Dry skin on your feet can really put a damper on sunny days. And those warm summer temperatures are just around the corner. Are your feet ready? While it does take a little extra pampering, it is well worth it when you finally kick off your shoes, and show off your sexy, smooth feet. For touchable soft, summer feet just follow these six DIY ways to get smoother feet for summer:
1. Moisturize For Smooth Feet
While this may seem like a no-brainer, moisturizing dry skin on your feet is the fastest way to remove that lingering dead skin that can hang off your heels, and ruin the healthy appearance of your feet. While regular moisturizers usually fail to moisturize those super dry areas of your feet, that doesn’t mean they don’t work on other dry areas. However, it probably means that you need to get a better hydrator for your feet. When regular lotions fall short, try another angle.
TEWL, or Trans Epidermal Water Loss is the number one way the skin on your feet loses essential moisture. Due to this type of evaporative moisture loss, applying a protective barrier to your feet at the driest places may help.1
The best moisturizing skin protectors for TEWL include petroleum jelly, beeswax, lanolin, and paraffin. Apply this kind of barrier to the most parched areas of your feet (pay special attention to those heels) on a daily basis.
2. Warm Footbath
If you want to remove the dead, dry skin on your feet, first you have to soften that skin. Then, removal gets easier. Here is a simple, fragrant recipe for a soothing footbath:
You’ll Need:
- Lukewarm water
- Large soaking bucket, or basin
- 1 cup of unscented Epsom salts
- Your favorite essential oils (lavender, sandalwood, and frankincense are suggested)
Instructions:
Draw water from the tap until it is lukewarm. Once you have the desired temperature, fill the soaking basin three-quarters of the way, leaving room for water displacement from your feet.
Then, go ahead, and add in the rest of the ingredients. Include 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oils, or a blend. It’s up to you. After that, place your feet into the water, and rest them as you soak away dry skin.
After 20-30 minutes, remove your feet. When you take them out, you’ll see that the dead skin will be loosened from your feet. You may now chose to cover your feet with a moisturizer, and place them in socks for further TLC, or follow the footbath with an exfoliation process.
3. Exfoliate
This is essentially just the physical process of sloughing off those dry, dead skin cells to promote skin renewal. It can be done with a coarse, textured cloth, a natural sponge, an exfoliating pad or file, or just with your hands as a massage.
Here’s how to exfoliate:
After a softening, relaxing footbath, take an exfoliating tool that you like best, and gently rub it against your feet, addressing the driest spots first. You can perform this for up to 10 minutes, but be careful not to over agitate your skin as it can cause damage. Yes, you want to remove as much dry, dead skin as possible, but you don’t want to rub your feet raw.
4. Milk Bath
Cleopatra used to soak in nourishing milk baths because it helped to reveal a smoother, more dewy looking complexion. And today, studies have confirmed that soaking your skin in milk also works to deliver a healthy dose of naturally-occurring lactic acid – a chemical exfoliant.
Studies show that lactic acid as a chemical exfoliant works as a peel, accelerating the process of skin cell regeneration as an exfoliant.2 What’s great for the complexion is also great for your feet. Soak in a nice milk bath to reap the lactic acid benefits.
5. Glycerin Soap
Low-quality soaps and body washes can quickly strip your feet of necessary moisture. But you can keep your skin clean, soft, and hydrated with a dermatologist recommended soap made from glycerine. Known as glycerin soap, this type of topical cleanser is not intended to deliver immediate results. However, when you clean your feet with it on a daily basis, the natural humectant properties of glycerine go to work, locking in moisture for better intracellular water balance.3
6. Lemon Juice
The invigorating, refreshing scent of lemon isn’t all this bright citrus fruit is good for. In fact, within the juice of lemon lies a highly effective substance known to eliminate dead, dry skin from your feet called citric acid.
Studies have confirmed that natural Alpha-Hydroxy Acids have the ability to remove dead, lingering skin cells from the epidermis (the top layer of skin).4
Note: You can also use other types of citrus fruits on your feet to remove dry skin, including oranges, limes, and tangerines.
Dry, dead skin can take your soft, healthy-looking, smooth feet, and make them appear older and lackluster. However, if you are ready to slough off that dry skin – just follow these six DIY ways to get softer, summer ready feet.
If all else fails, and you need fast relief for dry feet – just apply FootMedix from Dermalmedix. The revolutionary formula includes the power of hEGF – an incredible ingredient that won the Nobel Peace Prize. Just apply the thick cream to your feet as you sleep, for that extra hydrating boost to get your feet summer ready.
Looking for more foot care tips? Keep reading:
6 At-Home Stinky Feet Solutions
5 Easy Things You Can Do to Achieve Soft, Smooth Feet
Sources:
1. Werner Y, Lindberg M. Transepidermal water loss in dry and clinically normal skin in patients with atopic dermatitis. Acta Derm Venereol. 1985;65(2):102-5.
2. Paula Souza Prestes, Márcia Motta Maia de Oliveira. Randomized clinical efficacy of superficial peeling with 85% lactic acid versus 70% glycolic acid. An Bras Dermatol. 2013 Nov-Dec; 88(6): 900–905.
3. Pedersen LK, Jemec GB. Plasticising effect of water and glycerin on human skin in vivo. J Dermatol Sci. 1999 Jan;19(1):48-52.
4. Applications of hydroxy acids: classification, mechanisms, and photoactivity. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2010; 3: 135–142. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2010; 3: 135–142.
