I’m not sure if this is just a Southern California problem or not but oftentimes, when we go to the beach, we find patches of tar in the sand that range in size from a pea to a softball. And inevitably, despite your best efforts to avoid it, you end up stepping on some and finding patches of black tar on the soles of your feet that are almost impossible to remove.
Most people don’t notice it until they pack up to leave the beach and either rinse or rub the sand off of their feet. Below is a photo of a good size patch of tar on my son’s foot and at the very top is a photo of my fingers, after I foolishly tried to scrape it off his foot.
Learn from my mistake: Don’t use your fingers to scrape beach tar off your feet. In the past, I used to use either Goop or Oil Slick, which I bought at Amazon (Full disclosure: I get a referral fee if you use my Amazon affiliate link). But when we ran out of it and I forgot to replace it, I had to get creative. Besides, unsure of exactly what’s in them, I never felt great using either of those products on my skin and never used them on my kids.
I discovered that my spray sunscreen and a tissue or wipe worked perfectly. Given the huge patch of beach tar on my son’s foot, I wanted to act quickly and not wait until we got home to remove it. So I sprayed some sunscreen on it and within seconds, the entire patch was gone. Prior to this, my wife had discovered that coconut oil worked brilliantly.
Regardless of what you use, you will definitely want to remove it before you or your kids get in the car or inside the house and stain your floors or carpets.
Have you ever had to deal with beach tar on your feet? Where? Drop a comment below and let me know. I’m curious whether this is a problem on other beaches outside of LA County.
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When I lived in the Florida Keys in the mid ’70s, beach tar was very common. Last time I was there in the 90s, much less so. I agree with the other posts suggesting baby oil or oil-based tanning “lotion” (if anybody still uses that stuff).
Refugio Beach Santa Barbara County
Sex wax definitely capitalized on this SoCal problem. I use my oil, whatever I have, currently it’s Hawaiian tropic spray oil.
Salt Creek in south Orange County we experienced a HUGE tar patch while getting into the ocean to surf. A huge mess and unable to remove easily. Used the sunscreen from our beach bag to attempt the removal.
Just had this happen to me at hermosa beach. I used dish soap, olive oil, and hot water. It took a while but I got it off
Fun fact. The Chumash Indians in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties used the tar to caulk their canoes.
That’s awesome! I studied about them in college but either didn’t learn that part or forgot it. Thanks
Everybody that says any kind of oil is correct. We used petroleum jelly (Vaseline), the big giant ones you get at Target, as it’s also great for lips, toes, fingertips that get dried out in the salt water.
Tar is common on south Santa Barbara beaches. Baby oil works OK but takes a little work
Just completed my 34th summer as an ocean lifeguard in L.A. County and yes tar can be problematic. According to the experts it’s naturally occurring from the ocean floor. Any petroleum product will remove it but my favorite is baby oil. Small bottles can be purchased at drug stores for convenience and a cloth or gauze to do the rest of the clean up. Smells pretty good and is safe.
Thanks for the tip! We will make it a reader travel tip next week so others can see.
Grew up in SoCal (I’m 79 years old)and still live in Central Cal–was just at El Capitan in Santa Barbara County and once again, tar. It has always been a problem–some days worse than others due to weather and tidal activity. There have always been natural oil seeps off shore. We have always used the unsafe, smelly tar removal–lighter fluid or gasoline. I’m sure the fumes have taken a few years off my life. Very happy to hear about coconut oil and spray sunscreen. Seems like a much better choice!
I’ve had tar problems in Florida in years past. I used baby oil and it came right off. Probably any oil would work.
Love your daily emails with tips. Listen to you with Leo too.
Only around Huntington Beach & further north. Never at South Orange County beaches or San Diego County. I attribute it to the oil drilling activity off certain beaches.