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8 satisfying (and sometimes gross) ways to de gunk your dry feet
From downright disgusting peeling masks to actually very pleasant scrubs
Maybe your feet are dry and cracked, or you've got callouses from those too small loafers you got on sale? Maybe your soles are leathery from being a barefoot babe inside and out (guilty). Holiday coming up and the thought of putting on a sandal makes you feel like you have the feet of a Hobbit? Whatever the reason, you've arrived on this page because you're after slippery supple baby soft feet. And we're happy to oblige.
If you're the type of person that has an irrational love of squeezing spots, plucking out ingrown hairs and inspecting used pore strips, I can guarantee some of these slides will make you very happy. Yup, these gross-but-satisfying foot products will will buff, polish and moisturise away all that dry, flakiness and leave your feet baby-soft. And while some are downright disgusting (we're looking at you foot peel socks), some are actually very pleasant for a well deserved pamper. Enjoy...
Footner Exfoliating Socks to Remove Hard Skin - 1 Pair
ICYMI, Footner's Exfoliating Socks will literally leave the dry skin 'peeling' from your feet. Don't believe it? Be sure to check out our photo-diary of the entire 10-day process here (expect to see close-up photos of shedding toes and piles of dead skin - niiiiice)
Another of our favourite peeling mask brands is Plantifique, following basically the same process – you soak your feet, pop on the masks and cover snug with socks, then foot soaks through the week till all the skin starts peeling off – but in an array of delicious smelling cute fruit varieties that you'll want to use all of.
Magnitone Well Heeled 2 Rechargeable Express Pedicure System
This electronic foot file has crystal-covered roller that spins around super-fast - blitzing away any cracked, dry flakes and buffing skin smooth.Expect a whole lotta 'foot dust' with this one though. Yes, it's so, so gross but so, so great.
On oldie but a goodie, my mum swears by the good old fashioned pumice stone. And my mum is never wrong. I love to use this in the bath when my feet are all soaked and squishy. The elbow grease required is so rewarding, and as it's not spinning you can apply way more force than with the electric files. Not that we recommend irresponsible foot buffing.
I was scared the first time cheese-grater-esque device this got whipped out in the nail salon. Understandably. But once it was done I was ready for more. It's not as drastic as it looks but it is effective. This one is made with surgical grade stainless steel and can be used on both wet and dry feet.
Scholl Velvet Electronic Nail Care System, Blue
Don't forget your nails people, dry skin builds up everywhere, and nothing says 'f*ck sandal season', like overgrown, crusty ( 😷 😷 😷 ) toenails... Gross but true.
Scholl's Velvet Smooth Electronic Nail Care System buffs and files nails to leave them smooth and healthy-looking.
BeautyPro Foot Therapy Collagen Infused Bootie with Removable Toe Tip
Sheet masks for feet? Yep, they're a thing. With refrshing peppermint and sweet almond, these 'sock masks' are saturated in nourishing shea butter and vitamin E to leave parched feet softer, smoother and less y'know, flakey, as well as Anti-aging marine collagen. Plus the toe tip tears off so you can pop them on while painting your toes to give the ultimate pamper. #bliss
O'Keeffe's Healthy Feet Heel Cream 80ml (2 Pack)
Trust us on this one. It may look more like a DIY product in a small town American hardware store, than a luxe spa product, but that makes sense because it's for the hardest working and most parched feet. Honestly nothing beats it for dry cracked heels. The non–greasy and fragrance free formula hydrates instantly as well as improving skin barrier to help you retain moisture. While it may be fragrance free, we swear it also helps with foot odour.
Margaret Dabbs Foot Scrub
I don't know about you, but I find the fact that this moussey scrub will buff my feet to baby softness extremely satisfying. Yup, slather it on and scrub. You feet will be flake free and oh-so soft. Loooovely.
Victoria Jowett is an award-winning journalist and the former Beauty Director at Cosmopolitan UK. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work in beauty journalism and oversees the skincare, hair, makeup and fragrance content across all of Cosmopolitan’s platforms. She's worked in the beauty industry for over 13 years (and tested 1000s of products), making her an expert when it comes to recommending beauty brands that truly work. Having started her career working weekends on a makeup counter, Victoria began interning at the likes of AnOther and IDOL magazine, before landing her first Beauty Writer job at weekly fashion magazine, LOOK. Joining Cosmopolitan in 2016, Victoria has always remained a beauty fanatic and has been lucky enough to interview everyone from Britney Spears to Kourtney Kardashian about their beauty routines. Follow her on LinkedIn.
Elena Chabo is Cosmopolitan UK's former beauty writer, working on everything from buzzy celeb news and trending beauty, to sincere first-person reviews and engaging video content for social media. She also creates meatier features and expert-led how-to guides, for print and online. Her passion for Black beauty, textured hair, and the ways beauty interacts with culture, society, identity and relationships, quickly took over her writing career and led her into beauty journalism. Following an MA in Magazine Journalism in 2017, she cut her teeth across various roles at Stylist Magazine, before taking on a Digital Writer role at Good Housekeeping. It was here that beauty took centre stage and she launched and ran the site's first stand-alone beauty section. Remaining at Hearst, she joined the Cosmo beauty team in 2022. Find her on LinkedIn.
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