Top 8 Easy Tips How To Heal Cracked Heels Naturally In A Week

Updated: 12/02/2019

Sometimes, you don’t want to put on beautiful sandals and high heels because of ugly cracks in the feet. In reality, cracked heels are not only embarrassing, but also painful when you walk, so it is extremely important to seek treatments. Here, we would like to introduce you some effective ways on how to heal cracked heels naturally in a week at home.

The recipes we've focused on are traditional home remedies that can be used alongside usual medical treatment. Always consult your doctor about recurrent infections, and if symptoms are getting worse.

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Top 8 Effective Tips On How To Heal Cracked Heels Naturally At Home In A Week

I. Causes Of Cracked Heels

• Natural dry skin: Some people have naturally dry skin, so their feet are more prone to crack than others.
• Standing for a long time: standing on hard floors for a long time or in ill-fitting shoes can become a problem because it puts pressure on your heels.
• Obesity: Excess weight can put much pressure on the feet and cause the feet to expand leading to cracked heels
• Medical conditions: Some diseases such as diabetes, and thyroid problems and skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, and athlete’s foot interrupt the ability to produce oils, which causes cracked heels.
• Aging: Skin loses natural oils and the ability to stretch, resulting in cracks in the skin, especially in heels when you get older.
• Vitamins deficiencies: Lack of vitamins like vitamins C, A, E, and minerals such as zinc can affect your heel health.
• Continuous exposure to water: While bathing or doing any work which requires standing in water or wet areas for a long time, the natural oils in your skin can be easily lost, leaving the skin rough and dry.

II. How To Heal Cracked Heels 

Here are some ways to remove calluses and dead skin cells and moisture the skin on your feet. Those will leave you to soften heels at the first use, be patient to take them in a week and cracks will almost disappear.

1. Scrubbing

Scrubbing the hard, dead skin is always the very first step in any skincare process, especially in the cracked heels treatment. This remedy helps to remove dead skin cells from under your feet, nourish and soften dry skin. Let follow our steps below.

Method 1: Brown sugar scrub: Brown sugar is known for the ability to slough off dead skin cells, leaving your skin softer and healthier^[1]. It contains glycolic acid, which can fight off bacterial infection, attracts moisture from the surrounding tissue and locks it in your skin.

• Mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of honey in a bowl until it forms a sticky, smooth paste.
• Soak your feet in a small bathtub of warm water for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Slather the paste above over the feet and gently scrub your feet in circular motions (or you can use a pumice stone for better results) to eliminate and remove the loosened dead skin cells.
• Rinse off your feet with clean water and dry them with a towel.
• Then, apply some foot moisturizer or cream and wear a pair of clean cotton socks all night.

Method 2: Milk scrub: Milk is abundant in lactic acid, which can help with the removal of  dead skin cells and assist the growth of new cells^[2]. Also, it promotes the water retention capacity, helping to hydrate your skin and prevent dryness and cracks in your feet.

• Drop 5 cups of warm water and 1 cup of milk in a bathtub and soak your feet for about 5- 10 minutes.
• Mix ½ cup of coconut oil and salt or sugar to form a thick paste.
• Slather the paste over your feet and massage in circular motions, then scrub with a pumice stone.
• Rinse off your feet, pat it dry with a towel, and apply moisturizer and put  on cotton socks.
• This method should be applied daily before bedtime.

2. Homemade Foot Masks 

Method 1: Lemon, Salt, Glycerine, RoseWater Foot Mask

Lemon juice has acidic and antiseptic properties^[3], which help to heal cracked, rough, and dry skin^[4]. Glycerine (used in most cosmetic products) can help soften the skin^[5]. Therefore, the combination of all the mentioned ingredients would help reduce heel cracks. You will have a foot mask which both heals your cracks and softens your heel skin.

Ingredients:

• Salt: 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice: ½ cup
• Glycerine: 2 tbsp
• Rosewater: 2 tsp
• Warm water
• Pumice stone

How to do:

• Take a basin of warm water and add 10 drops of lemon juice,  raw salt, one teaspoon of rosewater, and one tablespoon of glycerine. Soak your feet in this solution for about 15-20 minutes.
• With the help of a foot scrubber or a pumice stone, you scrub your heels along with the sides of the feet.
• Mix 1 teaspoon each of of glycerine, lemon juice, and rosewater. Apply the mixture to your cracked heels.Wear a pair of socks and keep it on overnight.
• In the morning, wash off with lukewarm water.

Method 2: Vaseline and lemon juice foot mask

Petroleum jelly or Vaseline is an excellent moisturizer for the skin^[6], with the ability to protect cracked skin, minor cuts, dry skin, burns, etc. Vaseline is an oil-based emollient, which repels water and replaces fats by filling in the gaps between skin cells like cracks in your heels. Vaseline, hence, with lemon juice will create a good foot mask for your cracked heels.

Ingredients:

• Vaseline: 1 tsp
• Lemon juice: 4, 5 drops
• Warm water

How to do:

• You soak the feet in warm water for around 15 to 20 minutes and rinse and pat dry using a towel.
• Mix Vaseline and lemon juice and rub this solution on your heels.
• Wear a pair of woolen socks and keep on overnight.
• Wash the vaseline off the next morning with warm water.
• Repeat 3 times a week, before going to bed.

Method 3: Banana and avocado foot mask

Bananas and avocados are not only delicious fruit but also have numerous health benefits thanks to their essential vitamins. Avocados contain some essential oils and fats and oleic acid^[7], while bananas contain potassium^[8], all can be considered as natural moisturizers, make for a great combination to fix dry skin on feet.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe medium-sized banana
• 1 ripe medium-sized avocado

How to do:

• Peel a banana and then cut it into pieces
• Mash it in a bowl
• Cut the avocado in half and remove its seed. Scoop out the pulp and mash it in a bowl
• Mix the mashed avocado and banana well to attain a smooth, creamy paste
• Apply the paste all over your feet
• Rinse off the mask after 20 minutes with lukewarm water
• Pat dry with a towel.
• Repeat it daily before bedtime.
• Repeat this remedy in a week, and you will see better results.

3. Epsom Salt

Epsom salt foot soak may soften the calluses^[9], removing dead skin cells that have accumulated  over time, more easily and is less damaging to the heels. It also promotes blood circulation and nourishes new skin cells. The magnesium in Epsom salt may help alleviate headaches and migraines. Also, researchers state that magnesium might help reduce inflammation in the internal organs and may lower the risk of getting cardiovascular disease^[10].

How to do:

• Add ½ cup of Epsom salt to a basin or a foot tub filled with warm water
• Soak your feet in it for 10 to 15 minutes
• Use a pumice stone to gently rub your feet for a few minutes
• Then, put your feet back in the soak for another ten minutes
• Use a towel to pat your feet dry thoroughly apply a moisturizer or Vaseline or petroleum jelly
• Repeat this remedy per day for two or three days

4. Vinegar

Vinegar is a great treatment for cracked feet quickly because it aids to remove thickened layers of dead skin^[11]. Vinegar foot soak is also beneficial for tired and itchy feet.

How to do:

• Mix white or apple cider vinegar in a basin of water with the amount of water is doubled the amount of vinegar
• Soak in this solution for fifteen minutes and remove dead, dry skin with a foot scrubber or pumice stone
• Wash your feet and pat dry thoroughly. Apply a moisturizer or petroleum jelly

5. Oatmeal

Oatmeal, a delicious and nutritious kind of food, is another treatment for cracked heels due to its wonderful ability as an exfoliator for all types of skin. Oatmeal is loaded with avenanthramides, flavonoids and phenols, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Besides, oatmeal may balance your skin’s pH, soothe irritated skin conditions, and nourish and moisturize the skin^[12].

You can make a foot scrub from oatmeal, which will help remove dead skin and also keep your feet moisturized.

How to do:

• Mix 2 tablespoons of sea salt, 2 teaspoons of oatmeal, a little water, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda to make a paste
• Soak your feet in warm water for about ten minutes to soften your skin
• Start applying the paste to your feet and slightly massage in a few minutes
• Rinse off your feet and pat dry them with a towel
• Repeat this remedy daily for a week

6. Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oils are excellent emollients. Vegetable oils, especially the organic oils, contain various phytochemicals and nutrients that can moisturize and protect your skin. There are multiple kinds of vegetable oils including sunflower oil, olive oil, mustard oil, soy oil, etc. with many different uses. Sunflower oil contains a lot of linoleic acid, which forms a barrier on the surface and upper layer of your skin, prevents the loss of the skin’s moisture. Others like olive oil, mustard oil or soy oil supply your skin with more moisture and let it go deeper into your skin. Virgin olive and coconut oils also have antibacterial properties that protect your skin from infections.

How to do:

• Before your bedtime, soak your feet about 10 minutes in warm water and scrub with a loofah
• Dry your feet (but don’t dry it completely) and then apply a thin layer of vegetable oil generously to your feet.
• Massage your feet for a few minutes so that the oil goes deep into your cracks and skin
• Wear a pair of clean, cotton socks overnight
• Remove the socks and wash your feet in the morning
• Try this method daily for a couple of days or up to seven days until you are satisfied with the results

7. Honey

Honey is a natural remedy for cracked feet. Honey has antibacterial and antifungal properties^[13], which can treat infections, causing deep cracks in your heels. Besides, honey can be considered as a great humectant, which can trap moisture from the surrounding environment in your skin.

How to do:

• Pour a cup of honey in a ½ bucket of warm water
• Soak your feet in this solution for about 20 to 30 minutes
• Gently slough the dry skin off with a pumice stone
• Pat your feet dry with a towel
• Do the repetition 1-2 times a week

8. Sesame Oil

Sesame oil can play the role of a moisturizer and an emollient, which is the reason why it can help heal cracked heels naturally. It contains many components including vitamin E, linoleic acids, stearic acids, and palmitic acids^[14],

which helps draw moisture from the surrounding tissue and locks it in your skin, repair damaged skin cells. Besides, it can help fight off bacterial infections that cause cracked heels.

Ingredients:

• Sesame oil: 1-2 Tsp
• Castor or almond oil (optional): 1-2 Tsp

How to do:

• Soak your feet for 10 minutes in warm water and pat dry.
• Directly apply sesame oil to your feet and rub gently for a few minutes so that it goes deep into your skin
• In case you feel the smell of sesame oil too strong, dilute it with castor or almond oil, then apply to your cracks
• Repeat it daily before bedtime

If you are suffering from cracked heels, above are the best ways to treat them that you should keep in mind. It is not too difficult to control the cracked feet condition if you take proper preventive measures and proper treatments at the right time. Also, share with us if you know other tips on how to heal cracked heels naturally. Also, we have many other ways to help you escape from other different diseases, you can visit our How To to know.

However, all content provided is for informational & educational purposes. We recommend you consult a healthcare professional to determine which method is appropriate for you.

Read more: Top 16 Beneficial Tips To Get Beautiful Skin. This article was medically reviewed/fact checked by Sarah Brewer MSc, MA (Cantab), MB, BChir, RNutr, MBANT, CNHC.