If your heels are extremely dry, they have not been fed or moisturized for weeks or months, or longer! Once dehydrated, those outer layers want to be sloughed away, revealing new, softer skin beneath. You can soften them in just 3 steps!
Begin softening those dry heels today.
1. Soak your feet! Help this skin to revitalize with a foot soak of at least 10 minutes in warm to hot water that has been prepared with nourishing oil (see nourishing oil below). Add a salt or sugar scrub and massage into your feet, or use Epsom salts (optional) especially on the affected area of your heels. It kind of tickles!
2. After the soak, apply an oil and massage it in thoroughly. Out of the soak water, pat dry your feet. Apply a few drops of nourishing oil and massage them into the skin on the tops, sides and bottoms of your feet. Re-apply the oil again at least once a day. This routine of self-care for your feet is easiest at night.
Repeat steps #1 and #2 daily until the foot soak makes your extremely dry skin somewhat spongy. Spongy skin could happen on your first soak! That’s a good start. If so, proceed to step #3.
3. Spongy skin. Take a rough-ish face cloth and (gently!) rub away the spongy skin. Towel dry and moisturize again with oil. Re-apply the oil again at least once that day or evening.
Repeat step #3 until your heel skin is pretty! If you are persistent, your heel skin will become clean and smooth. It will become clear of cracks, spongy skin or rough areas.
Wow! How well you’ve cared for those wonderful, beautiful feet! Your feet are so thankful!— although too busy to say so.
Foot Scrub Recipe, posted here.
Prepare nourishing oil for a foot soak:
Choose a nourishing oil from sesame oil (unroasted), extra virgin olive oil, organic oils such as sunflower, pumpkin seed or avocado oil. Any of these would give a fantastic foot soak.
Ingredients for Nourishing Oil : 1 teaspoon nourishing oil and a small amount—1/4 teaspoon— milk (any kind). Amounts are approximate and you can adjust to suit.
Method:
Place the oil in a small bowl or cup. Pour the milk into the oil. Whisk to combine it. Your mixture should have a silky, slightly grainy appearance.***
*** If you’ve poured oil into the milk, you will not get a smooth mixture! The oil will sit on top of the milk and not combine with it. If this happened—not a big deal. Don’t fret but save it for cooking a sauce. go back and try again, as above.
Your Foot Soak
Ingredients for Your Foot Soak: 1 portion of nourishing oil + 1 tablespoon Epsom salts—this is very nice to have but optional. Hot water, enough to fill your plastic tub.
1. Prepare a plastic tub with enough hot water to cover your feet. Pour in your nourishing oil and the Epsom salts (if using). Swirl with a spoon to mix. Spread out a towel on the floor and place the tub on the towel.
2. Submerge your feet in the hot water and oil bath. Ah-h-h-h! It feels so good! Use a face cloth to rub and wash your feet in the foot-soak mixture.
Spend at least 5 minutes in the foot soak, longer—up to 15 minutes—if the water remains warm. When you’re ready, place your feet on the towel and pat dry each foot, top, bottom, sides and toes.
3. Apply body oil to each foot: top, bottom, sides and toes. Pay special attention to the dry skin areas, and even more attention to getting body oil coverage on each toe and toenails.
4. Pull on a pair of clean socks and wear slippers until bedtime. Just before retiring for the night, remove your socks and re-apply body oil, massaging in the oil to the tops, bottoms and sides of your feet, paying special attention to the dry areas, toes and toenails.
That’s it! You’ve got your best feet going forward, especially if you repeat the foot spa at least another time this week. Finally, you’ll see how clear your heels look, and how moisturized they feel!
For more self-care for your dry hands, see this post.
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