I have been neglecting my feet. Each September, I put them into shoes (like putting something into storage), and retrieve them the following May or June, only to find that they are not as I left them. A winter of neglect leaves them dry, sometimes chapped and uncomfortable, and more than a little scruffy looking.
That sensation of crispy heels catching on bedsheets or socks is sort of stomach churning. Of course, if I had taken any care of my feet even a little during the winter, they wouldn’t be quite so dishevelled now, but it’s too late for that. Regular exfoliation with olive oil and sugar helps to prevent the build-up of that savagely hard, calloused skin. If, like me, you’ve allowed your feet to roam heedlessly free all winter, you’ll have tough skin and dryness that will take more than sugar and oil to tame.
One option is a professional pedicure. A really good one will immediately eliminate yellow, crusty build-up and expose the softer skin beneath. Hard, calloused skin on the feet can't efficiently respond to products like moisturisers – it needs to be removed. The Mink Medi Pedi by Danne (€100 for 75 minutes at Mink Hand and Foot Spa) is more of a medical foot treatment than a classically comforting pedicure. Chemical exfoliants are used to dissolve hard skin, leaving even the most cracked and calloused feet feeling smooth. This will achieve in just over an hour what weeks of pumicing and soaking at home, or several standard pedicures will do. If you're in need of an emergency foot descruffing, this is the treatment for you.
For a quick fix solution at home, the Clarisonic Pedi Sonic Foot Transformation System (€219 from Brown Thomas) is the most powerfully effective tool. It comes with a metal disk attachment for paring back hard skin and a rigid buffing brush attachment to be used wet or dry. The kit also contains a buffing scrub, a moisturising balm and a really effective exfoliating glycolic acid foot peel which keeps feet soft if used once or twice a week.
Once you have managed to buff back the hardest skin, regular maintenance should keep the skin on your feet healthy. Exfoliating with olive oil and sugar keeps calloused skin at bay, but it also promotes circulation to the feet and legs and relieves tired muscles. We subject feet to so much abuse; a little bit of kindness can really make all the difference.
Follow your exfoliation with a light, absorbent cream or serum. Scholl Velvet Smooth Intense Serum (€8.99) is immediately absorbed, so you can pop it on morning or night for softness without any greasy residue. For more intense moisturising of distressed feet, follow this up with an intense foot cream. Burt's Bees Coconut Foot Cream (€16.99) has a rich texture and luscious fragrance.
Massage the cream into feet before putting on a pair of light cotton socks to aid absorption as you sleep. You’ll awake to velvety, well-behaved feet.
