How To Use A Pumice Stone, From The Pros + What Not To Do

You don't have to love feet to know that it's important to take care of them. Not only should you schedule a daily walk and wear high-quality shoes while you do so, but the skin on your feet could probably use some TLC, too. 

Pumice stones form when lava and water mix together—when the lava cools rapidly, it creates a porous, foamy-looking texture that happens to be great for removing dry and dead skin cells. 

And because of their natural makeup, no surprise pumice stones have been used as an ancient remedy for exfoliation—even as far back as 100 B.C. There's a good reason pumice stones have left their mark for more than 2,000 years; they're super light yet abrasive enough to lift dead skin cells and smooth out the texture. 

Again, you can follow these steps for feet or hand calluses or corns—but that's it. Before you start, dip your designated area in warm water. "You will see better results if you soak your feet before using a pumice stone," medical aesthetician and founder of JTAV Clinical Skincare Joie Tavernise tells mbg. 

"Your skin should be moist and soft to the touch but not wrinkly from long exposure to water," she clarifies. Be sure to make your foot bath a medium to warm temperature, as burning hot water will only irritate the skin. 

Now it's time to use your stone. Rub the stone in circular motions over the area; a medium pressure is more than enough to remove the dead skin cels. If you're working on your hands, Tavernise recommends using very light pressure, as this area is more sensitive than the feet. 

When you're exfoliating, you might even see dead skin cells visibly accumulate on the stone (gross but strangely satisfying). Because this can get messy, it's best to complete this step over a bath or while you're in the shower (just don't fall when balancing on one leg). 

Be sure to stop when you've reached a desired smoothness (about two to three minutes does the trick, board-certified dermatologist and founder of MMSkincare Ellen Marmur, M.D., says), or when the dead skin cells stops clinging to the pumice stone's pores.

If you're working on calluses or corns, proceed with caution and don't eliminate them completely "Calluses exist to protect our feet in areas of high friction, so use moderation when attempting to file them down," board-certified dermatologist Rebecca Marcus, M.D., FAAD, tells mbg. Corns develop due to bone pressure on the skin, creating a more padded area of the skin.

After all that exfoliating, you'll want to add moisture back into the skin. After towel-drying your skin, apply a thick cream to seal in any micro-cracks. "Since the manual exfoliation of the stone can cause microabrasions on the skin, it's important to apply moisturizer to help repair the small cracks in the skin from the pumice exfoliation," explains Patel. 

"You want to make sure to keep the pumice stone clean because the built-up skin cells can act as a fomite and harbor bacteria that can be passed back to your skin or other areas on the body during its next use," board-certified dermatologist Nava Greenfield, M.D., explains. 

To do so, pop your pumice stone in a bowl of warm water and antibacterial soap, Greenfield says. You can add a bristle brush to your cleaning routine if you find your pumice stone has larger holes that catch more dead skin cells.