Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion!

just leave 'em be.

I have a toe callus so permanent I consider it a pet:

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Okay, I am now extra committed to finding a solution.

Pedicures solve it for me, except that they remove the callouses that keep my shoes from giving me blisters, too. So I end up with pretty feet with blisters, or ugly feet that don't hurt.

I pretty much just try to alternate.

Pumice stones in the shower, followed by thick lotion while your feet are still wet, is not a bad compromise. And a pedicurist once advised me to, before going to bed, smear petroleum jelly on my feet and then put on thick socks. But I can't stand to sleep in socks, and I don't really want to support the petroleum industry, so I haven't tried that one.

Here is my gross sandal problem: My sandals get all foot-sweaty and my feet slide on them. Ewww. Why is that, considering they are open shoes and I don't feel like my feet are sweating?

*Wonders what jonmc named his foot callous pet. Shudders to think...*

Can I just post a picture of my feet? I think there was a foot-themed Photo Friday that I missed.

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Use a pumice/scraper device of some sort along with the soak. Make a paste of mineral oil and Epsom salts to exfoliate. Continue to soak and lotion. A pedicure would give you a jump start.

Oh, and my mother always said walking barefoot on the sand was a good way to soften one's feet. Which I actually did on Sunday, and then pumiced my feet in the shower the next day, and they're looking better than they have in a while (which is not actually saying much).

agropyron those are tootsies!

I rotate my footwear. . I have two pairs of sandals, chacos and tevas, and two pairs of sneakers.

If I wear either the chacos or tevas too long, my heels crack, but if I rotate them, they don't. Strange.

I also rub Cetaphil on my feet, as I do on the rest of my bod.

my summertime foot regime: pumice in the shower till my feet are raw, then when I'm home for the night (but before bed), I lotion 'em up and put some socks on.

'nother vote for the scratchy rock in the shower and lotion after.

I use a belt sander on my entire body, followed by blowtorching and then a quick dip in salt water to set everything.

Followed by a thousand-mile stare and a quick trip downtown to advocate for Smacking Children for God. (as I was raised...)

Pumice rock and Burt's Bees Coconut foot creme.

Slather on Burt's Bees. Wait. Soak and wash feet in super hot water, Epsom salts optional. Repeat. Scrub feet with pumice. Slather on the Burt's Bees. Put on clean socks. Repeat as needed.

You really should leave a nice, clean, pliable callous on your feet, though, unless you're getting severe cracks that won't go away. (For a brief time some friends and I were actually working on who could build up the perfect callouses, so we could do stuff like walk barefoot across large expanses of smoking-hot black asphalt (or rocks, or sand) in summer desert heat. It takes more than just walking around barefoot to get good callouses, it also takes proper foot care and callous-shaping. ;) )

Severe, deep cracks in callouses can be temporarily sealed with a dap of plain old liquid superglue in the crack, which you simply squeeze shut to seal. Or if you're the worrisome sort, "liquid stitches" which is the same thing in a sterile hygenic medical grade and usually a purple color.

I read that as "Fool Talk," which much more up my alley.

Hey, agro, you're a member of the second-toe-longer-than-the-first club... Welcome aboard!

I always know when it's spring in NYC. People on the subway get into some serious foot decor. Multi-colored polish, nail studs, applicaes, various toe rings. I've thought of doing a photo series called Subway Feet.

My own feet I prefer not to speak of.

I've never had a pedicure (or a manicure for that matter). I'm always a little embarrassed in the subway, for it seems like I am in the 1% of Manhattanites that *don't* get pedicures. Oh well.

Definitely leave some callous on your foot, because it will protect you from blisters. But if the skin is cracking and flaking then soak, exfoliate, moisturize, and sleep with socks. Maybe you need a thicker lotion? Aquaphor would probably work well. It's like Vaseline but thicker.

You can also go to the doctor. They have some very fancy lotions for skin problems.

I use one of these things for about 30 seconds (or until my heels are smooth, which might be longer if I've missed a time or two) on each foot before I get out of the shower, then use whatever moisturizer I'm using on the rest of my body. About once a week I do the vaseline trick (I actually use vegetable glycerine, though) with socks overnight. The main thing is to do both regularly, then the tootsies don't get a chance to get into bad shape.

Sometimes if I've taken a shower at night and am settling in to watch a movie, I'll put a towel on the couch and massage my feet with some nice oil or thick body butter sort of stuff for a half hour or so. They like that.