Dry/cracked feet are a sign of lack of attention towards your body and one of the worst nightmares for most women. The skin on the feet tends to become drier as there are no oil glands present there. This dryness causes the skin to crack. Lack of moisturization, overexposure to pollution, and some medical conditions such as eczema, diabetes, thyroid, and psoriasis lead to dry and cracked feet.
Here is a list of 20 simple home remedies that will help soothe and give a makeover to your cracked heels, and let you step out in style.
1. Lemon, Salt, Glycerine, Rose Water Foot Mask
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons glycerine
- 2 teaspoons rosewater
- Warm water
- Pumice stone/foot scrubber
How To Do
- Take a basin of warm water and add raw salt, eight to 10 drops of lemon juice, one tablespoon of glycerine, and one teaspoon of rosewater. Soak your feet for about 15-20 minutes in this water.
- Using a pumice stone or a foot scrubber, scrub your heels and the sides of the feet.
- Mix one teaspoon of glycerine, one teaspoon of rosewater, and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Apply the mixture on your cracked heels. Since this will be a sticky mixture, you can wear a pair of socks and leave it on overnight.
- Wash off with lukewarm water in the morning.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this for a few days till your heels become soft.
How This Works
The acidic properties of lemon juice help to heal rough and dry skin, thus preventing cracking on the soles of the feet (1). Along with lemon’s acidic properties, the combination of rosewater and glycerin turns out to be an effective treatment for cracked heels. Glycerin softens the skin (which is why it is used in most of the cosmetic products) whereas rosewater has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties that help in healing cracks (2).
Caution
Lemon juice can cause irritation and dryness to your skin. Make sure you do a patch test to check for any allergic reactions.
[ Read: Causes Of Cracked Heels ]
Ingredients
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
How To Do
- Wash your feet and dry them up completely using a clean towel. Then apply a layer of vegetable oil on the cracked parts of your feet.
- Wear a pair of thick socks and leave it on overnight.
- Wash your feet in the morning.
How Often Should You Do This
Once every day before going to bed.
How This Works
The fats in the hydrogenated vegetable oil nourish the skin and heal cracked feet (3).
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana
- 1/2 avocado
How To Do
- Blend a ripe banana and half an avocado.
- Apply this thick, creamy paste over your heels and feet.
- Keep it on for 15 to 20 minutes and then wash off your feet with lukewarm water.
How Often Should You Do This
You can do this every day till your heels become soft.
How This Works
Avocados are rich in several essential oils, vitamins, and fats that help repair dry skin (4). Banana works as a moisturizer and makes your skin softer and smoother (5).
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Vaseline
- 4 to 5 drops lemon juice
- Warm water
How To Do
- Soak your feet in warm water for about 15-20 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
- Mix one teaspoon of Vaseline and a few drops of lemon juice. Rub this mixture over your heels and other cracked parts of the feet till it gets absorbed into the skin.
- Apply this mixture and wear a pair of woolen socks. Keep it on overnight and wash off in the morning. Woolen socks help trap the body’s heat and increase the effectiveness of the mixture.
How Often Should You Do This
Regularly before going to bed.
How This Works
Lemon’s acidic properties and vaseline’s moisturizing properties help you get rid of dry and achy feet (6).
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon paraffin wax
- 2 to 3 drops mustard/coconut oil
How To Do
- Take some paraffin wax and mix it with mustard oil or coconut oil.
- Heat the mixture in a pan till the wax melts properly.
- Allow this to cool down to room temperature. Apply the mixture on your feet. To get the best results, apply before going to bed and wear a pair of socks.
- Wash off properly in the morning.
How Often Should You Do This
Once or twice a week before going to bed.
How This Works
Paraffin wax acts as a natural emollient that helps soften your skin. It turns out to be a good treatment for cracked and painful heels (7).
Caution
Do not dip your feet in the wax when it is hot. If you’re a diabetic patient, then kindly do not try this treatment.
Ingredients
- 1 cup honey
- Warm water
How To Do
- Mix one cup of honey to half a bucket of warm water.
- Soak your feet for about 15-20 minutes.
- Scrub off gently to obtain soft and supple feet.
How Often Should You Do This
You can do this on a regular basis to get rid of cracked heels quickly.
How This Works
Honey is considered to be a natural antiseptic that helps heal cracked feet, and its soothing properties help revitalize the skin (8).
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ground rice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 to 4 drops apple cider vinegar
How To Do
- Take two to three tablespoons of ground rice and add a few drops of honey and apple cider vinegar to make a thick paste.
- If your heels are extremely dry and cracked, you can add a teaspoon of olive oil or sweet almond oil.
- Soak your feet in warm water for 10 minutes and gently scrub it with this paste to remove dead skin from your feet.
How Often Should You Do This
You can apply this foot scrub twice a week.
How This Works
Rice flour exfoliates, purifies, and remineralizes the skin, making it satin-smooth and soft (9).
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
How To Do
- Apply some olive oil with the help of a cotton ball and gently massage your feet in a circular motion for 10-15 minutes.
- Wear a pair of thick cotton socks and wash off after an hour.
How Often Should You Do This
You can repeat this every day.
How This Works
Olive oil is a miracle healer and has nourishing properties that make your skin soft and supple (10). It is one of the most natural ways to get smooth, soft, and healthy heels.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon powdered oatmeal
4 to 5 drops olive oil
How To Do
- Mix the powdered oatmeal and olive oil to make a thick paste.
- Apply this over your feet, especially over the heels and any cracked parts.
- Leave it on for about half an hour. Rinse off with cold water and pat dry.
How Often Should You Do This
Every alternate day till you get rid of cracked heels.
How This Works
Oatmeal has anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties that help remove dead skin cells and soften the skin (11).
[ Read: Tricks For Smooth And Soft Feet ]
Ingredients
4 to 5 drops sesame oil
How To Do
- Apply sesame oil on your heels and any other cracked parts.
- Massage well till it is absorbed by the skin.
How Often Should You Do This
Daily before going to bed.
How This Works
Sesame oil is considered to be very nourishing and moisturizing. It helps soften and soothe dry and cracked feet very efficiently (12).
11. Coconut Oil For Cracked Heels
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- A pair of socks
How To Do
- Apply the oil liberally on your feet.
- Slip on the socks and go to bed. Shower as usual in the morning.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this for a few days to get soft feet.
How This Works
Coconut oil is really hydrating for the skin. It moisturizes dry skin and also removes dead skin cells. It has to ability to penetrate to the deeper layers of the skin and nourish them (13, 14).
Ingredients
- 1 cup listerine
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 2 cups water
- A basin
- Foot file or pumice stone
How To Do
- Soak your feet for 10-15 minutes in the liquid mix containing the above mentioned ingredients.
- Remove your feet and scrub using the foot file or pumice stone to slough off the dead skin.
- Rinse with clean water, pat dry, and moisturize.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this every day for three to four days until the dead skin wears off.
How This Works
Soaking your feet in listerine will soften the hardened dead skin and make it easier to be scrubbed off. Listerine is also an antiseptic and soothes the skin because of the phytochemicals like menthol and thymol that are usually present in it (15).
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
- Warm water
- A bucket
- Pumice stone
How To Do
- Fill 2/3rds of the bucket with warm water and add the baking soda. Mix well until the baking soda dissolves in the water.
- Soak your feet in this for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove your feet from the soak and scrub gently with the pumice stone.
- Rinse with clean water.
How Often Should You Do This
Do this twice a week.
How This Works
Baking soda is a commonly used exfoliant. It removes dead cells and also soothes the skin as it possesses anti-inflammatory properties (16, 17).
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- Warm water
- A basin
- Fill the basin with enough water to soak your feet in – about three to four cups.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and mix it well.
- Soak your feet in the water for about 15 minutes and scrub afterwards to remove the dead skin.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this
The mild acids present in ACV will soften the dry and dead skin, making it easy to exfoliate (18). Once exfoliated, the fresh and healthy skin is revealed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Epsom salt
- Warm water
- A foot basin
- Fill the foot basin with water and mix Epsom salt in.
- Soak your cracked feet in this for 15 minutes. Scrub to remove dead skin.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this twice or thrice a week until your feet become soft.
Epsom salt softens the skin and also soothes tired feet (19).
Ingredients
- Aloe vera gel
- Lukewarm water
- Foot basin
- A pair of socks
- Soak your feet in lukewarm water for a few minutes.
- Pat dry and apply aloe vera gel liberally on your feet.
- Wear socks and leave the gel on your feet overnight.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this every night for four to five days and you will notice a vast difference in your feet.
Aloe vera soothes dry and dead skin. It heals the ridges and cracks that have formed and increases collagen synthesis. The amino acids present in it are responsible for the skin-softening action (20).
Ingredients
- 5-6 drops of tea tree oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- A pair of socks
- Mix the tea tree oil and coconut oil together.
- Apply on the cracked feet and massage for a minute or two.
- Cover with socks and leave it on overnight.
How Often Should You Do This
Do this every night before going to bed until your cracked feet heal.
Tea tree oil cleanses and conditions the skin, and makes it softer after regular use (21).
Do not use tea tree oil directly as it can lead to rashes.
Ingredients
- Pumice stone
- Warm water
- A basin / Tub
- Soak your feet in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Now, scrub your feet gently with the pumice stone to remove the dead skin that has softened up.
- Rinse with water and pat dry. Do not forget to moisturise your feet.
How Often Should You Do This
Do this once every day.
The rough surface of the pumice stone can easily scrape off the softened dead skin. Below this lies the healthy and soft skin of your feet.
Do not scrub too harshly with the pumice stone as it can easily damage the healthy layers of the skin.
Ingredients
- Make a hole in about three to four capsules and remove the oil present inside.
- Apply this oil on the affected area and massage it in for a minute.
How Often Should You Do This
Reapply vitamin E oil twice or thrice a day.
Vitamin E oil nourishes and hydrates the skin and makes your heels smooth and soft (22).
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons organic shea butter
- A pair of socks
- Apply shea butter on your feet and massage them for a minute or two so that the shea butter gets absorbed easily.
- Slip on some socks and leave the shea butter on overnight.
How Often Should You Do This
Repeat this for a few nights for soft heels.
Shea butter is a well-known skin moisturizer that hydrates and nourishes the skin. It also possesses healing properties and improves various skin conditions related to dryness because of its vitamin A and vitamin E content (23).
With proper care as mentioned above and relaxation, it takes about 7-14 days to see the first signs of healing. This depends on how badly your heels are cracked, if you are suffering from skin issues like psoriasis and eczema, or medical problems like diabetes and hormonal imbalance.
There are many ways to accelerate the healing process of your cracked feet. The most effective ones are keeping your feet well moisturized, not exposing them to pollution, relaxing your feet, taking natural oil-based foot massages, soaking your feet in warm water with some lemon juice added to it, and treating medical conditions, skin problems, and obesity.
Now that you know how to get rid of cracked heels, what are you waiting for? Try out these home remedies for cracked heels and see the difference. Share your views and experiences in the comments box below.
Prevention is better than cure. There are many home remedies and lifestyle tips to prevent cracking of heels.
- Proper moisturization is the first step to prevent dry heels.
- Wearing comfortable shoes, refraining from excessive walking, and avoiding over exposure to pollution are the easiest ways to prevent cracked heels.
- Scrubbing your heels regularly with pumice stone and dipping them in warm salt water or water with lemon juice added to it can keep them clean and soft.
- Relaxing your feet and indulging in foot massages with oil also prevents dryness, and thereby cracked heels.
- Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated and supple.
There are many factors responsible for dry, cracked heels. There are no oil glands present in the skin of your heels. Thus, if proper care is not taken, they get dry, thereby causing the skin to crack and bleed. Other reasons for cracked heels are:
- Skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema
- Medical conditions like thyroid, diabetes, and hormonal imbalance
- Exposing heels to pollution
- Excessive walking and standing on hard floors for long
With proper care and moisturizing, cracked heels can be cured.
- Dryness around the heel area, and in the area on the underside of your feet, just below the toes
- Red and flaky patches of skin
- Skin peeling in thin strands
- Cracks and ridges in the skin
- Itchiness
- Bleeding from the cracks
- Discharge from the cracks due to a developed infection
Prevention is better than cure. There are many home remedies and lifestyle tips to prevent cracking of heels. Proper moisturization is the first step to prevent dry heels. Wearing comfortable shoes, refraining from excessive walking, and avoiding over exposure to pollution are the easiest ways to prevent cracked heels. Scrubbing your heels regularly with pumice stone and dipping them in warm salt water or water with lemon juice added to it can keep them clean and soft. Relaxing your feet and getting foot massages with oil also prevents dryness, and thereby cracked heels.
Yes, diabetes is one of the causes of cracked heels. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels damage nerves of the feet, which leads to dry skin. As there are no oil glands present on the skin of the feet, they are usually dry. The thick dry skin on the heels, known as callus, can develop heel fissures. Being overly dry, it cracks and bleeds. Controlling diabetes can cure cracked heels too. Diabetics are prone to serious infections from cracked heels that are difficult to cure. Taking good care of the feet and treating cracked heels in the initial phase is advisable for diabetics.
With proper care and relaxation, it takes about 714 days to see the first signs of healing. This depends on how badly your heels are cracked, skin issues like psoriasis and eczema or medical problems like diabetes and hormonal imbalance. There are many ways to accelerate the healing process. The most effective ones are keeping your feet well moisturized, not exposing them to pollution, relaxing your feet, taking natural oil- based foot massages, soaking your feet in warm water with some lemon juice added to it, and treating medical conditions, skin problems, and obesity.
As there are no oil glands on the skin of your feet, this area tends to become dry. The skin on the heels is thick and dry and with excessive activity, tends to bleed and crack. Standing on a cold or hard floor for long, intensive walking, and being overweight are some of the reasons why heels crack. The middle part of the foot is hollow and well secured. Most of the body’s weight is borne by the heels. Because they are dry and bloated, they tend to crack easily. At times, these cracks go deep and start bleeding.
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