An expert guide to your softest feet ever

My mom instilled a few important skincare lessons in me that go beyond wearing SPF every day and bringing your serums and creams down your neck and décolletage. One was to avoid crusty, scuffed-up feet, so much so that if she ever saw a cracked heel or dry feet, she’d immediately hand me a pair of silicone socks and a foot cream to get back to equilibrium.

Whether it’s sandal season or the dead of winter, having soft feet is just as important as having plump, hydrated skin on your face. “The foot is the foundation,” says Marcela Correa, a licensed medical nail technician and founder of Medi Pedi NYC. Hand care has taken the spotlight over the last few years, so who says putting the same love and attention into your foot care isn’t just as important?

“People often wait until their heels are severely dry, cracked, or uncomfortable before they start taking care of them,” says Kaitlyn Laube Ward, a podiatric physician and board-certified foot and ankle surgeon at Voyage Healthcare in Minnesota and resident expert at ZenToes. “Feet need consistent cleansing and moisturizing just like the rest of our skin. Also, because our feet deal with so much pressure and friction every day, regular maintenance can go a long way.”

If you are prone to cracked, dry feet or are just looking to be proactive, here are the five ways to keep feet soft and hydrated so that you can proudly bare them year-round.

Use a Foot File

If your heels or soles are too far gone for a nourishing foot cream, a foot file or pumice stone can be the perfect remedy. Correa recommends filing your heels and soles once a week after a shower when your feet are soft but not damp. “If you do it too often, then you’ll get blisters,” she adds. “All of the water when you shower, so shampoo, conditioner, and cleaning your body, comes down to your feet, so your feet never fully get clean, so filing after is important.” If your heels are extra dry, consider a warm (not hot, Ward warns) Epsom salt soak for 15 to 20 minutes before using a file or pumice stone to soften rougher areas.

There is a right and a wrong way to file your foot. Correa says to keep the file or stone in contact with the foot and move it back and forth to create friction. “It’s not about using strength—it’s about using technique,” she says. Don’t try to remove all of the cracked skin at once. Go soft and slow and avoid aggressive scraping.
 

 

 

Wear Foot Accessories to Bed

We have Apple-Store-level gadgets for our face and have mastered the art of an overnight routine for our skin and hair, but there’s an overnight routine for your feet too. Putting the “unsexy” in unsexy products that work: foot care accessories. Silicone heel socks and toe separators can make a world of difference in keeping feet soft and aligned.

Silicone heel socks, which have an inner gel layer that acts as a barrier over the heels, keep moisture in, especially after you’ve exfoliated and then applied a cream or emollient. “Gel socks can help soften dry skin and protect areas like the heels, while also making it easier to incorporate moisturizing into your nighttime routine,” Ward explains. When worn consistently, the trapped moisture keeps heels supple and protected.

When it comes to keeping your feet aligned, toe separators can benefit anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet (which, realistically, is almost everyone). “Our toes spend hours compressed inside shoes, so giving them some time to spread and relax at the end of the day can provide a lot of comfort,” Ward says, who recommends gel toe separators like those from ZenToes because they're easy to clean and relieve pressure.

While moisturising gel socks can be used daily, Correa recommends using toe separators once a week. “They’re not for everyday use,” she explains. “They spread out your toes so you lose any ‘triangle’ shape—not widening your feet; just making feet more aligned.”
 

 

 

 

Exfoliate

Just like the skin on your face and body, your feet need to be exfoliated too. “Physical exfoliation helps remove excess thickened skin, while ingredients like urea can help soften and hydrate that skin over time,” she says. Sloughing off dead skin can be achieved with a foot file or pumice stone—or, for a gentler approach, with chemical exfoliating masks.

Foot peels were a moment years ago because of the satisfying shedding from BHA and AHA ingredients, but they are also a surefire way to renew the skin on your feet and reveal baby-soft, bright skin.|
 

 

 

Be Religious With Foot Cream

After you’ve exfoliated, the key to keeping skin soft, hydrated, and bright is to use a foot cream or balm religiously. If you tend to have sensory issues or are wary of slipping and sliding after applying a foot cream, apply a nourishing balm, cream, or emollient, then wear a pair of socks—or your moisturizing gel socks.
 

 

 

 

Get a Medical Pedicure

For the ultimate foot reset, you can get a medical pedicure, which drastically differs from the spa pedicure at your local nail salon. Correa, who specialises in medical pedicures, says that the treatment addresses everything from ingrown nails to athlete’s foot, dryness, and calluses. It’s the key to keeping feet looking young, she explains. The treatment works on the foot itself as well as the nails. The end result: a pedicure on steroids, but without applying a polish.

Correa advises getting a medical pedicure once a month for the first four to six weeks, then every so often after that. “A regular pedicure once a month is fine, but not when it comes to a medical pedicure,” she adds. “If I see someone every month, I’m doing something wrong.”

This article originally appeared on harpersbazaar.com/US in August 2026.

Image credits: The brands 

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