All it takes is three easy steps to get your foot prep down to a science ahead of summer
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There’s no denying our feet bear the brunt of our winter boot obsession. Tucked away in scratchy woollen socks, they then pound the pavement in hard leather footwear that causes friction between our feet and the ground. All this after barely recovering from summer’s flip flops and now they’re dry, they’re flaky and they’re cracked. This is an even bigger challenge for black skin, which typically has lower ceramide levels than Caucasian skin. So, what to do?
Soak your feet
Fill a bowl with lukewarm water and infuse it with Epsom salts as a skin-softening pre-soak. Epsom salts have anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties, which is ideal for keeping cracked heels clean.
Remove hard skin
When removing dead skin from the heels and pads of your feet, choose a double-sided file. Use the rough side to remove thickened or calloused skin, then finish with the finer surface on the rest of your feet. Make sure you do so on a dry foot, as wet skin can result in painful over-filing. Podiatrist Margaret Dabbs has created the Professional Foot File, which is excellent.
Cocoon your feet in a hydrating foot cream
Once the hard skin is removed you can tackle the fissures – or cracks – in the soles of the feet as a result of dehydration. Foot creams are generally made with richer, heavier occlusive emollients such as shea butter than those found in the average face cream or body lotion. It is best slathered on and covered with cotton socks to be left overnight.