How To Have Soft Touchable Feet -
Tips To Treating Dry, Callused, Rough Feet

How To Have Soft Touchable Feet -
Tips To Treating Dry, Callused, Rough Feet

OK, so what do you do? Luckily, it's very easy to make your feet soft and silky smooth. Best of all you don't even need to visit a spa to do it. With the help of a foot file, a few common household items, a pumice stone and some foot lotion, you can get your feet looking runway ready. Just remember these four easy steps: file, soak, exfoliate and moisturize.

Step 1: File Dry Feet
Just a few strokes will work wonders on rough, dry heels. Rinse the file with mild soap and water when done. You can remove unsightly calluses easily and effectively using any of the following:

• Bliss Diamancel 10 Classic Buffer ($48 SkinStore.com) - the buffer of choice for those sporting calluses, corns or hardened heels.
• Microplane Foot File ($20 SkinCareRx.com)- ideal for those with tough calluses and dead skin on the feet.
• Artemis Woman Heel Smoother ($30 Amazon.com) – adequately, quickly, and safely smoothes skin and removes calluses using DuraCrystal tips (i.e., no scary chemicals or blades).
• PedEgg Micro File ($10 SallyBeauty.com) - an egg-shaped foot file that is compact and collects the dry skin in a built-in compartment. Click here to read PedEgg review.

Step 2: Soak
Soak your feet in a warm bath. The time you spend taking a bath is generally sufficient for this, but if you are someone who takes a 5-minute shower, then you will want to properly soak them afterward (10-minutes). Be sure not to soak them for too long, you don't want prune feet! Tip: For a great exfoliating soak for your feet, fill a basin of warm water and mix in three tablespoons of Arm and Hammer baking soda - it's like having a spa in your very own kitchen!

Step 3: Exfoliate
To produce new skin cells, cell replacement occurs constantly in the body. These new epidermal cells are made in the deeper layers of your skin. In order for the new skin to reach the surface, the older outer layer of skin must be shed, or exfoliated.

With the dryness of our feet that occurs during winter, along with the normal wear-and-tear of being on our feet all day in shoes that are less than ideal (from a foot’s point of view anyway), sometimes this shedding process just doesn’t happen quickly enough! Thankfully, a foot scrub and/or a good old-fashioned pumice stone can be used to do the trick.

Foot Scrubs
Do you want the same foot scrub treatment many upscale spas use, without paying the upscale price? Luckily, acquiring the perfect foot scrub does not require you to empty out your pockets. An inexpensive, easy-to-do foot scrub can be made from simple ingredients (e.g., Epsom salts) obtained at your local pharmacy. Here are two ways for you to have your very own do-it-yourself foot scrub that exfoliates and softens skin:

• After soaking your feet, massage a handful of Epsom salt over the wet skin to exfoliate the feet. Rinse and pat dry.
• Mix 2 cups of Epsom salt with 1/4 cup of petroleum jelly and a few drops of lavender essential oil. Use the mixture to gently scrub away the dry skin patches. When you are done, wash off the mixture with a mild soap, rinse, and pat dry.

If you prefer an over-the-counter foot scrub, try Get Fresh Down 'n Dirty Foot Scrub ($16.50 BeautyBridge.com). Loaded with pumice, walnut shells, moisturizing seaweed and aloe vera, this effective formula exfoliates and smoothes even the toughest and driest feet.

Pumice Stone
Once your skin is soft from soaking, get to work on rough, callused areas using a pumice stone, try Tweezerman Pedro Callus Stone ($20 BeautyBridge.com). Dip the pumice stone in some soapy water to get it wet, then use it on your toes, your heels, the soles - everywhere your skin is tough or dry. It should only take less than 5 minutes to do both feet. When finished, rinse and pat your feet dry.

Step 4: Moisturize Dry Feet
You can use any type of lotion for this, it doesn’t need to be expensive. If you have really dry skin though, you will probably want to use a specialized product specifically designed for the feet.
Recommended Products :

• Philosophy Soul Owner Exfoliating Foot Cream ($14 Skinstore.com) – an extra-rich emollient cream super-charged with salicylic and glycolic acids (read User Reviews Of Philosophy Beauty Products).
• Freeman's Bare Foot Lotion ($4.29 Amazon.com) - not only does it work fabulously well, it smells amazing!
• Eucerin ($13.70 DermaDoctor.com) – it’s a heavy moisturizing cream (not a thin lotion) that allows for better absorption.

Some Tips:

• Bathing: As we have previously mentioned, the cold, dry weather of winter can sap the moisture from your feet. Unfortunately, the tendency to take long, hot baths and showers during the winter months further saps the moisture from your skin. To help retain your skin's moisture, take warm, short baths and showers instead.
• Pumice Stones: Many women prefer the type that has a handle because they find it much easier and faster to use (Try: Easy Grip Professional Foot Smoother ($20 Amazon.com)). You can always buy the non-handle type if you prefer, however.
• Don't overdo it: Do not go crazy with the file or the pumice stone to break down your skin. Only use them when necessary. For some women they may need to do use a file and/or a pumice stone every day, but most will not. It is most likely that you will only need to use these items every few days.
• Put lotion on at night: Lotion your feet in the evening when you have time to be barefoot and properly relaxed, not in the morning before you go to work. This will allow the moisturizing lotion to soak into your skin, as opposed to having it get absorbed by your socks and/or shoes.
• Foot massage: This gets the circulation to your feet going, as well as relieves the tight, sore muscles of the foot.
• Caution: If you are diabetic, or otherwise have circulation problems in your feet, you'll need to pay special attention to how hard you are using the file and/or pumice stone. If you rub too hard you can break the skin causing scratches, cuts and bleeding. If you have open cracks, sores, or other medical problems with your feet, consult your healthcare professional before you use a file or pumice stone.

Keep in mind that smoothing your rough feet and reducing calluses takes time. It is a gradual process that will likely take a few days until you begin to see real results. It is simply not going to happen just by following these steps one time. However, if you follow these simple techniques a little time each day, you will get the soft, smooth feet you have been longing for.

How To Have Soft Touchable Feet - Tips To Treating Dry, Callused, Rough Feet

Extra Tip: For a Beautiful and Safe Pedicure
Now that you have your feet soft and smooth, you probably want to show them off this spring and summer with a nice, colorful, professional pedicure. When going for a professional pedicure, be aware that unsterilized equipment is a breeding ground for bacteria that can lead to fungal infections, athlete's foot, and in the worst cases, skin diseases. In order to avoid such dangers follow these rules:

• Choose a salon that does not have jet tubs as part of the pedicure pampering. Why? Because those jet tubs harbor a bacteria colony deeply rooted in the pipes that cannot be thoroughly cleansed. Instead, pick places with easy-to-clean basins where bacteria cannot hide.
  
• Bring your own flip flops to take you from the chair to the drier. Trust us, you don’t want to know how many bare feet have walked across that floor before you.
  
• Make sure the instruments being used on you come out of a sterile pack.
  
• When in doubt, see if you can have your pedicure done in the safety and comfort of a podiatrist's office. (Some podiatrists offer the service.)

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