I hate my rough feet so tried three budget products to get them soft and flip flop ready – a £1.99 buy worked wonders
BEST FOOT FORWARD
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SOME people can make thousands of pounds selling pictures of their feet on the Internet.
But I'm pretty sure you'd pay me NOT to see mine - they're horrible.
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I've never particularly liked feet, especially my own, after years of battling verrucas and ingrown toenails have left them looking less than pretty.
However, with the sun coming out for summer, the likelihood is that I'll be wearing sandals at least for a few days.
So I wanted to see if there was any budget-friendly products that could possibly help get my dry tootsies - complete with cracked, rough heels - looking better, if only slightly.
I decided to try three different options over three different nights, to see which one had an immediate noticeable effect, and which one is definitely not worth buying.
Cream machine
Boots Deep Moisturising Foot Cream, £4.50
It's most common to apply foot cream before bed, as you don't end up slipping and sliding everywhere if you need a wee in the middle of the night.
But creams designed to help reduce rough, cracked skin are often so thick that they take forever to sink in.
That wasn't the case with Boots' foot cream.
I lathered it on about 10 minutes before getting under the covers, to try and give it enough absorbing time.
Woman's feet turn yellow after stress triggers debilitating condition
But as it was, I didn't need to leave it that long - as it had fully absorbed after about three or four minutes.
The cream also smells divine, thanks to ingredients including mint, lavender and marshmallow, and feels cooling and soothing when it's applied.
I didn't hold out a huge amount of hope for the cream to work miracles overnight, so was chuffed when I woke up the next morning to see a difference.
The skin felt softer, while the cracking appeared to have healed a little - and felt more comfortable to walk on.
The cream is also purse friendly, at just £4.50 for a decent sized tub that looks like it will last at least a few months.
Overall I was really impressed, and will definitely repurchase in the future.
Here's some tips and tricks to keep your feet in good conditio
Soak
Start your at-home pedicure by soaking your feet by filling a washing-up-sized bowl with warm water, add a handful of Epsom salts and around a cup of white, or apple cider, vinegar.
Add a couple of drops of essential oil, such as eucalyptus or lavender, to make the soak smell heavenly.
Scrub
Mix two or three spoonfuls of brown sugar with a tablespoon of oil to make your own foot scrub.
You can use olive oil or coconut oil. Massage the scrub into your feet for a few minutes and wash off with warm water.
Soften
Make sure your feet are left silky smooth by using a moisturiser.
You can also make a foot mask by mashing up a banana with a sprinkle of oats. Mix in a tablespoon of moisturising honey and another spoon of olive oil.
Coat your feet in the mask, wrap in cling film, and let the ingredients work their magic for at least 15 minutes.
Scrub a dub dub
Boots Sea Minerals & Mint Exfoliating Foot Scrub, £3.99, and
Boots Cracked Heel Balm, £4.99
Another way of trying to get rid of dry skin is by using a scrub before applying any cream.
So I tried out the Boots' Sea Minerals and Mint exfoliating scrub before slathering my feet in the Boots' Cracked Heel balm.
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Once again, the cream smelt incredible, and made me feet feel all fresh and clean once I'd used it.
However, it didn't feel abrasive enough to get rid of dry patches - and seemed more like a face scrub than a foot one.
I think it would be better if the exfoliating bits in the scrub were rougher, to try and really get into the dryness and the root of the problem.
After using the scrub, I went in with the Cracked Heel Balm.
This £4.99 product claims to make a visible difference in just one use.
So I was hopeful I'd see a change the morning after using it.
The balm itself is very thick, and leaves hands feeling greasy once applied.
It also took a long time to sink in, but felt like it was doing something when it did.
And when I checked the next morning, one foot seemed to respond to the balm better than the other.
The left foot, which isn't as bad as the right, looked smooth, but the right one still looked cracked and rough.
I think this is a product that will work well over time - as miracles don't happen overnight!
Rating: 3/5
Sock it
Superdrug Watermelon Footpack, £1.99
The concept of popping socks on after a foot treatment isn't a new one - but the idea of these clever little footpacks is.
The Superdrug socks come in different scents, and I chose to try the Watermelon one.
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Inside the pouch is two plastic 'socks', pumped full of product, and you have to cut the top off each of them before popping them on.
I can't say I enjoyed the sensation of putting my foot into the sock itself, but it soon passed.
I kept them on for 20 minutes, before taking them off to see the results.
The pack instructs you to rub the leftover product into your feet and lower legs, before throwing away the used socks themselves.
And after doing so, my feet definitely felt softer - without feeling sticky or greasy.
I do like the fact you can pick up one of these packs like you would a face mask for a girl's night in, but obviously there are downsides given that they're one-use only and not particularly environmentally friendly.
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