Home therapies for tackling cracked feet

According to him cracked feet could be caused by miscellaneous factors. They include: Extremely hot shower or bath, using harsh soaps, cold water or continuous exposure to water, low humidity levels in homes, office and the rest, lack of moisture, and some medical conditions such as diabetic thyroid.Others are: prolonged standing, long period spent in […]

According to him cracked feet could be caused by miscellaneous factors. They include: Extremely hot shower or bath, using harsh soaps, cold water or continuous exposure to water, low humidity levels in homes, office and the rest, lack of moisture, and some medical conditions such as diabetic thyroid.
Others are: prolonged standing, long period spent in the sun, lack of zinc and Omega 3 fatty acids, improper foot wear, environmental hazards, summer season and aging – we naturally lose moisture in our skin as we age.
Cracked feet can be embarrassing, irritating and unattractive. However, fissure heels sometimes lead to infections and extreme pain if the cracks deepen. For those that are already having problems of cracked feet, here are some home remedies to tackle it.

 Honey is a good moisturizing agent and good humectants
It can be used in two ways: it may be honey soak or cream. You can have honey soak by mixing a cup of honey in a half bucket of warm water. Mix well and soak your feet inside it for 20 minutes, then scrub your feet gently to remove dry skin. This could be done once or twice in a week.
 Honey cream as well requires you to heat a cup of honey slightly and add two tablespoons of liquid milk with freshly squeezed orange juice then mix thoroughly and store in a jar with a close fitting lid. Before applying the mixture, wash your legs with warm water and use a pumice stone to remove dry and dead skin from the cracked feet. Leave the mixture for about 40-45 minutes and wash off. This may be applied twice a day or overnight.
Petroleum jelly and lemon foot mask
Petroleum jelly popularly known as Vaseline is an oil based emollient that repels water and prevent the skin from drying out. The emollient helps replace fat from filling in gaps in between skin cell just like the cracks in the feet.
Also, the ascetic properties of lemon juice exfoliate your skin to drop off dead skin and replace them with soft and smooth skin. Mix a table spoon of petroleum jelly with the juice from an entire lemon. Soak your feet in warm water for 10 minutes, dry and apply the mixture. You should ensure that you fill the cracks with the mixture and massage properly. It is best to leave the mixture overnight.

Use rice starch
This is the water from your parboiled rice that is full of nutrients such as foliate, phosphorous, zinc, Vitamin C, A, E and many others. These vitamins are good for the skin and helps to promote growth of new cells and give soft smooth feet. Boil rice in order to get starchy water, put about 5 to 6 cups of the starchy water in a foot basin and add a tablespoon of baking soda which is good for exfoliating agent and will slough away dead cells of the feet. Soak your feet for 20 minutes, wash it with clean water, pat dry and add a moisturizing cream. This can be done daily and later reduce to twice in a week until your feet heals perfectly.

Coconut oil or olive oil
It helps moisturize your feet, fight fungi and bacterial infections. Before going to bed, soak your feet in water and scrub with loafer. Dry the heels with clean towel and then apply coconut oil generously on your feet, put on clean socks for the night and remove it the next morning and wash your feet. Do this daily until you are satisfied with the result.

Epsom salt
This facilitates the process healing cracked feet as it promotes circulation. Also with it magnesium property, it helps draw out toxins. Add one –half cup of Epsom salt in a foot tub filled in with warm water, soak your feet for 10 minutes, gently rub the feet with pumice stone. Put feet back in the water for another 10 minutes and finally dry your heels then apply petroleum jelly. Repeat this for two to three days for effective result.