It’s that time of the year when your toes take center stage, even if they aren’t quite ready for the spotlight. After months spent hiding inside snow boots, hibernating under wool socks, and never seeing the literal light of day, it’s safe to say that things are probably looking a little scary in the foot department.
Luckily, it doesn’t take much to get your feet ready to break in that pair of Cult Gaia sandals you’ve been eyeing since March. Before you reach for a conditioning lotion or butter, though, you’ll want to start by removing all the dead skin that’s currently taking up residency on the bottom of your heels. Ahead, we’ve rounded up the best pumice tools, scrubs, and masks to get your feet in tip-top shape for their weekend debut.
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Pumice Stones
Barefoot Scientist In The Buff
There’s nothing more essential to a foot routine than a pumice stone. Both Rodeo Drive Podiatry founder Bobby Pourziaee, DPM, and celebrity podiatrist Suzanne Levine, DPM, recommend using the exfoliating tool to buff away dead skin after soaking your feet in an epsom salt bath for 15 minutes. Use gentle pressure as you work the rough side of the stone along the sides and bottom of your feet, then watch as those thick layers of skin slowly lift away. When you’re done, flip it over for a smoothing finishing treatment to knock out any lingering dry patches.
Barefoot Scientist In The Buff, $6, available at Barefoot Scientist
Amope Pedi Perfect Electronic Foot File
If that sounds like a lot of work on a lazy summer Friday, this electronic tool makes the task easy. The rotating pumice buzzes away calluses so quickly and effectively, the satisfying process deserves to go viral (watch out, Dr. Pimple Popper).
Amope Pedi Perfect Extra Coarse Pedicure Electronic Foot File, $19.89, available at Target
Revlon Callus Remover With Catcher
No, this isn’t a cheese grater — even if it certainly looks like one. (And, when you think about it, works like one.) Gently run the metal grate over the rough edges of your damp feet and watch as it micro-files away callused skin. Try not to be overzealous with your buffing technique, warns Dr. Levine, or else you might find yourself dealing with an even bigger problem than a callus — like broken skin or an infection. The best part about this particular scrubber? It has a catcher underneath, so all that dead skin doesn’t end up on your bathroom floor.
Revlon Callus Remover With Catcher, $10.49, available at Ulta Beauty
Foot Peels
Baby Foot Original Exfoliant Foot Peel
It’s true: Baby Foot works wonders on feet — even the ones that feel like they’re beyond repair. Thanks to the combination of salicylic acid and alpha hydroxyl acids, sheaths of skin will start to shed from your feet about a week after you soak in these plastic booties. Enjoy the molting while it lasts…
Baby Foot Original Exfoliant Foot Peel, $25, available at Ulta Beauty
Tony Moly Foot Peeling Shoes
Not everyone can afford to splurge on an internet-famous foot peel every few months. Thankfully, there’s an alternative that works just as well and it’s under $7.
Tony Moly Foot Peeling Shoes, $6.5, available at Ulta Beauty
Topical Lotions & Sprays
Kiehl’s Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer
After all that scrubbing and peeling is over, you’re going to need a heavy-duty lotion that will keep dry patches away in the future. Enriched with avocado oil and shea and cocoa butters, this emollient cream is best used overnight — lest you slip and slide in your summer mules.
Kiehl’s Intensive Treatment and Moisturizer, $26, available at Kiehl’s
Deborah Lippmann Get Off Callus Softener Intensive Treatment
Don’t have a bathtub to soak your feet in before you pull out the pumice stone? Consider using this skin-softening spray instead. Spritz on the AHA- and BHA-packed formula, let it sit for five minutes, then scrub away to perfection.
Deborah Lippmann Get Off Callus Softener Intensive Treatment, $38, available at Sephora
Foot Scrubs
The Body Shop Peppermint Reviving Pumice Foot Scrub
Have you ever pulled your feet out of your flats and thought, Those kind of smell? If the answer is yes, then consider making this peppermint foot scrub a part of your regular routine. Chunks of volcanic rock slough away dead skin, while peppermint extracts ward off any lingering odors.
The Body Shop Peppermint Reviving Pumice Foot Scrub, $14, available at The Body Shop
Neutrogena Body Clear Acne Body Scrub
When your foot calluses are mild — as in, no one can see them but you — any body scrub that enlists salicylic acid as its hero ingredient will buff away whatever is living on the bottom of your heels. Beware: Salicylic acid is very drying, so invest in a moisture-retaining lotion to keep yourself from entering a never-ending cycle.
Neutrogena Body Clear Acne Body Scrub, $6.49, available at Target
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Source: Refinery29 – Samantha Sasso