These 13 Things Can Make Your Feet Look A Little Less Terrible
There's no time like the present to check in with the state of your feet. Taking care of your feet can be a gross task, I won't lie, but it can also save you a lot of pain and discomfort (not to mention give you more confidence to walk around in open-toed shoes ).
Don't restrict your foot care to only pedicures at the salon once in a blue moon, especially if you're dealing with calluses, corns, athlete's foot or other dryness and cracking on your heels or soles. There are plenty of products on Amazon you can use right at home to make your feet look a little less terrible without the salon price tag.
I tracked down some of the most reviewer-approved foot care products on Amazon to get your feet baby-smooth, pain-free and sandal-ready .
Amazon
A glass foot file reviewers can't believe scrapes away so much dead skin
The etched glass surface of this foot file
is non-abrasive, but reviewers swear it will buff away callouses and dead skin super fast, leaving behind smooth, soft feet. The ergonomic shape, complete with a thumb indent for easy handling, and straightforward cleaning — just rinse it and air-dry! — make this tool convenient and simple.
Promising review:"I have chronically dry, cracked heels and thick calluses on the ball of my foot. I've tried just about everything, from pumice stones to metal graters. Mostly it was a lot of effort for little result.
This foot file gets rid of all of that dead skin much faster than you would believe. I'm rarely amazed by a product, but this is an exception.I plan on trying out more of this product line. (Foot creams, etc.)
Word of caution: it takes all that stuff off really fast and the dust flies around a lot, so you might want to do your filing over a towel or wastebasket. So worth the effort, though!" — ejh
Amazon
A callus remover gel with over 41,000 5-star ratings
According to the brand, you only have to leave this gel
on for three to seven minutes for it to work its magic — and reviewers agree, claiming it "melts away tough dead skin."
It's scent-free, hydrates the skin, and is especially useful on cracked heels. (Tip: The brand recommends using the gel in conjunction with a pumice stone or rasp to make sure all the dead skin comes off.)
Promising review:"Okay so I've had these horrible hooves on the back of my feet for like nearly two decades. Been to slons, had pedis, pour souls scrubbing away at my feet with silly pumice stones. Sweating, thinking about their life choices. Debating flipping the sign on their shop and closing down forever instead of continuing on my feet.
Listen. This stuff took off like a cheddar cheese block worth of dead skin on my feet. I should have recorded it. It was revolting. But holy **** my feet. SO SOFT. They don't HURT anymore. And it didn't take a lot either. So if you're thinking eh, I don't want to spend that I don't know if it will work. BUY IT. USE IT.
You'll have so much left over you'll be like, screaming at your family members to try this stuff.
In fact, I went to my roomate who had heel chunks, not nearly as bad as mine but I was like. DOOD. Soak your feet, we're shaving that off you TONIGHT. And he's not felt things on his heels in years. Now they're soft and comfy too. So good." — Kara Katze
Amazon
This HuffPicks Award-winning toenail fungus treatment
We gave this toenail fungus treatment a HuffPicks Award in the health and wellness category for its formula that board-certified dermatologist Dr. Angela Brimhall explained works so well because it contains 25% undecylenic acid, "a compound that has antifungal properties that disrupt the cell membranes of fungi, inhibiting their growth and reproduction," along with oregano and tea tree oil, which have antimicrobial, antifungal and antiseptic properties.
The treatment can strengthen damaged nails and help them grow, as well as relieving itching, cracking, burning and more. Reviewers said it helped their feet "be ready for summer sandals" and gain confidence in showing off their nails.
Amazon
A 2-pack of Dermora foot peel masks
Able to fit feet up to men's size 11, this foot peel mask couldn't be easier to use: Leave your feet in the booties for an hour, and then wait six to 11 days for your feet to start peeling off dead skin. The mask, which is formulated with fruit acids and extracts, tackles dryness, calluses, cracked heels and other foot concerns, leaving behind baby-soft skin. You can opt for the original scent, or for lavender, coconut, peach or tea tree.
People are also reporting how it helps with common foot fungal issues. One reviewer notes that it's " great for people battling fungus
," while another says
this mask turned their "dry, loads of dead skin and a touch of foot fungus" feet to "soft and pink and so happy!"
Bottom line: It's cheaper than a pedicure and reviewers say it has lasting results.
2-pack: $15 at Amazon (regularly $19.99)
Amazon
A fissure cream that soften up dry, cracked heels
Heels giving you trouble? Meet the Imperial Feet fissure cream , which promises visible results in softening up cracked heels in just three to seven days of use. The cream is paraben-free and suitable for diabetics, made with zinc oxide to repair your heels and petroleum jelly to protect them. One tub of this stuff contains 30 treatments.
Promising review:"My feet have been cracked so deep on the heels and on the ball of my feet for a year and a half ! I have had to wear sandals in the winter because I couldn't wear shoes . I have been to numerous Dr.'s & used Every lotion and even several PXs … this product healed my feet in three days ! I'll never stop using it ! Thank You so much !" — regina
Amazon
A foot soak formulated with tea tree oil and Epsom salt
An Epsom salt foot soak
has antifungal and foot pain-relieving properties
, while tea tree oil can help
with symptoms of athlete's foot, so this foot soak is the best of both worlds. Soaking your feet in this stuff for 15 to 20 minutes can help with everything from calluses and corns to brittle toenails and cracked skin — that's likely why over 19,000 reviewers have left it five stars on Amazon.
Promising review:"I don't write reviews often, but this foot soak is seriously amazing. I had an extremely painful ingrown toenail, like I couldn't wear a shoe on that foot painful. Another nail was stuck in a cycle of growing in and dying for the past two years, after I dropped a treadmill on it. This product has solved both issues. I started out soaking every day, then every other day, and now am doing once a week. In two weeks of use, my ingrown toenail was completely healed. In a month, my eternally dying nail is almost completely back to normal.I wish I had known about this product sooner. It also has a nice, refreshing scent." — Katherine G
Amazon
A ridiculously popular stainless steel callus remover
Over 88,000 5-star ratings? Say less. It may look like a cheese grater, but this rasp
is the real deal. You can scrape the metal surface on either wet or dry skin. It's lightweight and works fast to siphon off dead skin. Make sure to be gentle as you scrape your way to softer, pain-free feet, though — as reviewers have pointed out, this product is better-suited for those looking for something more heavy-duty than your average callus remover.
Promising review:"What in the feet-cheese grating sorcery is this? I've tried many of these foot file and callous removers before and this one is so simple yet so effective!It's quite sharp so make sure you're careful and you store it in the bag it comes. Lightly soak or wet your feet to get it soft, then dry up and you're ready to grate haha! Great find." — Aarthi Kumar
Amazon
Mediated corn remover pads with salicylic acid
These corn removers look as innocuous as Band-Aids, but they pack a punch thanks to the salicylic acid pads. Salicylic acid can be used over the counter to soften and break down corns , and reviewers can vouch for the results.
Promising review:"I've never had a corn before and these little sticky, medicated pads were surprisingly effective.As directed, I wore each disc for 2 days, then applied a new one. On day 4, I was planning to replace it and try to remove the corn on day 6. This stuff is wicked sticky and on day 4, as I was pulling the sticky pad off, it pulled the corn out ... completely. I now have a cute little hole and zero pain." — Rill Wright
Amazon
An effective exfoliating foot peel that couldn't be lower-effort
If you're not especially keen to manually scrape at your feet over and over, this long-lasting foot peel
is your new best friend. Just leave the booties on for an hour (you can even put your socks on over them), take them off to wash your feet, and then wait for the peeling to start over the next week or so. The results? Supple, soft feet that look brand-new and last for weeks. You may want to check out the reviews with images
on this product's Amazon page to prepare yourself for how much dead skin will peel off; honestly, it has to be seen to be believed.
Promising review:"A product that surprisingly does EXACTLY what it says. It took me a while to decide to spend that kind of money for a door mask, but I finally went for it. And what a product!!!! It did take more than 7 days for the exfoliation to start, and I had actually forgotten about it, tbh. And then all of a sudden, I noticed it. No past super hard callous remover scraping at the Spa EVER did for my feet and especially my heels what that product did. The entire bottom of my feet peeled and my heels don't even look like mine anymore, that's how good this product is. I'm an auto delivery now." — TMS
Amazon
A no-frills set of pumice stones to scrub your feet in the shower
You honestly can't get more bang for your buck than with this four-pack of pumice stones
for $10. Pumice stones
are a popular and effective way to file away corns, calluses and dry skin, and reviewers can vouch that these ones do the job.
Promising review:"Full disclosure my heels were AWFUL. They were so very bad that they often split and cracked and were so painful that walking felt like I had shards of glass in my heels. A lot of soaking, a lot of scraping, and a LOT of cream helped.... BUT I put one of these in the shower and use it every single day and I have BABY feet. No more dry cracked awful heels and best part no pain.
They come in a four pack and they last for a while with DAILY use. They do get kind of gross looking after a bit and only need to be replaced because they look so awful but still work. One four pack lasts me almost a whole year so you get good value for your money.I do still use a LOT of cream for my feet, I NEVER ever want a repeat of what I experienced. But I honestly believe these were a vital product in overcoming my heel issue." — Dande
Amazon
A moisturizng urea gel for feet and toenails
When you hear the word "urea," you might be picturing something kind of gross, but this skin care ingredient (which is lab-made and does not contain urine!) can be extremely moisturizing. In previous HuffPost reporting, board-certified and Los Angeles-based dermatologist Dr. Asmi Berry explained, "By improving skin hydration and gently exfoliating, urea can help soften the appearance of fine lines and support a smoother, more youthful skin texture. It's especially helpful when the skin barrier is compromised."
This urea gel is specifically designed for feet and toenails, tackling thick toenails and cracked heels with urea, salicylic acid and hyaluronic acid. The gel is oil-free and leaves little residue, and in addition to working on feet and toes, you can also apply it to knees, elbows and anywhere else you might need a little extra love.
Amazon
A soothing natural foot cream made with essential oils
Just as you moisturize your face, moisturizing your feet every day
should be part of your care routine to prevent dryness, cracking and other issues. This cream
can help: With natural ingredients like tea tree oil and peppermint essential oil, applying this regularly can relieve athlete's foot, cracked heels and more.
Promising review: " I've been applying this cream every week day for about 6 weeks now and haven't had any problems with athletes foot since.I had inherited the problem from an old room mate years ago and I tend to get flair ups. I was looking for something natural and affordable and this is definitely it. I'm super sensitive to smells and the smell of this cream is just right. Not too strong but is calming and pleasant. I also like how the cream is kind of hard, and you have to massage it a little to work out enough to use. It helps me to use just the right amount and not too much." — Maureen
Amazon
A foot bath bucket that's collapsible and easy to store
If you don't already have a basin to soak your feet in (or even if you do), this bucket
is a gamechanger thanks to its collapsible design that makes it easy to store when you're not using it. It comes in gray, green or pink, has a capacity of 15 liters, and has rollers and bumps on the bucket bottom to massage your feet against. The best part is that you can also use it to hand-wash laundry in, as a mop bucket, and more, so even if a foot basin feels like a splurge, you'll get your money's worth out of this one.
Promising review:"I bought this foot basin to take on vacation because I knew I would be very active during the day and would benefit from soaking my feet in an Epsom salt bath in the evening. This basin was very easy to travel with as it can be stored compactly and the handle makes it easy to carry once water is added. The ridges on the bottom of the basin are nice for massaging your feet too.I did not have any issues with spills or leaks." — Sara K. Jessup
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