How to Soften Your Dry Cracked Feet

Rub away dry skin with a pumice stone.

Dry, cracked, rough feet are unsightly and can be painful. Get rid of all that dry skin at home with a soothing nighttime treatment plan. Relax with a foot soak before bed, then let intense moisturizers soften your feet while you sleep. Lubricants and salves that contain ingredients like lanolin, allantoin, aloe, vitamin D and vitamin A are especially effective. Products marketed as udder creams, originally developed for use on dairy cows, will soften your feet overnight.

Things You'll Need

• Foot bath
• Towel
• Foot file or pumice stone
• Lubricant or salve
• Cotton socks

Instructions

1. Fill a foot bath with warm, not hot, water. If you like, add a few drops of a favorite essential oil to the water so you can enjoy the scent.

2. Soak your feet in the water for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Draw your feet from the water and pat them with a towel. Leave them slightly damp.

4. Rub the foot filer or a pumice stone over the roughest places on your feet, such as heels and toes. This removes the top layers of dry, dead skin. Don't over-scrub or create any sore spots.

5. Rinse your feet under running water to remove excess dead skin. Pat them dry.

6. Apply a generous layer of a lubricant or salve over both feet.

7. Put on a pair of thick cotton socks to keep the lubricant close to your skin while you sleep.

8. Repeat the treatment once or twice a week to keep dry skin at bay.

References

• “The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets”; Kym Douglas, et al.; 2006
• “Forget the Facelift”; Doris J. Day, et al.; 2006