As soon as the weather starts to get a little warmer, we want to spend our evenings down the pub, under a patio heater, savouring that sweet glass of rosè. And definitely not whiling away the evening shifting dry skin on your feet with a foot file.
We won’t sugarcoat it (although, that might come in handy for a foot scrub), getting rid of pesky dry skin on the feet can be a laborious task, but it doesn’t have to be. There are tips and tricks to give our hoofs a good seeing to, without spending hours at work.
Whilst not the most glamorous of topics, cracked feet are a common affliction given foot care is usually last on the pecking order behind skincare, hair care and general body care. Therefore it’s unsurprising that our poor soles are in desperate need of some love.
We enlisted the expert advice of top podiatrist Dr Bharti Rajput to answer every single one of your foot-related questions. Below, she explains exactly why we get cracked heels, what the best at-home remedies are and how we can swap scaly skin for soft soles — so you don’t have to worry when it comes to swapping your boots for your sandals.
What are your best tips for getting rid of dry skin on your feet?
The good news is, it’s pretty easy to help care for your feet but it does take a bit of consistency. “You can get rid of dry skin on your feet by using a foot file but always use it on a dry foot, never on a wet foot. When the skin is wet, it tends to become more rubbery,” Dr Rajput explains.
“On a dry foot, you can actually buff the skin down.” She recommends laying a piece of kitchen towel or newspaper down on the floor to catch the hard skin when buffing. “You’ll get great pleasure in seeing white powdery hard skin getting rubbed off your feet,” she confesses. Once you’ve done this, you can pretend you’re at a spa and give your feet a soak.
Why are my feet so dry even when I moisturise?
Believe it or not, the skin on your feet is actually six times stronger than anywhere else on your body. That’s exactly why Dr Rajput says that to get the best results, you need a specialist cream that can penetrate into the skin layers. “Just as you wouldn’t just use any cream on your face, you need to make sure you’re applying the right kind of cream to your feet.”
Dr Rajput always recommends a urea-based (part of your body’s natural moisturising factor) foot cream, she likes the Flexitol Heel Balm (which we’re a fan of too), “if you have really dry skin on your feet, as it is medically proven to provide relief from dry, cracked skin on the heels and feet.”
We also like the Beauty Pie Footopia Foot and Heel Cream and the Essence Ultra-Care Foot Mask for a super affordable option.