If your feet are cracked, parched, or irritated to the touch…no big deal. More ugly (especially in summer!), dry feet can sometimes stop you from sporting ideal pedicures and sandals. Concentrate on information to discover softness and ease illico presto.
The foot, a naturally dry zone
Dry skin on the feet is commonplace. Indeed, the foot is naturally lacking in sebaceous glands, which provide the skin and prevent dehydrated feet.
In extra, with years, the feet make less sebum and are increasingly dry.
“Contrary to what we suspect, sweat does not sidestep dryness”, prescribes Nicolas Grenot. The most exposed part is obviously the heel, on which we can mark heel calluses, the horn which, if not treated, can cause cracks and then cracks. These are extremely painful.
“Skin dryness (Hyperkeratosis) is owed to the excessive force on the heel, then the skin seeks to protect itself and collects a funnel.
If it is too great, there is a chance of cracking. As long as the fissures remain on the exterior, either on the epidermis, it’s superficial. As soon as you attain the dermis, it evolves very painful”, demonstrates Nicolas Grenot.
Full care and hydration of dry and destroyed feet
Often overlooked, the feet are nonetheless mistreated on a daily basis and need special awareness so as not to end up with cracks or even unsightly corns.
To restore life and softness to your dry feet, treatment is essential and must be practiced at least once a month in the salon or at home.
Also called a foot bath, it is a cleaning of the feet in three steps:
- Soaking feet in hot water enhanced with essential oils, coarse salt, and sodium bicarbonate
- Exfoliation of the feet with precise products
- Sanding
This adapted practice, although useful, will not be sufficient to maintain the skin of your feet hydrated and flexible. Thicker than the skin on the rest of the body, keep it by watering it regularly with a moisturizing body lotion or balm.
Natural remedies for dry and damaged feet
Some natural products are very efficacious against dehydrated feet. They immediately soften broken heels and extract calluses from beneath the feet.
- Vegetable oil: very effective on the dry skin of the feet. Put some on the affected areas and gently rub or soak your socks in this oil and keep them on overnight. The treatment is to be repeated for several days.
- Banana and avocado: the banana has great nutritional properties. You can rub your feet with the inside of the banana peel for a few minutes. Use its pulp to remove dead skin from your feet and repair calluses. You can also opt for a natural mask made from avocado and banana. Mix the two ingredients until you get a thick paste and add green coconuts.
- Paraffin: this is the most effective remedy for cracked and painful heels. Combine it with coconut oil that you will mix in a saucepan and let cool. Apply the mixture to the heels and leave on overnight, putting on socks.
- Shea butter: it is the beauty remedy for the feet par excellence. Applied daily, it rests your feet and body from the ravages of winter. Even during the roughest times of the season, you have perfect, soft feet.
Grandmother’s tips for dry and damaged feet
Do you want to put an end to cracked and cracked feet with a homemade recipe? A simple, fast and effective gesture!
To make this grandmother’s anti-dry feet trick you will only need two ingredients. No need to look far, you necessarily have these two ingredients in your kitchen.
- Olive oil: recognized for its moisturizing properties
- Salt: to exfoliate the skin of your feet and rid them of dead skin
- A few drops of lemon: for a baby skin effect
In a large bowl mix two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of fine salt. Rub your feet with the mix, pressing on the heels.
Rinse your feet then let them soak in a basin of lukewarm water in which you will add a few drops of lemon and then dry them.
Grandma’s recipe operation is over, your feet have regained all their softness!
“Sweat encourages dryness, so it is crucial to treat it, even if it is not comfortable”, explains Nicolas Grenot. “Create a foot bath with two or three tea packs invested in lukewarm water. Let your feet soak for 15 minutes then dry carefully.” This foot bath helps tighten pores and therefore limits perspiration.
To exfoliate dry feet, Nicolas Grenot recommends a recipe based on olive oil and coarse salt: rub gently, and there you have very soft feet. For hydration, a mashed ripe avocado would do wonders. As for people who suffer from venous insufficiency – which generates skin dryness – he suggests the Scottish shower: alternate warm and cooler water and ending with a jet of freezing water.
Why do we have dry feet?
While some people are naturally more prone to dry skin than others, some factors promote dry feet. Wearing shoes without a buttress or without a strap at the back – everyday flip-flops are to be avoided, favoring dry feet. Ditto for synthetic materials (stockings, tights) which make you sweat more, and have the effect of drying out the skin.
It is also necessary to take into account age or possible diseases such as diabetes or venous insufficiency, which accentuate the sensitivity to cutaneous dryness.
Nicolas Grenot warns: “Be cautious, some individuals who have dehydrated feet utilize an electric grater every daytime. However, the more you rub, the more the callus comes back.”
The right rhythm? Onetime a week and without mess, operate an electric grater or a manual emery fabric grater, on arid and not soggy feet.
Of course, when hyperkeratosis is too vital, it is more useful to consult a podiatrist for more developed treatments.
Photo: Pexels/Valeria Boltneva
