Petroleum Jelly Our grandmothers knew that using this little gem was how to soften feet fast. At bedtime, simply apply a generous amount of petroleum jelly to the feet, heel and toe area, and cover your feet with cotton socks. By morning, your feet should feel soft and supple.
Skin changes: Nerves control sweat and oil glands in your feet, but when they no longer work, your feet can get so dry that they peel and crack. Make sure you moisturize your feet every day. Avoid getting lotion between your toes.
Put on a pair of socks and go to sleep. When you wake up, take a pumice stone or foot file and scale off the dead skin, buffing your heels until they are smooth and soft. This will ensure that you have softer and smoother feet the next morning.
Use an Overnight Treatment – Vaseline® Jelly can be used as an effective overnight cosmetic treatment for dry, cracked feet and heels as it helps create a sealing barrier, locking in the essential moisture your feet need to repair themselves .
Apply a heavier, oil-based cream or petroleum jelly (Vaseline, Aquaphor Healing Ointment, others), then slip on a pair of thin cotton socks at bedtime to help the moisturizer work. Don't ignore dry, cracked heels, as over time you may develop deeper fissures, which increases your risk of infection.
“I like heel balms,” says Dr. Jaliman. “Creams and lotions are good but look for balms because they are richer.” She recommends Aquaphor for dry, cracked feet because it contains panthenol (a form of vitamin B5 to help retain moisture) and glycerin (to draw in water from the air into the skin's outer layer).
Look for lotions that contain ingredients such as jojoba oil, shea butter, and urea. These ingredients are deeply moisturizing and can penetrate through hardened skin. You will also want to look for products that are free of fragrance and chemicals that can irritate the skin.
The muscle fibers contract and expand with use, and with overuse, they can become fatigued. Muscle fatigue means that the muscles may ache more because there is less oxygen in the body and a buildup of waste products. This can cause cramps and spasms at night that can affect the feet.
Aching feet at night or nighttime foot pain can be due to a muscular issue, a nerve problem, a bone-related pathology or injury, dermatological or skin-related conditions, an inflammatory process or a vascular concern.
Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis can cause pain in the bottom of the feet during long rest periods, such as sleeping overnight or sitting at a computer for eight hours.
Vaseline is a very good moisturizer for dry skin. Applying a layer of Vaseline to dry skin helps lock in moisture. Vaseline is great for treating all the usual dry areas, such as the: heels.
Researchers explain why leaving your feet outside the covers while sleeping can help you sleep better, Yahoo Health reports. Sleep researchers know that right before you fall asleep, your body temperature starts to drop; in the deepest stages of sleep, your body is at its coolest, about one or two degrees below normal.
Wearing socks to bed may help you fall asleep faster and snooze better during the night. Research shows that thawing out icy feet can adjust your body's core temperature to put restful ZZZs within reach.
It may come as a surprise, but our feet don't have oil glands, which means the skin is naturally dry. Without moisturizing it, you may experience itchiness, redness, cracks, flaking and peeling, or rashes, especially in the winter months.
Little and often! It's no good using a moisturizer once a week – it needs to be done daily. Typically a small pea sized amount will spread all over one foot top and bottom. (Don't do between your toes – if it gets too moist there you can get a fungal infection).
Slather on coconut oil and put on a pair of clean, cotton socks. Wash your feet in the morning and dry them well. You can do this for several days or until you are happy with the way your feet look. If you don't have coconut oil, you can do the same thing with olive oil.
Pamper Your Skin
As we age, the skin on our feet becomes thinner and drier. After a shower or bath, treat your feet to a massage with your favorite lotion or cream. Avoid leaving lotion between your toes as this can promote the growth of fungal infections. For rough patches, try an exfoliating foot scrub.
If you have chronic dry skin, creams or ointments may have more benefit for dry skin. If you don't have dry skin and want to lock in moisture to help your skin stay hydrated, then body oil may work well.
Vaseline is a petroleum by-product and it certainly does have many properties that can be very helpful for your feet. It is slick and can be used to help keep body parts from rubbing and becoming irritated. It is a favorite of distance runners for its ability to prevent blisters.
A number of factors can raise the risk of developing cracked heels, including obesity, wearing open-heel footwear such as sandals, and having cold, dry skin. Friction from the back of your shoes can make heel dryness and cracking worse. Wearing supportive, properly fitting, closed shoes with socks may ease symptoms.
Causes & Risk Factors of Dry Feet
Xerosis, AKA dry skin, is caused by two major factors: a deficiency in the skin barrier lipids or a deficiency of Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMF)— both of which Eucerin does an excellent job explaining.