Dry skin is something we all deal with, but our feet need special foot creams because they get atomic levels of cracked and flaky to the point where normal lotions don’t cut it. So begins the search for the best cream for dry feet.
There’s a scientific reason your feet are likely to be the driest part of your body. Our skin produces natural oils to keep our skin hydrated and sealed off, but the bottoms of your feet are one of the few parts of your skin that don’t have oil glands. Which makes sense–can you imagine trying to walk around with oily feet? I already slip and fall for no reason.
This evolutionary tactic leaves our feet vulnerable to drying out. Dry skin itches and can crack, exposing us to infection. It’s important to keep our feet properly moisturized so they can properly perform their job.
I’ve rounded up the best foot creams for a variety of different foot issues so let’s get into it.
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1. Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream
Pros:- Three choices of hydration levels, all with Dead Sea minerals
- Free of parabens, GMO’s, sulfates, petroleum, or animal products
- Cruelty free
- Strong enough to tackle cracked heels
- Clineral D-Medic is artifical fragrance free
Cons:- Not everyone loves the fragrance
- Some are too heavy for the rest of your body
- Best if used every day
I’ve included Ahava’s creams in my other moisturizers articles because their Dead Sea minerals have been known for their skin benefits in multiple ways. Dead Sea minerals soften skin, stimulate the growth of fresh new cells, kill acne-causing bacteria, and soothe skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
They also coax dry skin into opening up and drawing in and keeping more moisture. You know how eating too much salt causes you to retain water? Well, salt causes your skin to retain water and that’s a good thing when you have dry feet.
Ahava actually has three foot creams which I would recommend in order of how intense you need your moisturizer to be.
If you have dry feet and are looking to hydrate and prevent them from getting worse, the Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream is for you. It’s the lightest moisturizer and uses avocado, jojoba, sweet almond, and wheat germ oils along with glycerin and aloe vera to hydrate skin.
Dead Sea water does its thing while antibacterial tea tree and astringent witch hazel condition skin, helping it to hold on to more moisture. Lactic and salicylic acids act as a gentle chemical peel to rid you of built up dead skin.
The fragrance is clean smelling and nondescript. Some have called it perfumey, but on your feet, you tend to smell it less so it’s not the biggest problem if the fragrance isn’t your cup of tea.
If your feet and heels are already in bad shape and need a little extra care, go for heavier creams like the Ahava Dead Sea Mud Dermud Intensive Foot Cream which adds Dead Sea mud to the mix along with coconut and sea buckthorn oils.
For cracked heels go with the Ahava Clineral D-Medic Foot Cream which was developed with dermatologists and targets cracked heels with Dead Sea minerals and mud, specific oils, and botanical extracts. Keep in mind, however, with this last one that you need to wait 10 minutes before wearing socks or shoes after applying.
It’s all a matter of how heavy you need your foot cream to be.
Find more Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream information and reviews here.
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2. CND Cucumber Heel Therapy
Pros:- Great pick for cracked heels
- Fresh cucumber fragrance
- Nourishing botanicals like chamomile, cucumber, and aloe vera
- Mild chemical peel from lactic acid
- A little goes a long way
Cons:- Contains artificial colors
- Rather small jar
- Either love or hate cucumber melon scent
The Cucumber Heel Therapy from CND targets heels and other rough patches like elbows and knees. It’s a super concentrated cream so you only need a little bit at a time, meaning your jar can last you a long time.
The star of the show is cucumber extract which has a cooling, refreshing feel to it as well as being an anti-inflammatory.
This cream has the scent of fresh cut cucumber, that sweet, cold, melon-y smell that always reminds me of summer. If it’s important to you that all your moisturizers are dreamy to smell, then Cucumber Heel Therapy is a good choice.
Unlike some of the other botanical heavy creams, this one doesn’t contain camphor or eucalyptus so it may be more comfortable to put on severely cracked heels. Plus it doesn’t have that menthol, Vic’s fragrance.
Instead, botanicals like calming chamomile extract and cooling aloe vera hydrate and soothe irritated skin. To further moisturize, CND uses urea, vitamin B5, soybean oil, and lactic acid which is almost a very mild chemical peel to help remove built up dead skin. It soaks in quickly and isn’t greasy.
Find more CND Cucumber Heel Therapy information and reviews here.
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3. L’Occitane Shea Butter Foot Cream
Pros:- 15 percent fair-trade shea butter
- Arnica extract for sore muscles
- Ultra-concentrated
- Can tackle cracked heels
- Calming lavender fragrance
Cons:- Contains mineral oils
- Pricier than others
- Not everyone's wild about lavender
L’Occitane is a high end French brand that often uses lavender oil sourced locally from Provence, France.
This thick, intensely hydrating cream is 15 percent fair-trade shea butter. It sounds like a small number, but for a lotion that’s a huge percentage. Along with 15 percent shea butter, the L’Occitane Foot Cream also packs coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, and glycerin. This is heavy duty stuff that can tackle deeply cracked heels, scaly soles, and tough, dry feet.
Many foot creams are meant for daily use, but this cream is so potent you can only use it occasionally and still have your flaky feet transformed into touchable toes. That also makes your tube last longer since you only have to use it as needed.
It has a relaxing lavender scent and includes extracts of rosemary and arnica–rosemary is antiseptic and arnica is most commonly used on sore back muscles, so if you suffer from aching feet arnica is a perfect addition to your foot cream.
Find more L’Occitane Shea Butter Foot Cream information and reviews here.
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4. All Purpose Salve by Ora’s Amazing Herbal
Pros:- Deep hydration from coconut oil, beeswax, and grapeseed oil
- Antibacterial and soothing organic herbs
- All purpose
- Cruelty-free
Cons:- A little greasy for day wear
- Not vegan (beeswax)
- Factory also processes strawberries so avoid if you have an allergy
Harnessing the power of natural herbal remedies, this salve is an all-purpose moisturizer that is tough enough to tackle cracked heels. This salve hydrates with grapeseed oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and Vitamin E. These oils are rich and emollient, meaning they are good at sealing in moisture.
The oils are infused with organic herbs like calendula, comfrey, chickweed, St. John’s wart, burdock, thyme, rosemary, tea tree, cedar, and plantain. I’m not talking about the banana shaped plantains–the plantain plant is a leafy herb that contains a slippery gel similar to aloe.
This combination of herbs soothes irritation and helps to kill the microbes that cause infection. It has a pleasant herbal scent and rich texture. For best results you’ll want to apply this at night and cover with socks.
The salves comes in a small travel size one ounce glass jar as well as a larger four ounce jar.
Find more All Purpose Salve by Ora’s Amazing Herbal information and reviews here.
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5. Nu Skin Epoch Sole Solution Foot Treatment
Pros:- Allspice extract nourishes skin
- Hydrating urea and glycerin
- Papaya enzymes act as a chemical peel
- A little goes a long way
- No parabens or artificial fragrances
Cons:- Contains alcohol and sodium hydroxide which can be drying
- Takes longer than other chemical peels
- Not everyone loves the scent
If the idea of a foot chemical peel appeals to you, you might want to try Nu Skin Epoch Sole Solution Foot Treatment. First off, kudos to Nu Skin for the punny name, but back to business.
The Sole Solution Foot Treatment contains papain which is a proteolytic enzyme found in papayas. It’s not a standard acid chemical peel, but it will help to break down dead skin in the same way.
These enzymes are why pineapple makes your mouth feel funny after a while. This enzyme will slowly dissolve your dead skin in a much more gentle way than a strong glycolic peel.
You don’t have to wash this off, you just apply it like any other foot cream. That does mean that it will take longer to see dramatic results, but for some that’s absolutely worth it.
To speed up the process, Nu Skin also includes a tiny amount of sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, in this cream. Sodium hydroxide is a common main ingredient in cuticle removers, but this small amount will only help to increase the chemical peel action.
This cream also contains deeply hydrating urea, glycerin, silicone, and extract of allspice berries–a unique ingredient which is antibacterial, antioxidant, increases blood flow to your feet, and gives the cream its warm fragrance.
The ability to increase circulation makes this a perfect choice for diabetics. Check out the American Diabetics Association for more diabetic foot care tips.
Find more Nu Skin Epoch Sole Solution Foot Treatment information and reviews here.
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6. Glytone Ultra Softening Heel & Elbow Cream
Pros:- Erases calluses and hardened built up skin with chemical peel action
- Hydrating glycerin and vitamin E
- Trusted brand
Cons:- Contains parabens, PEG’s, and mineral oils
- You have to wash it off
- Too strong for some
- Pricier than others
This is going to be the odd man out in the foot cream list. This foot cream by Glytone is targeted to the driest, thickest, most callused, and most hardened feet. I’m talking the parts of your feet that you want to pumice, grate, or shave off.
This foot cream is odd because you have to wash off–it’s a combination foot cream and chemical peel. The thick, silky cream is packed with moisturizing glycerin, vitamin E, and mineral oil, but the active ingredient is glycolic acid.
Glycolic acid is derived from sugar and breaks down dead skin so that you can remove it easily and reveal the soft, fresh skin underneath.
You apply this foot cream a couple time a week to the hardened areas of your feet and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes while it hydrates and while the glycolic acid does its job. Then you want to rinse it off. Glycolic acid is strong stuff and if you leave it on too long it can leave a kind of burn. But it’s unarguably effective against calluses and hardened, cracked heels.
That said, this isn’t for everyone. If you only have slightly rough feet seasonally and are just looking for a good cream, this isn’t for you.
Find more Glytone Ultra Softening Heel and Elbow Cream information and reviews here.
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7. Bag Balm by Vermont’s Original
Pros:- Deeply hydrating lanolin and petroleum
- Antibacterial and antifungal
- Ultra-concentrated
- Can tackle cracked heels
- Great for the rest of your body
- Made in Vermont
Cons:- Contains petroleum so can be slightly greasy
- Not vegan (lanolin)
- No lovely fragrance
While not a specialized foot cream, this is a long-trusted ointment for softening dry, painful skin anywhere. It’s gentle enough to be used on lips but concentrated enough to treat cracked heels.
Bag Balm was originally developed to be used on cow utters to protect them from getting chapped in the cold, harsh Vermont winters. But humans quickly picked up that it works just as well for dry cracked hands, elbows, knees, feet and more.
There are only four ingredients in this tin: petroleum, lanolin, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate, and paraffin wax. Some may not be that excited by the inclusion of petroleum, but we know for a fact that it works to moisturize and keep hydration sealed into your skin.
Lanolin is a natural moisturizing oil extracted from sheep’s wool. It’s intensely hydrating as well as soothing for skin irritation.
The 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate is an antiseptic which stops the growth of both bacteria and fungi making this great for use on both infection-susceptible cracked heels and minor scratches.
Find more Bag Balm by Vermont’s Original information and reviews here.
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8. Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme
Pros:- Botanical extracts nourish skin
- Hydrating lanolin, coconut oil, and unique oat kernel oil
- Soothing oats
- A little goes a long way
Cons:- Not vegan (lanolin)
- Can be a little slippery
- Too thick for some
The Coconut Foot Creme treats skin irritation with extracts of rosemary, peppermint, soapbark, and lavender for a cooling effect and pleasant fragrance.
This one has more of an ointment constancy rather than a lotion. It’s thick and looks a little like honey.
For deep hydration, it uses soothing lanolin, coconut oil, olive oil, oat kernel oil, soybean oil, canola oil, and glycerin. With a list like that, chances are your skin is going to find something it loves.
Oats are fantastic for your skin so in addition to oat kernel oil, the creme also contains oat flour.
This is one you’re going to want to apply just before putting on your socks because it can be a little slippery or rub off on sheets.
Find more Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme information and reviews here.
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9. Elemis Treat Your Feet Foot Cream
Pros:- Cooling eucalyptus and camphor
- Contains shea butter and jojoba oil
- Fragrant patchouli oil aids in healing
- Trusted luxury brand
Cons:- Contains PEG’s and mineral oil
- Not vegan (beeswax)
- Herbal scent
Elemis’ Treat Your Feet Foot Cream has a cooling sensation to soothe irritated skin and intensely moisturizing oils. It uses camphor and eucalyptus oils for their cooling and healing properties which also means you probably don’t want to put this one on broken skin.
Patchouli oil adds fragrance and encourages healing and stimulates cell production. Between the patchouli and camphor, this does have an assertive herbal scent that fades quickly.
For hydration, Treat Your Feet contains shea butter, jojoba oil, glycerin, beeswax, urea, and mineral oil. Shea butter and jojoba oil are some of the top moisturizers I would want in any cream for very dry skin.
Urea is a moisturizer that is naturally made by the human body and dry skin often signifies that your body can’t produce enough and that’s where lab-made urea comes in as a substitute. For most people this is the perfect, body-compatible moisturizer.
A rare few, myself included, tend to react to urea–but if you do you probably already know it since urea is in a fair number of products these days from skin lotions to deodorants.
Treat Your Feet is a thick, luxuriant cream for dry feet that can transform rough, chapped heels into sandal ready feet.
Find more Elemis Treat Your Feet Foot Cream information and reviews here.
What causes dry feet?
Dry feet has all the same causes as dry skin on the rest of your body, with a few causes specific to feet. Non-moisturizing soaps, spending time in hot water, too much sun exposure, and dry air either from heating or natural climate can cause your skin to lose too much moisture.
Ill-fitting shoes or shoes that don't allow your feet to breathe can also cause dry skin. As anyone who has lived through the resurgences of the trend of plastic jelly shoes can tell you, when your feet can't breathe, they sweat. That moisture has to come from somewhere, and it's coming from your feet's water reserves.
There are several medical conditions like eczema and psoriasis cause dry skin wherever you are affected and your feet are no exception.
Diabetes can also cause dry feet as well as make the body more susceptible to infection so it's especially important for diabetics to take good care for their feet before they get to the cracking stage.
Is it dry skin or athlete's foot?
One tricky issue is that athlete's foot can sometimes look a lot of like simple dry skin. Both this common fungal infection and dry skin can cause flaky, dry, itchy feet.
They can be hard to tell apart unless the athlete's foot has really progressed. I'm not a doctor and can't definitively say anything with authority, but the general litmus test is do you have dry skin between your toes? Because that's not normal dry skin and you want to be seen by a doctor or be looking at anti-fungal creams at the very least.
This is important here because if you have athlete's foot, moisturizers will only make your problem worse. If you've been putting even the best foot cream on your dry skin for a couple of weeks and the dryness is getting worse, you'll need to reevaluate the situation.
What causes cracked heels?
When our feet get too dry our skin loses its ability to properly stretch causing it to crack open creating fissures that are painful and can easily become infected. Most often, cracked heels happen when you combine super dry skin and either standing for a very long time or wearing sandals or clogs with open backs.
Shoes that don't have a back to them don't give any support or compression to the heel of your foot. Without that support, the pad of your heel spreads out wider than it would in sneakers for example.
This spreading causes the skin to bulge out the side, almost in a pinched position. That puts the skin on the edges of your heels under a lot of strain and when your skin is dry and in trouble already, it can open and cause a fissure.
If you don't have a medical condition that can make these a more serious problem (like diabetes) and your feet aren't infected, a good moisturizer should be enough to heal cracked heels with proper use.
When to see a doctor.
If you have the access and financial means, I say the time to see a doctor is when you start wondering if you need to see a doctor.
If it's a little more complicated than that, it's important to get medical attention when there are signs of obvious infection like puss or weeping or seriously foul odors. If you're having difficulty walking from foot pain or the dry skin has spread to the tops of your feet or your toenail--these are signs you might need something more than a quality foot cream.
Can't I just grate all the dry skin off?
Well, sort of. Pedicure machines are meant to remove calluses which are different from dry skin.
Calluses are a build up of dead skin that your body creates on purpose in response to repeated pressure or friction. Your body means to make a callus but your body doesn't ever intend to have dry foot skin.
That doesn't mean you can't use these machines and files to help rid of you the dry skin. Just be aware that there is live, feeling skin under there and it's easy to go too far especially if you have a medical condition that causes you to lose feeling in your feet.
Either way, you always want to use a good moisturizer after exfoliating.
How to get touchably soft feet.
Three things: hydrate, make use of your AHA's, and moisturize.
Hydrate. If you're not drinking enough water, all your parts are going to be dry. That moisture has to come from somewhere.
AHA's. Alpha hydroxy acids are natural acids derived from foods that are used in chemical peels. Cream for dry feet that has AHA's, and body peels in general, will help your body remove dead skin that has built up so you can deliver the moisture where you need. it.
People have been using AHA's to soften our skin since Cleopatra so there's no need to be afraid of a gentle chemical peel.
Moisturize. To make the most of your creams, apply before bed and wear cotton socks to keep your creams from rubbing off on the sheets.