Everything You Need To Know About Removing Dry Skin On Your Feet

Who doesn't like pretty, soft and well-manicured feet with freshly painted nails? Dry skin often poses a hindrance to soft feet. As we age, the skin on our feet tends to lose moisture and we get dry and flaky skin on our feet. These not only look bad but also stop us from wearing our favorite flip flops and heading to the beach. We are forced to wear closed shoes just because we do not want the world to see the patches of dry skin on our feet. 

Men too get dry and flaky skin on their feet and this if not checked and treated at the right time may lead to severely cracked heels and calluses. The skin on the feet loses moisture and becomes dehydrated. Feet are often the least cared-for part of the human body and a layer of dead skin cells accumulates if we have not exfoliated our feet since a long time. 

Feet care does not necessarily meaning heading to the salon every month spending thousands on pedicure. There are a few amazing home remedies which not only help in removal of dry skin from our feet but also render them looking soft and hydrated. 

Causes of Dry Foot Skin:

* Lack of moisture is one of the biggest culprits that forms white and dry patches around the heels. Although dead skin cells also accumulate around the heels and other areas of the sole mainly because of dehydration, there are some other reasons too which result in accumulation of a layer of dead skin cells. 

* Apart from moisture, friction and pressure also cause the skin on the feet to harden and thicken. This hard and thick skin is commonly known as corns or calluses. They are formed by the skin as a protective measure. Although medical science does not really necessitate the removal of hard skin, people might desire to remove them for better looking feet. Hard skin, calluses and corn should not be treated at home especially if the person has diabetes or any other such problems. Treating or trying to remove hard skin from your feet if you have any problems relating to circulation or sensation in the feet could lead to serious infections. 

* Dry skin on the feet also occurs due to improper shoes. If you tend to wear the same pair of shoes, it might lead to constant friction and rubbing and resultant build up of dry skin. If you wear open shoes or sandals a lot, it might expose your feet to certain elements like dirt and grime which have a major hand in drying the skin. 

* Many harsh soaps and cleansers also contain harmful chemicals which cause the skin on the feet to get very dry. They literally rip the moisture off the skin leading to dry skin. 

* People who stand a lot also tend to have dry foot skin because of increased friction from footwear and pressure on the feet. 

* Many obese people also suffer from dry foot skin because their feet are constantly pressurized carrying extra weight. Their circulation might also not be healthy in the body leading to dry skin. 
 

* Certain medical conditions such as psoriasis, cancer or Athlete's foot lead to rough, dry and flaky skin on the feet in some people. 

If your hard skin on the foot has become too dry and causing discomfort, then you must visit a doctor to have it cut away. This procedure of cutting hard skin from the foot is called debridement. This treatment may require you to wear cushions inside your shoes to enable proper healing.

If the dry skin on the feet is not painful but causing you lots of discomfort, there are various ways to treat and heal the skin on your own at home with some amazing ingredients found in your kitchen. 

A virgin coconut oil treatment is very effective in treating dry skin on the feet. You will have to massage some coconut oil on your feet at night before going to sleep. Keep massaging until the oil gets absorbed into the skin. Leave it overnight and wash it off in the morning with a mild soap. You can even wear socks after application of oil for better results. A few drops of tea-tree oil added in coconut oil helps in soothing inflammation from corns or calluses. 

Coconut oil works as an excellent emollient and humectant which helps in hydrating the skin and curing the dryness and flakiness. 

Add 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar to a bucket of warm water. Soak your feet in this water for at least 20 minutes. After soaking, gently scrub your feet with your hands to remove the dry and flaky skin. Rinse with plain water and apply a moisturizer. You can repeat this treatment twice a week. 

Apple cider vinegar has malic acid which exfoliates the dry skin cells making your skin look baby soft. It restores the pH balance of the skin and relieves the dryness.

Mix 1/4th cup of brown sugar with 4-5 tablespoons of coconut oil in a bowl.  Add any essential oil such as tea tree oil or lemon oil to added benefits. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and gently scrub in circular directions on your feet. Rinse. Scrub this way twice or thrice in a week to get relief from dry and flaky skin on the feet.

Brown sugar works as a mild abrasive and helps in removing the flaky skin. The coconut oil acts as a moisturizer and treats the dry skin.

Take 1/2 cup of Listerine and mix it with 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Pour this mixture into a tub filled with warm water. Soak your feet in the tub for at least 20 minutes. After soaking, remove your legs and scrub gently with a pumice stone. Rinse. Repeat this process twice a week for best results.
 

This treatment works because vinegar helps in restoring the skin's pH balance and makes it very soft and supple. The Listerine added in the water works as an antiseptic agent which soothes itchiness caused due to dry skin.

A cup of Listerine and 1/2 cup of Epsom salt when added to a bucket of warm water with a tablespoon of lemon juice, works wonders for the dry skin on your feet. Soak your feet for 15 minutes in this water and later rinse your feet with regular water. Repeat this treatment twice a week for best results. 
 

This treatment works because the Epsom salt removes all the toxins in the skin and soothes your muscles. The Listerine adds as a skin disinfectant and it relieves itchiness caused due to dryness. 

Apply raw honey generously on your feet and massage for a couple of minutes. Rinse off after 10 minutes with regular water. You can repeat this treatment every day for soft skin on the feet. 

Honey works as a humectant. Honey contains powerful nutrients which nourish the dry skin and heals the flaky skin. Honey is also loaded with powerful antioxidants which rejuvenate the skin by reversing the skin damage caused due to free radicals. 

Baking soda works as a natural abrasive which helps in removing the dead and dry skin cells. You need to mix one cup of baking soda in a tub of hot water. Soak your feet in a tub of hot water with baking soda for about 20 minutes. Later, remove your feet and gently scrub with a pumice stone. Repeat this baking soda treatment twice a week for best results. 

Baking soda works as a natural exfoliant which softens the skin and soothes it with its anti-inflammatory properties. 

Apply Vaseline on your feet and massage properly ensuring that the petroleum jelly is well absorbed into the skin. Wear socks overnight to retain the moisture. Repeat the Vaseline remedy every night for best results. 
 

Take the juice of one lemon in a bowl and add some sugar to it. Apply this mixture to the dry skin on the feet and gently scrub for some time. Rinse with normal water. Repeat this remedy every alternate day for best results. 

Lemon juice works as an astringent and the sugar acts as an exfoliator because of its coarse texture. Together these two remove the flaky and dry skin and heal the dry skin on the feet. 
 

Add 2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide into a bucket of warm water. Soak your feet into the water for 15-20 minutes. Remove your feet and gently scrub with a pumice stone. Rinse with regular water and add a good moisturizer. Repeat this remedy twice a week for best results. 

Hydrogen Peroxide works by making the dry and flaky skin loose. This dead skin comes off easily if you gently scrub and fresh and softer skin underneath is revealed. 

A Paraffin wax treatment works the best for softening dry and dull skin on the feet. Many spa-goers would vouch for this miracle softener. It's moisturizing properties are quite intense and it has an amazing ability to remove dry skin. 

For the treatment, you need to soak your feet into warm and melted Paraffin wax so that the natural emollients of the wax open up your skin pores and moisturize them from within. When this wax cools, it is pulled off and it pulls away your dead skin cells along with it. 

Glycerin is actually a sugar alcohol which is widely used owing to its moisturizing properties. Glycerin is often added as a lubricant to many substances such as shaving creams, tooth paste, hair products, soaps and some moisturizers. It helps in removing dry skin from the feet. You can apply glycerin directly to the patches of dry skin on your feet and let is rest for about 15-20 minutes. Later, rinse off with water. You will notice your dry skin melt away with glycerin treatment. 
 

Bananas are an excellent cure for healing dry skin. They contain a high amount of potassium which acts as a super-hydrator for dry and cracked heels. You need to crush overripe bananas into a thick paste and apply it on your feet. Leave it for 15 minutes and wash off later with regular water. 
 

There are plenty of powerful foot creams available in the market which can help you cure dead skin cells on your feet. Many of them have powerful plant extracts and fruit and essential oil extracts which effectively cure dry skin. The skin on the feet is thicker than the skin elsewhere and also undergoes a lot of pressure when the person stands. The creams available for moisturizing foot skin are thicker and have ingredients like cocoa butter, Shea butter and other such ingredients for effectively coating the skin on the feet. 

A Japanese foot product is creating ripples in the industry currently. This Baby Foot peel has the ability to totally replace and replenish foot skin within a few days. The peel literally makes your skin shed like a snake but the new skin comes up quickly and leaves your feet looking baby soft. 

Many people just use a sharp razor to peel off dry skin and calluses. This is very risky as the razor might cause deeper cuts into the already dry skin leading to further infections. Razor cuts will lead to severe pain in walking and the skin may take more time to heal because it is already dry. You should never scrub foot skin without softening it first or soaking it first in warm water. Soaking the feet in warm water is the best way to soften the dry and hard skin. It is more effective than steam. 

If you are suffering from dry and hard skin on your feet, then you should try all the above mentioned remedies to cure your hard calluses or dry patches. Removing dry and flaky patches of skin from the feet is easy and must be done soon. If left untreated, the hard skin turns into calluses which might cause a lot of discomfort later. Feet are an important part of your body and are often most neglected. Take good care of your feet and moisturize your feet regularly. You don't have to go through costly manicures or foot massages to get smooth and soft foot skin. Follow any of the above-mentioned remedies and you will get soft feet within a few days.