Exfoliating your feet is an essential, yet often forgotten, aspect of skincare. Given that many of us tend to neglect this part of our skincare routine, when it comes time to do it, we can find ourselves either exfoliating too much or not enough. Here’s how you can strike the perfect balance, getting those feet buttery smooth – but not so slick and greasy that you go slipping and sliding across the floor, which always happens!
Soak and soften your feet beforehand.
You’ll want to soak your feet in warm, soapy water for a good 15 minutes before you attempt to exfoliate. But practice caution – any more than 15 minutes and your feet will send you sliding across the hardwood floor like a puppy with the zoomies. Any more than 20 and you might as well just throw a banana peel on the floor.
Use the proper tools.
For this endeavor, you’ll need a pumice stone to exfoliate, a callus remover to tackle the tougher bits, and a foot scrubber to smooth out any rough patches. You’ll want to stay away from car grease, power sanders, and surfboard wax, or else you could find your feet less “exfoliated” and more “buffed, waxed, and ready to ride the linoleum wave of your kitchen floor straight into a big pile of pots and pans like a cartoon clown on roller skates”.
Don’t forget to moisturize!
While exfoliating your feet is important, it’s pointless if you just let your stompers get cracked and dry afterward. Lotion brands like Eucerin, Dr. Scholl’s, and O’Keeffe’s are excellent for keeping your feet soft and supple, and petroleum jelly can help lock in that moisture. Don’t overdo it though – too much petroleum jelly and you’re greasing the wheels for a feet-flying, arm-wheeling trip across your floor.
So, make sure to round out your skincare routine by thoroughly exfoliating your feet – but not so much that you find yourself wind-milling in place for so long that you defy the law of gravity, or worse, end up in a video compilation of people slipping on black ice.
