Cracked Heel Treatments

According to the 2012 National Foot Health Assessment (latest study), 20% of all American adults 21+ report having suffered from “Cracking of the skin on feet”. This breaks down to 16% for men, and 25% for women. These numbers clearly show why more people are searching for effective solutions on how to get rid of cracked heels.

Having cracked heels, or severely dry skin on your heels is not a big issue for some of us. But, if you’re reading this article, you are looking for answers on how to heal your cracked heels, and do it in a way that works well and fast.

Cracked heels are particularly a problem if they are not treated fast, as they can be very painful, stop you from wearing appropriate footwear, or worse, they can bleed and become infected. Either way, there is no reason to live with painful cracked heels when there are solutions.

1. Use the Best Cracked Heels Repair Creams

We will tackle DIY cracked heels remedies below so you can learn how to get rid of cracked heels, but there are many proven solutions already that work to heal your painful cracks. Everyone is different, so here is a list of some of the best resources out there.

1. Urea-based creams (SkinIntegra Rapid Crack Repair Cream).
2. Top Amazon.com creams for cracked heels (list here).
3. Glycerin-rich creams or oils (list here).
4. Any plant oil rich in Omega Fatty Acids. (SkinIntegra Ultra Nourishing Oil)

Before you apply any cream or oil you buy, make sure you do a patch test on your leg or arm with a small pea-sized drop. If you have any allergic or irritated reaction, it will be localized, and you don’t have to apply it to your cracked heels, making the experience even worse.

One popular solution on how to get rid of cracked heels is to apply petrolatum, or petroleum jelly, based products (Vaseline). While petrolatum is occlusive (it protects the skin), it is also a mineral oil derived from the bi-product of refining petroleum (crude oil). While there are benefits of using the jelly, we always recommend using plant-based cracked heel repair products as they are just as effective but are a lot less risky to use as they often do not contain irritants or negative side effects.

2. Have a Relaxing Foot Soak and Exfoliate Your Cracked Heels

The main reason your skin has cracked is that it has been dry for a long period of time. Your natural skin barrier is now dehydrated, and because this has been going on for a while, the barrier has broken, and cracks appear. So, one effective solution for learning how to get rid of cracked heels is to hydrate more so you can rehydrate the skin and promote skin barrier regeneration.

Simple foot soak steps:

1. Draw some warm water into your bathtub or a small foot soak container.
   NOTE: DO NOT make the water too warm as this will increase dehydration and increase the breakdown of your skin barrier. Keep the temperature between 92°F and 100°F. Don’t let the water go above 104°F,
2. Soak for 20 minutes.
3. Now that your feet are well hydrated, we can now learn some steps on how to get rid of cracked heels. First, look at your cracked heels and feel where the skin is hardest. Use a pumice stone to gently scrub away the hard, dry skin. But be careful not to push too hard with the stone as this can lead to bleeding, especially if you have neuropathy and can’t feel your extremities well. If you don’t want to use a pumice stone, use a washcloth or a loofah, as they can be gentler.
4. Gently pat dry your feet, but try to leave some water on.
5. Apply a cream or oil designed for cracked heel repair.
6. Put on some socks to allow your skin to absorb the moisture from the soak and the cream or oil.

You can perform this routine on how to get rid of cracked heels at night before bed and keep your socks on while you sleep. This will give you the maximum protection and time for your soak and cream combination to work. If you cannot sleep with socks on, try to leave your socks on at least 10 mins after the foot soak to give your cracked heels some time to absorb it all.

3. Use Any Plant Oils With High Levels of Omega Fatty Acids

Plant oils are full of antioxidants, vitamins, and Omega Fatty Acids to restore and maintain your skin barrier. Omega-3-rich plant oils are one of the best solutions for how to get rid of cracked heels as these omegas do a wonderful job at softening your skin and improving skin hydration. Most oils you see at the grocery store are high in Omega-6s and are also very useful in repairing the skin barrier, but we already eat lots of them in our diet, so putting even more on our already dry, cracked skin probably isn’t going to do much. But there are lots of plant oils out there that you can use for cracked heel repair, so you can use the list below to test out the ones that work for you.

1. Chia Seed Oil
2. Walnut Seed Oil
3. Flax Seed Oil
4. Canola Oil
5. Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil (perfect Omega-3 and Omega-6 ratio)
6. Sacha Inchi Seed Oil
7. Longer list of plant oils and their omega content

Want to learn more on how to get rid of cracked heels using plant-based oils? You can replace the cream in the foot soak described above with one of the oils above. Simply apply a small amount of the chosen oil onto the cracked area and rub it in for a few minutes to make sure it is fully absorbed. Make sure you try and remember to put on socks after this step, so you don’t slip and fall afterward.

You can also look at our plant seed oils designed to repair the skin barrier that also contains Sacha Inchi seed Oil and Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil to help repair those pesky cracked heels. When it comes to learning how to get rid of cracked heels, the options are many - these are just some of the effective natural solutions you can try.

Take Care of Your Feet

If you have cracked heels regularly, make sure you speak to your doctor about it. It could be a simple solution like changing footwear that rubs against your heels and causes the cracks to appear or the signs of a more serious issue like diabetes or another chronic skin condition. At SkinIntegra, we bring you first-aid, first-relief skincare products with patented formulas of creams and oils to treat a variety of hard-to-treat skin conditions.

Our Ultra Nourishing Oil is cruelty-free, not tested on animals, and 100% plant-based. We care about treating customers’ skin issues with high-quality, high-efficacy products for the best price. Want to learn more about how to get rid of cracked heels or other insights about restoring your skin’s natural glow? Contact our experts for cracked heel repair needs or explore our skin repair tips.