Our feet get a lot of abuse daily and this translates to dead and tough skin. Not only does it look unattractive, it can be painful if that skin isn’t removed regularly.
So how do you get dead skin off feet? The good news is that you don’t have to get a pedicure every week to ensure they remain soft.
You can get them looking supple by removing that dead skin using a few DIY tips at home.
Common Causes Of Dry And Tough Feet
Before we explore treatments, you need to understand why your feet get tough in the first place. Here are some reasons why all of that dead skin accumulates:
- Lack of moisture– Our heels and the soles of our feet dry out faster than any other part of our body because they have fewer oil glands. They need to be kept moisturized regularly or the dead skin will crack and start to peel off.
- Friction and irritation– If you wear heels a lot or remain on your feet for hours without rest, chances are your heels are tough and dry. That’s because, in either case, you are placing pressure on specific points on your feet and wearing them down in the process.
- Heat and humidity – If you wear closed footwear such as running shoes, sneakers or boots for long periods of time, the heat will wick moisture from your feet. This will dry the skin rapidly and it will start to die and peel eventually.
- Excessive use of harsh soap – Soap and body wash that contain harsh chemicals can do a number on your feet, especially if you fail to rinse off the suds properly. With time, the soap residue will make the skin dry and brittle.
- Time – As we age, our skin starts to lose its ability to retain water and keep itself moisturized naturally. With time, it starts to lose its suppleness and becomes thinner as well which can cause more dead skin to accumulate.
- Certain medication– Some medication, especially diuretics can cause dehydration and the skin on our feet suffers the brunt of it.
Top DIY Methods to Remove Dead Skin Off Feet
The best way to ensure dead skin does not accumulate on your feet is if it is removed regularly. Here are some tips that can help:
1. Use A Pumice Stone
A pumice stone is basically a piece of hardened lava that is porous. Go to town on your feet with it and you can slough off all of the dead skin easily.
However, before doing so, soak your feet in warm water for ten minutes to soften the skin.
Then, dip the pumice stone in warm water and rub it around your feet in a circular motion.
Pay special attention to the top skin layer rather than the entire area where the dead skin is. This will stimulate the growth of healthy skin cells.
Once you are done, apply moisturizer or oil to the treated area to soften it.
Whatever you do, don’t use the stone on a cut or bruised skin. It may get infected otherwise.
2. Apply Paraffin Wax
Paraffin wax can be melted and applied on tough areas of the feet to soften them and make dead skin removal easy.
However, make sure that it is hot enough to burn or irritate the skin or you may have to deal with injuries later. The wax should melt at about 125°F.
You will need to get a wax bath for this or you can just melt the wax in a pan and shift it to a bowl that is large enough to accommodate your feet.
Apply several coats by dipping your feet a number of times in the wax. A single layer will be too thin and will cool down too quickly to be of much use.
Once you have several layers, wrap your foot in plastic wrap.
After the wax dries and hardens, remove it with your fingers. It should come off easily and will take dead skin with it leaving smooth derma in its place.
However, do not use this treatment if you have poor blood circulation, have rashes or sores on your feet and feel numbness in your feet.
3. Use Foot Scrub And Lemon Juice
You have two options. One, you can get foot scrubs from any pharmacy or drug store.
There are a lot of brands available but choose one that has granules that can scrub dead skin away. However, the DIY option will also be just as useful.
To make your own foot scrub, dissolve two tablespoons of sea salt in equal amounts of lemon juice or baby oil.
Apply the mixture directly all over your foot and rub it in with your palm.
You can also use a sponge or a foot scrub brush to do this and remove dead skin at the same time.
Rub the scrub on each foot for three minutes at a stretch then rinse it off thoroughly with warm water. Then soak your feet in lemon juice for ten minutes.
The acid in the juice will make the excess and dead skin soft and easier to remove. Once time’s up, rub a pumice stone all over your feet to remove the skin.
Do NOT use a foot razor. These can cause cuts and infections.
Do NOT use soap. If your feet feel oily, just wear some soaks to allow the oil to soak in and moisturize.
Keep Your Feet Moisturized
Even if you have scrubbed your feet hard enough to remove the dead skin, your job isn’t done.
All of that scrubbing and soaking will make the skin dry and you may still be left with some dead skin.
Here are some ways you can moisturize your new skin after removing that dead derma from your feet:
1. Apply A DIY Heel Cream
Take a small lidded bottle and put a spoonful of olive oil, some lemon or lavender oil in it. Close the lid and shake the bottle till the mixture turns milky and thick.
Rub this cream on your feet after scrubbing them. Make sure you shake the bottle each time you need to use the cream.
2. Oil Your Feet Before Bedtime
Our skin heels fast at night. So before going to bed, wash and dry your feet and slather them with some vegetable oil. Then slip on a pair of socks before slipping into bed.
The socks will prevent your sheets from getting ruined and your feet will absorb all of that moisturizing goodness overnight at the same time.
Do this a couple of times to see great results!
Now that you have the answer to ‘how do you get dead skin off feet’, stick to a routine!
That way, you can prevent dead skin from accumulating and keep your feet soft.
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