that requires effort kind of defeats the point. This is my go-to on hot days when my feet just need to cool down. When it's cold instead, I usually reach for my rosemary ginger foot soak for the opposite effect. I keep a jar mixed up for myself as a quick self-treat, and it's turned into one of my favorite easy gifts, too. A jar with a little scoop and a tag takes five minutes and feels a lot more thoughtful than it actually was.

A wooden bowl filled with flour and a wooden scoop sits on a dark wooden surface, with some flour and herbs scattered nearby.

What You'll Need

½ cup finely ground oats or oat flour
¼ cup coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon dried green tea, finely crushed
1 tablespoon dried peppermint, finely crushed (any true mint variety works here, but peppermint's higher menthol content gives the strongest cooling effect)
8 drops peppermint essential oil

No specialty ingredients here, just pantry and craft-drawer basics.

A wooden bowl filled with oat flour and a small wooden scoop, placed on a dark wooden surface with some loose oats nearby.

How to Make It

A beige bowl containing sea salt, dried herbs, flour, and baking powder, each ingredient arranged in separate small piles on a dark wooden surface.

Combine the oats, sea salt, baking soda, dried green tea, and dried peppermint in a bowl, then add the peppermint essential oil and stir until it's evenly distributed. The mix should look uniform, not clumpy in one spot from the oil.

A ceramic bowl containing a dry mixture of flour and herbs, with a yellow spatula resting inside.

Transfer the blend to an airtight jar. This is the form it keeps best in, dry and sealed, until you're ready to use it.

When you want to soak, add a ¼ to ½ cup of the blend to a basin of warm water and stir until it dissolves. Give it a minute so the salt and baking soda fully break down, then soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

Relax and enjoy!

Wooden bowl containing white powder, possibly flour or ground oats, with a wooden spoon on a rustic wooden surface. Some scattered oats and herbs are nearby.

How Long Does This Foot Soak Last?

Because it's a dry blend, it should hold up well for a few months stored in an airtight jar somewhere cool and dry, away from steam or humidity. If the peppermint scent starts fading noticeably, that's the sign to mix a fresh batch.

Can I Use Fresh Herbs Instead of Dried?

Fresh peppermint or green tea will introduce moisture, which shortens shelf life significantly and isn't a good fit for a jarred, make-ahead blend like this one. Dried is the better call here specifically because this is meant to be mixed once and stored, not used immediately.

Storage and Gifting

Because the whole thing lives in one jar, this is also an easy one to make in a bigger batch and portion out. A jar with a scoop and a handwritten tag is the gift version.

A wooden bowl filled with flour and a small wooden scoop sits on a dark wooden surface, with oats and herbs scattered nearby.

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Cooling Peppermint Green Tea Foot Soak

A cooling, refreshing foot soak made with oats, sea salt, baking soda, green tea, and peppermint essential oil. Mix it once, store it, and soak whenever tired feet need it.

Active Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Yield: cup dry blend (2-5 foot soaks)

Author: Kristen Wood

Cost: $5

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Materials

½ cup finely ground oats or oat flour
¼ cup coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon dried green tea finely crushed
1 tablespoon dried peppermint finely crushed
8 drops peppermint essential oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
Store in an airtight jar.
To use, add ¼–½ cup of the blend to a basin of warm water and stir to dissolve before soaking feet for 15–20 minutes.
Relax and enjoy!

Notes

Grind the oats in a blender or food processor if you don't have oat flour on hand, a coarse grind is fine, it doesn't need to be powder-fine.
Store the dry blend in an airtight jar somewhere cool and dry. It should keep for a few months. If the peppermint scent fades noticeably, that's your sign to mix a fresh batch.
Making it as a gift? Layer the ingredients in a clear jar before mixing for a nicer look, then include a small tag with mixing and use instructions, since the recipient won't have this post in front of them.
Fresh peppermint or green tea aren't a good swap here. The added moisture shortens shelf life significantly, dried is the right call for a make-ahead jarred blend.
Sensitive skin or first time using peppermint essential oil this way? A small patch test before a full soak is a reasonable precaution.