Need Relief for Cracked Heals

You may possibly have athlete's foot. I have it, and this is on of the results. If there is any itching/burning associated with it, you may want to try one of the anti-fungal foot creams. When treating, soak your feet and rub the rough, cracked areas with a pumice stone (the black ones do the best on that part of the foot) to remove the extra skin build up and apply the cream twice a day. If you aren't experiencing any itching/burning, then it probably is just a plain old case of extreme dryness. Good luck!

I know you said your feet are clausterphobic, but the best and cheapest thing is Vaseline with a pair of socks over it! Same for the hands.

I get a facial scrub (any that's cheap!) and scrub my feet with it. As soon as I've patted (don't rub) them dry, I put lotion on and a pair of socks over. I used to get whatever lotion was cheap, but that didn't work so swell. So I use Shea Body Butter from The Body Shop. It's kinda expensive, but the shea is for extra dry skin. If you do this for a few days - maybe a week, then you can just avoid the socks.

Scrub your feet once or twice a week. Then use the shea lotion. I sleep in my socks - but I like to sleep with my knees up, so the socks help keep my feet from slipping on the sheets (I know it's weird!)

Those are my suggestions. Oh, but be careful if you use the body butter. If you shower in the morning (as opposed to at night) your feet will slip some in the tub if you're not careful!

Good luck!

I work for a company that has a couple products that could help you. One is called Renew Lotion and another is called Melagel. I know a man who has diabetes and experiences cracked heals as a result and has said the lotion works for him. I personally don't have cracked heals, but the lotion is great for eczema and other conditions because it maintains moisture in the skin. The gel contains melaleuca (tea tree oil) which is a natural soothing agent that also holds moisture in the skin. It could be a great combination for you. I'm sure it will probably take a trial and error process for you to see what works best for you, but the best part is that these products have a 60-day money-back guarantee. If you want more info about these products please feel free to email me.

Have you tried a pumus stone. It is lava rock that floats but is great and natural for rubbing the dry skin from your feet. They don't usually cost much and you might have to look to find them. One stone works for years.
C. B

I know this is a late response, but I was just doing some research through older questions regarding health, and came across your question. You may already have it solved too, but I thought I would just send a note your way just in case. I found "Heel Balm" by Flexitol (available at Wal-mart and other stores too). It works sooo good. I used to have to use something else every night for it to do anything for me. But this I use once or twice a month, depending on how bad my feet get, and it takes care of them. Also, if you do ever get a crack in your heel that is really hurting bad, I use super glue to close it up and the pain goes away immediatly. That may sound strange, but they many times use it in hospitals to close wounds and it was originally designed for that purpose. Just make sure it dries before you step down on it or you may be stuck to your floor :0)
Hope this helps and I wasn't too late. If so, that just means your feet are doing well. And that was your goal.

Go to any beauty supply store and get a special sponge they have to sluff off dry skin, I cannot think of the name of it but it is specifically for feet. They are like $3.
Then at night keep aquaphor on them with socks. The heat from the socks will help seal in the aqua phor.
Don't scrub your feet too much or you will build up calouses.

Try what is called Corn Husker's Lotion. I got mine in walmart near the lotions. It is not the same consistancy as lotion so don't be surprised. If you put some on your feet every day it should help a great deal! It's what I use.

K.

I've found that the callus removers work best if you use them after soaking your feet in hot water or a bath first. The routine I've found to work best for me is:
1. soak feet
2. in every shower use an exfoliator (sugar,oil scrub works) then rub a pumice stone on the calluses.
3. once per week use " Sally Hanson-Just Feet Deep Callus Remover"
4. Apply Flexitol Heel Balm to feet every morning and night
I've noticed a big improvement after just one or two weeks but if I slack off the calluses come back.

ps.recipe for Lemon Scrub is:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
(you can also add vitamin E oil)

I have had the same problem you have (I wore sandals all winter because I was pregnant!) and I have clausterphobic feet too (they won't even stay under the covers). Once they get cracked it's hard to keep them from getting really bad. Here's what has worked for me -- (I know this is going to sound crazy and unconventional, but hey, you asked what works...) I shave my heels. Not to remove hair, there's no hair on my heels. I shave them with a disposable razor while I'm in the shower to keep the callus/skin build up down. I personally use a Venus razor which has the blades at such an angle that I can't really cut the skin (be careful not to slip sideways -- that will cut into it) it just takes off the crackly parts. It takes less than a minute in the shower and since I started doing this I haven't had a cracking problem.