The heels and balls of the feet are the most abused part of the body. If you prefer wearing open to closed shoes, your feet are often exposed to dirt and grime. Closed shoes, on the other hand, leave your feet sealed and cramped the entire day. Either way, our legs and feet are responsible for supporting our entire body weight, leaving it tired and weary at the end of the day.
One of the most common signs of abused feet are cracked heels. Constant exposure to air dries your skin, causing your feet to develop cracks and calluses. The pressure experienced by your feet when walking can also cause fissures in the skin. If left untreated, the cracks and split open and run much deeper. Cracked heels are not only ugly to look at, but painful as well.
It takes time, but healing cracked heels is very much possible. Here are several ways:
Sand or foot scrubs
For calluses that are still relatively thin, you can easily remove the dry skin by walking barefoot along the shoreline. This exfoliates your feet and renews the skin. If you’re not heading out to the beach anytime soon, you can also use foot scrubs on a regular basis to aid exfoliation and skin renewal.
Pumice stones
You can also try a home spa treatment for the heels and balls of the feet. This is preferably done before heading off to sleep. First, soak your feet in warm water for about 15-20 minutes. Then, using a pumice stone, scrub the dry areas of your feet but be careful not to overdo it and irritate the cracked areas. Rinse off your feet and pat them dry, then generously apply foot cream to moisturize. Slip on a pair of socks to lock in the moisturizer and seal your feet from air exposure. Do this once or twice a week until all calluses and cracks are gone.
Paraffin wax
Paraffin wax also works best for cracked heels. Take paraffin wax and melt it with a small amount of mustard oil. Once melted, let it cool off for a few minutes. Immediately apply the wax to your feet and leave it overnight. Rinse off in the morning and repeat the process before going to sleep. Continue the application for about 10 to 15 days.
Other natural cures
Hydrogenated vegetable oil can also be used to remove dry, cracked skin from the heels and balls of the feet. Apply a generous coat of this oil and leave it overnight, then rinse at morning. Banana pulp is also known to soften calluses and treat cracked heels. To apply, coat your feet with pulp and leave it for ten minutes before rinsing off. A combination of glycerin and rosewater also soothes your tired feet.
However, neither of these remedies will work if your feet are extremely dry and the cracks have gone way deep. In this case, it’s best to consult a podiatrist. The doctor can help you slowly and painlessly heal the fissures over a period of time. Over-the-counter medications for cracked heels are prescribed for such extreme cases.
