How to Heal Cracked Heels Naturally

Do your heels need some TLC? After a long winter, we could all use a little extra pampering. Dry, cracked heels are a common problem for so many people. Maybe you're just noticing it now, or maybe your heels have been torturing you every time you put on your socks or crawl into bed!

Winter and spring are often a time our heels make it known that they are working hard for us. Most days our feet are under a tremendous amount of pressure carrying us through our jam-packed days. The more we stand, the more our heel skin expands outwards. Add to that the dry winter weather and our skin loses elasticity and becomes prone to cracking.

In rare cases, dry cracked heels can also be a symptom of medical conditions (athlete’s foot, obesity, diabetes, hypothyroidism, etc), or even biomechanical factors (extreme standing, heels spurs, poorly fitting shoes, etc). If self-care techniques don’t alleviate your condition please talk with your doctor.

Here are 3-steps to healing dry, cracked heels naturally. Healthy skin is happy skin!

1 - Soak

Soften the hardened, dry, cracked skin with a 10-20 minute foot bath. You can take this to any level you want to. You can add rose petals or essential oils. You can use a fancy water bath or a plain tub. You can even do this on the fly while you take a shower! Here are some options:

• Basic Foot Bath - use warm (not hot) soapy water and use a mild soap like Pure Energy Apothecary Pure Soap to gently wash your feet.
• Home Cure Foot Bath - use warm (not hot) water with apple cider vinegar and epsom salt. Pure Energy Apothecary Bath Crystals are a great option if you aren’t into DIY.
• Dual Duty (aka in a rush) - Take a warm shower with the plug in to fill the bath while you wash. Rinse feet with fresh water when exiting the shower.

2 - Exfoliate the dead skin

While skin is still warm and damp, gently exfoliate your skin. Remember, we are exfoliating— not peeling — and you only want to exfoliate about once a week. Be gentle with your heels and avoid anything that looks like a cheese grater, that's way too intense! If the damage is heavy, it may take days of care to see and feel real relief. Here are some options for scrubbing:

• Pumice stone, loofah, or plastic foot scrubber
  Tools like these are not recommended for some medical conditions like diabetes. Do not use foot scrubbers that look like cheese graters as you may risk additional damage and infection. It’s important to only slough off dead skin cells and leave the healthy layer intact.
• Use a Scrub 
  We have a wonderful Sea Salt Scrub that is naturally exfoliating and detoxifying. It's made with active plant ingredients to nourish, hydrate, improve elasticity, plus rich in vitamins and minerals offers natural healing power it soothes and heals rough dry skin. It's clean, simple, and easy.

3 - Moisturize

And we're not talking about any kind of moisturizer. You want a deep, rich moisturizer that's really going to hydrate and soothe your skin. Be choosy! Your skin, your largest organ and absorbs 60%-70% of what you put on it within 26 seconds! All of our all lotions are made with 100% pure plant-based ingredients, are totally free of chemicals, and are priced for every day use (shameless plug - we know, but this is important stuff!)

• Gently pat feet dry and thoroughly massage with your favorite lotion. We recommend Pure Energy Apothecary Whipped Butter. It has a luxurious rich texture, but does not feel greasy. It is a hydration powerhouse and made jam packed with healing ingredients like aloe vera (also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory), super powered moisturizers like cocoa and shea butter and emollients to seal the deal including meadow foam seed oil plus vitamins A, B, B2, B6, C, D, E, K

• Once it’s soaked in, you may want to wear a natural fabric sock (ie: all cotton) to seal in the moisture. 

• We recommend using a rich moisturizer morning & night until it's healed.

4 - Keep it up

Ways to maintain healthy heels:

• Wear shoes in public places (gym, yoga studio, dojo, dance studio, etc)
• Keep those socks fresh and clean, choose natural fabrics as often as possible
• Use a gentle and moisturizing soap like Pure Energy Apothecary Pure Soap
• Pure Energy Apothecary Sea Salt Scrub weekly in the shower
• Pure Energy Apothecary All Purpose Lotion after shower daily when skin is still damp, and before socks in the morning
• Pure Energy Apothecary Whipped Butter with socks before bed as needed.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate (isn’t that always the answer?!)

Bundle & Save!

Check out our Heel Therapy Kit ($56). It includes our Pure & Natural lotion, whipped butter, and salt scrub. Try it out!