Back in late 2012, I decided I needed the Lush Volcano Foot Mask in my life. I've previously been let down by Lush ... actually, more often than not, I'm let down by Lush. But the Volcano Foot Mask is not one of them. If it weren't for the hefty price tag ($22.95 for 11.4 ounces/325 grams), I'd buy it over and over again. While the Volcano Foot Mask doesn't exactly work wonders on my feet, it gives my feet a warm, tingly sensation and makes them feel fresh and new.

Me being me, I thought, "Let me look at the ingredients. I bet I can make this at home for a quarter of the price." Bingo. While my recipe isn't exact, it's a dupe that serves the purpose of making my feet feel tingly and fresh.

The Lush ingredients: Kaolin, Pumice, Limeflower and Cleaver Decoction, Fresh Tomatoes, Fresh Papaya, Potatoes, Glycerine, Bentonite Gel, Lemon Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Perfume, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

One of my biggest problems with Lush is that in spite of its "natural" reputation, it uses parabens in a lot of its products, and other unsavory ingredients.

My ingredients: Bentonite clay (any powdered clay would work), fresh tomatoes, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, peppermint essential oil, aloe vera juice

Homemade Lush Volcano Foot Mask Dupe

1 medium tomato, chopped
5 drops of peppermint essential oil

Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients together, and refrigerate for up to a week. You'll notice that the mask will become quite dry when refrigerated -- add some more aloe vera juice (or water) to it and mix before applying. To use, apply a thick coat to your feet, wrap your feet up in saran wrap or plastic bags and allow to rest for 30 minutes or more. Lush suggest elevating your feet for maximum effectiveness. Rinse off in the shower.

The original Lush recipe calls for cinnamon essential oil, which I didn't have on hand, so I used peppermint oil instead, which gave it a similar tingly feeling. Cinnamon in general is said to help deodorize feet, though peppermint has a similar effect. If you would like to use cinnamon essential oil, please use a few drops at first and do a skin test before adding more. My recipe uses proportions appropriate for peppermint essential oil.

If you happen to have papaya and potatoes lying around, feel free to add small portions of that in as well. I didn't have any potatoes, and papayas are somewhat expensive (and rare in my household!). The enzymes from the papaya and tomato help break down dead skin. So will the citric acid in lemon juice.

You can buy powdered clay really inexpensively at your local health food store, or on sites like Drugstore.com or Vitacost.com. If you try this recipe out, let me know how you like it!