Heel cracks appear for various reasons including age, unhealthy diet, prolonged standing, health condition, etc. You can prevent crack formation with proper foot care. What if, you show don’t care mood to your feet. Your feet will get unexpected, annoying, and embarrassing cracks.
Now you have to treat and care your heels to get back your previous soft one. You can treat your heel cracks either by using commercial products or by using home remedies.
Read Also: Heel Pain- Causes and Symptoms
You may be thinking now, home remedy brings a lot of hassle, and there is no guarantee of its effectiveness. To bring you out from this situation, below I have made a list of 10 best home remedies for heel cracks. All are inexpensive, effective, and almost hassle-free. Let’s see.
1. Vinegar Soak for Cracked Heels
Foot soaking is very beneficial for heel cracks. There are a variety of foot soak recipes available. Vinegar foot soak is one of the best and well-used recipes to treat cracked heel. Vinegar contains acetic acid which works gently on your feet and softens the hard dry skin of the heels.
Take a bowl or foot soaking basin and fill ¾ part with water. Add ¼ cup of vinegar in it. Stir for a second to mix the vinegar with water. Now put your feet into the water. And keep it for 10-15 minutes. This time will let the vinegar softens the skin of your heels.
Now, scrub gently to remove the dead skin from your heels. You can keep your feet in the water while scrubbing. Bring out the feet from the water and pat to dry. Apply a natural oil or moisturizer to lock the moisture into your feet. Don’t apply vinegar directly on your heels and limit this soak maximum 1-2 times a week.
2. Glycerin and Rosewater Foot Soak
Glycerin is a great moisturizer for the skin. You can use it to heal your cracked heels. Glycerin and rosewater foot soak softens your skin enough for scrubbing. It also moisturizes well to heal your cracked heels fast.
Take a big bowl (big enough to soak your feet) and fill its ¾ with warm water. Put two tablespoons glycerin, 3-5 tablespoons rosewater, one teaspoon lemon juice, and one teaspoon salt. Now stir to dilute all materials well. Soak your feet in the water for 15-20 minutes. It will soften your heel skin to make it suitable for exfoliation.
Take a pumice stone and scrub gently to remove the hard and dead skin from your heels. After scrubbing, apply your regular moisturizer on heels. Try this remedy once or twice a week to get crack-less soft heels. Don’t do this if the cracks get worse or infected.
3. Use Vegetable Oil for Cracked Heels
You can use vegetable oil to treat your cracked heels. There are a variety of vegetable oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, and more. All oils are effective and easily available. It hydrates your heel’s skin and provides nutrients to bring back the soft and nice one.
Before applying vegetable oil, you must soak and scrub your feet. To do this, soak your feet in salted warm water for 15-20 minutes. It softens the hard cracked skin of your heels. Use a pumice stone to remove the hard skin from the heels. Be gentle while scrubbing your heels.
Now pat to dry your heels and apply the oil liberally. Put on a pair of socks to cover your feet. It is better to apply before going to bed. Because it gives enough time to let the oil work. You will get noticeably soft skin in the morning. Repeat daily until your cracks get healed.
4. Use Pumice Stone to Remove Crack from Heel
Pumice stone is the most used, effective, hassle-free way to remove cracks from heels. It has been used since long ago to treat heel cracks. It provides a nice exfoliation to the heel’s skin and removes dead skin cells effectively than any other scrubbing method.
Before using the pumice stone, you should soak your feet to soften the hard skin of your cracks. To do this, a take bowl with lukewarm water and put 1-2 teaspoons salt into it. Now put your feet into the water for 10 minutes.
Pick a natural pumice stone and gently rub your heels by it. Make sure the pumice stone is wet before scrubbing. The rough surface of the pumice stone removes the softened dead skin with ease.
After scrubbing, pat your feet to dry and apply a moisturizer on your feet. Do this daily till the cracks get disappeared. Be gently in this job.
5. Rice Flour Foot Scrub for heel cracks
Rice flour is another nice scrub for cracked heels. This scrub isn’t made with a single ingredient. It is a combination of rice flour, honey, and olive oil or almond oil. This scrub not only exfoliates dead skin cells but also provides extra nourishment to your skin.
Take a glass bowl and put a handful of ground rice flour into it. Pour 2-3 teaspoons of honey in it. If you own severely cracked heels, add one teaspoon of olive oil or sweet almond oil. Mix all ingredients with a spoon to form a thick paste.
Before scrubbing, you should soften the skin of your heels. For this, soak your feet in warm water for 10 minutes. Take the rice flour paste, apply on your heels, and start rubbing gently. This will remove the dead skin cells and bring back the soft skin. Repeat this process 2-3 times a week until you get back your soft heels again.
6. Neem and Turmeric Paste for Cracked Heels
Neem is well-known for its antimicrobial properties. This paste is very effective if your cracks get infected. You can use this to prevent the infected cracks of your heels. Turmeric is also useful to heal skin infections.
Take one handful of raw neem leaves. Make a fine paste of neem leaves by a blender or crusher. Put this paste into a bowl and add 3 teaspoons of turmeric powder. Mix them uniformly. You may add water to make the paste suitable for the application.
Apply this paste to your cracks and leave it for 30 minutes. This remedy kills bacteria and fungi to heal your infection. Now wash it off with lukewarm water and use a soft towel to pat and dry. Apply this remedy once a week until the infection gets healed.
7. Paraffin Wax and Mustard Oil for Severe Cracked Heels
If you have severe cracks on your heels, then this remedy is very useful for you. It reduces your pain and gives quick relief. It also softens your skin.
Take a block of paraffin wax and two tablespoons of mustard oil for this remedy. Melt the wax in a double boiler. When it melts down, put mustard oil and mix them properly. Now, you will get a gel or paste-like substance to apply.
Cool down the paste at a bearable temperature. Now apply it over your cracks and make a thick coat. Cover your feet with plastic and leave it for 30 minutes to work. This lukewarm wax and mustard oil paste helps to reduce your pain and works to heal the infection.
After 30 minutes, remove the plastic and wax carefully. Try this remedy once or twice a week for a better result. If you have diabetes or poor circulation, try another remedy instead of this.
8. Use Petroleum Jelly to Treat Cracked Heels
You can use petroleum jelly to treat cracked heels. It is the easiest way to treat your cracks. Petroleum jelly protects your heel’s skin, prevents moisture loss, and softens the skin to stretch enough. There are lots of petroleum jelly brands in the market. You may choose Vaseline for this purpose.
You can apply it anytime on your heels. But, it is better to apply after foot soak and scrub. Soak your feet in hot water and scrub to remove hard skin around your feet. It takes 5-10 minutes to do this task. Now apply Vaseline on your cracked heels by creating a semi-thick layer.
Cover your feet with a pair of socks and leave it for the entire night. Repeat it daily until your cracks get healed. After healing, you can apply petroleum jelly directly on your heels without any soak and scrub.
9. Oatmeal and Jojoba Oil for Cracked Feet
Oatmeal and jojoba oil provide enormous benefits to the cracked heel. Both ingredients provide optimum moisture to the cracked heels. This remedy also works to improve the overall health condition of the skin.
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Take one tablespoon of oatmeal powder in a small glass bowl. Mix enough jojoba oil to make a thick paste. Apply this paste on the cracked heels and leave it for 30 minutes.
This time allows the remedy to moisturize your feet and provide proper nutrients to heal the cracks. Now wash it off with lukewarm water. After that, follow your regular moisturizer. Do this at least once a week. You will get a noticeable improvement in the cracks in a few weeks.
10. Banana and Avocado Foot Pack
This is a suitable foot pack for cracked heels. It soothes, repairs, and heals your cracks. Banana contains moisture, potassium, and vitamin C & E. It moisturizes and softens the cracks. And avocado provides proper nutrients to heal your cracks. It is rich in vitamins, essential oil, and fat.
Take a ripe banana and put it in a small glass bowl. Mash it with a fork. Now take ½ avocado and blend it to form a fine paste. Put it in the bowl and mix them well.
Before applying, wash your feet with water and pat to dry. Apply this paste on your heels by creating a thick coat. Leave it for 10-15 minutes, then wash it off. Try this every day until your heels get healed.
The Last Words
These are the 10 best home remedies for heel cracks. Which is better to apply depends on you and the condition of your cracks. Whatever you choose, maintain the regularity. And share the result with us.