Summer has to come to an end and your feet may be showing it. Wearing open shoes and spending a lot of time barefoot means our feet tend to become dry and sometimes even crack. Spend some time with a foot file and a good heel balm, and you will be back to smooth feet in no time. Here’s how:
- Give your feet a good soak in some warm soapy water and make sure they are clean. Don’t just stand in the shower and do this, sit on the end of your bathtub and put some effort in. By soaking your feet you are softening the tough and hard skin on your heels, which is always the troublesome area.
- Now that your feet are soft, take your foot file or pumice stone, and using a gentle pressure, slowly slough away the thicker area that is bothering you. This is usually the heels, the ball of you foot and the sides of the big toes. By using slow movements you will get better results than if you scrub quickly and scrape with hard pressure. Try not to let the skin get hot – you will know you are not doing a good job if this happens. Go over each area at least twice.
- Now that you have paid some attention to the areas underneath your feet, it’s time to move to the top of your foot. Clip your toenails and remember to push back your cuticles.
- If your feet still have some hard patches or they tend to be very dry, use an exfoliating scrub once a week.
- Once you are done with your foot file, remember to clean it off and get rid of any bacteria. You don’t want build-up.
- Apply a nourishing heel balm and massage it into your heels. Repeat this once a week until you are happy with the texture of your skin. It is always best to do this before bed so the product can absorb properly.
Other articles you may be interested in:
Prep those footsies for summer
Fix your feet
Get your feet flip flop ready
How to: do your own pedicure
Our top five spas and treatments
26 Responses
Confession, I am guilty of ignoring the cuticles on my toes.
I’ve made it a habit and rule that I’m not allowed to step out of the shower until I’ve given my heels a light scrub – it makes such a big difference because my feet are always soft and has that healthy, pink tone on the soles. It makes wearing open shoes a pleasure since I tend to kick off my shoes when I’m sitting down.
ooh I just gave myself a pedi on Monday. I soaked my feet in apple cider Vinegar & mouth wash(it really gets rid of the dead skin). I love to walk bare foot at home so my feet were really bad I also used the sorbet foot mask, I kept it overnight, my feet are almost as soft as a babies. :)
I’ve only recently learnt how to properly use my foot file, thanks to some advice from my beautician. It really makes a difference when you do it the correct way and the article above definitely compliments the advice my beautician offered.
Aww, as much as this article is helpful, its normal everyday stuff that women know. The heading was deceitful to me as I though it was on how to literally use your foot file(assuming people are commonly using it wrongly) oh well. . Very well written and informative article none-the-less.
Definitely going to do this tonight!
My heels need so much TLC!
Just because our feet will be in closed shoes, it doesn’t mean we can neglect them!
Such a life saver! Definitely doing this today!
These are quite useful. It’s always the heels and certain creams keep them soft only for a short period.
Thank you so much. I need these.