I wish I could tell you there is one great product that would single-handedly cure your dry, cracked little feet, but there isn’t.
There are so many products on the market that claim they will soothe dry skin, remove calluses and restore feet to baby-like softness, but there really is no cure-all solution for dry, rough feet.
Much like the fact that there is no magic pill to melt away those cheeseburgers and Twinkies from your thighs, there really isn’t just one product to restore moisture and youthful texture to your tired feet. You have to put some effort in, be consistent and make new habits that you keep even after you finally have soft, supple feet again.
Getting Feet Back Into Shape
First off, these is no point in slapping lotion on feet that look like the Sahara Desert. You are expecting way too much out of your foot creams and lotions if you do that. If you are dealing with severely dry, cracked and rough feet, you need more than a little moisture to get them looking (and feeling) good again.
I have found a protocol to cure extremely dry, rough and cracked feet and a regime to keep them soft and supple. Follow these steps below to get your feet ready for Spring!
Step 1 – File down calluses and rough spots
First things first, you’ve got to file down those calluses and rough areas around your heels. You don’t have to go to a local spa and pay $60 or more for a pedicure. Sure, you deserve it and you’ve definitely earned it, but ain’t nobody got time for ‘dat. Fix your feet at home with an electronic foot file like the Amope Pedi Perfect. It’s quick, easy to use, and most importantly, it’s quite effective at removing dead skin, rough areas and hardened spots. Don’t forget those stubborn toe calluses too.
You can grab Amope Pedi Perfect at your local Target or on Amazon for around $36
Step 2 – Removing large or stubborn calluses
If you have very large, hard calluses or considerably cracked feet, consider treating them with an intensive product like Seche Callus Away before doing anything else. It’s kinda messy and slightly inconvenient to apply and remove, but the results will leave you speechless. In less than ten minutes you feet will feet pretty darn close to what they felt like the day you were born. Legit.
Grab a bottle of Seche Callus Away on Ulta for like $10 or pick some up at Walmart for less than $6.
Step 3 – Put on some real moisture!
Are your feet softer and looking less like hobbit feet now? Great! Now it’s time to get some much-needed moisture back in those little tootsies.
There are a lot of amazing foot creams and lotions out there that promise great results and if you are young, never walk barefoot and use said foot creams or lotions every day, then you might have great results. For the rest of us, regular lotion doesn’t cut the cake. If you have some seriously sad looking feet that are dry, rough, cracked or split, then you need O’ Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Foot Cream.
Personally, I’m not crazy about the smell (it’s practically unscented) and I don’t really like how it feels like suede, BUT, man does this stuff work wonders on dry feet. Lather up those puppies with O’Keeffe’s foot cream, slip on some spa socks and by morning you will be amazed how much better your feet look and feel.
I also love Bliss Aloe Leaf + Peppermint Foot Patrol ($18.49) because it exfoliates AND softens feet. Plus is smells really, really good. A little bit goes a long way so don’t gawk at the price. This stuff is worth every penny.
Once your feet finally look human again, don’t go back to your old ways! Be sure to give your poor little feet some TLC at least once a week, henceforth or you will be right back where you started.
If you spent a lot of time dieting and exercising to lose weight, you wouldn’t start eating donuts and sitting on the couch all day after you got down to your target weight, would you? No, of course not! So don’t go running around barefoot and forgetting to moisturize your feet after you get your feet back into shape. They need weekly, if not daily, maintenance in order to stay soft, supple and sexy.
Step 4 – Keeping feet soft and sandal-ready!
Grab yourself a pair of Earth Therapeutics all-over intensive gel booties at Ulta for $25 to protect your feet from the bare floor, while giving them moisture.
These little puppies are like a trip to the spa. Now, if your feet look like the underside of your work boots, please don’t bother putting these on yet. They aren’t magic! However, if you’ve already been using some of the above recommended products and those things at the end of your ankles are starting to resemble feet again, then these cool little gel booties will definitely impress you.
Slip these on after you get out of the shower to help lock in moisture or to help protect your toes from the elements when lounging around the house. Not only do they keep your feet warm, the gel lining is infused with a proprietary formula that continuously delivers intensive moisture on the entire top and bottom of your feet. If you are prone to having dry feet in the winter, these are a great way to combat it.
Another great daily habit to make is applying a moisturizing foot cream to your feet and then putting on spa socks ($4) before bed. This helps infuse moisture into your feet all night long so they can withstand what you put them through all day. Alternatively, you could also slip on some cozy aloe-infused socks ($8) for the same affect.
Remember to give your feet a little extra love and affection. They go thorough a lot every single day for you and even though you walk all over them, they still love you.