How to Get Rid of Dry Feet & Ugly Toenails

Dry feet and brittle toenails can make you uncomfortable about showing your feet in sandals, flip flops or simply barefoot. If you have dry, cracked feet and brittle, chipped or yellowed toenails, don’t fret; you can utilize easy remedies to get your tootsies looking fabulous.

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is key for gorgeous feet. When you allow your feet to remain dirty and sweaty, they are susceptible to not only looking bad, but fungus and infections like athlete’s foot and nail fungus. Get into the habit of washing feet daily before bed with antibacterial body wash. If you are active, wash your feet following heavy activities such as a strenuous workout or a long day of walking around.

Exfoliation

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A regular exfoliation regimen will keep dead skin cells from leaving feet dirty and dry. In the shower, apply an exfoliating rub to feet and slather gently for a few minutes to remove dead skin. An easy, at-home exfoliating treatment can be made by mixing a couple tablespoons of olive oil with brown sugar. Olive oil will also moisturize as you exfoliate. After showering, while feet are still damp, rub down heels with a pumice stone to soften.

Moisturize

Moisturizing is essential to treating dry feet and toenails. One easy treatment to practice daily is to massage soles with olive oil after bathing your feet. Massage oil into slightly damp feet and toenails. Olive oil is also good for treating brittle, peeling toenails. Add a few drops of tea tree oil to the olive oil to help treat yellowed nails and foot fungus which can cause dryness too 2. For added moisturizing punch, rub petroleum jelly on clean feet and toenails prior to bed and throw on cotton socks. In the morning, rinse feet and you’ll see noticeably softer skin and moisturized nails.

Grooming

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Groom your toenails regularly to keep them from chipping, peeling or looking uneven. Remove dirt from underneath toenails daily before bed or every other day. This will help keep dirt and residue from building up, leaving harmful bacteria that can cause dryness, yellow nails and infection.

Considerations

Avoid using nail polish on toenails while you are attempting to improve their condition. Nail polish will dry out nail beds further. Stick with clean nails and a daily olive oil application on nails until they are no longer brittle. Once you do start applying polish, use a moisturizing, clear base coat first to prevent dryness, and apply olive oil every time you remove polish. Also, wear relatively clean shoes, or wash your shoes often if they get sweaty and dirty fast, to prevent infection or fungus.