The majority of us tend to neglect our feet – I know I am guilty of hastily painting over chipped polish instead of re-doing my pedicure; of leaving my foot file covered in a layer of dust; of depriving my heels of much-needed moisturiser. We can get away with it in winter (although we shouldn’t – our feet deserve TLC year round) when our feet are safely ensconced in thick socks and boots. However, the summer months are less forgiving – cracked heels and dodgy pedi’s are on show for all to see. The shame. Time for a change ladies, and I’ve been doing the foot work (see what I did there?) to find out which products work best to keep your kippers in tip-top shape.
First up, we have the SkinLogic Foot Peel, available from Red Square and Rubybox for R99.95. I first learned about foot peels from Beauty Editor when she reviewed a similar product from Footner (you can read the review here) and I was instantly intrigued. Basically you pop your feet into plastic booties which are lined with alpha hydroxy acids and leave them on for an hour and half/two hours and then, a week later, all of the dead skins peels off your feet. In.CREDIBLE. I left mine on for an hour and half and waited patiently for things to start happening. After a week of eagerly examining my feet each morning only to find no signs of peeling, I wrote the product off as a waste of time. However, it appears I was a bit hasty, as a mere three days later, my feet started peeling! Man, it’s so satisfying – the skin literally peels away in thick layers, leaving you with the softest feet you’ve had since birth (probably). I also pumiced my feet a few times to help speed the process along a bit (and also because watching the dead skin fall away from my feet was a little addictive…no judgement please – we’re all friends here). The peeling process lasts for a good 5-7 days, which can make wearing open-toe shoes a bit awkward (as my boyfriend says, it looks like you’ve got “vrot pootjies” [‘rotten feet’ for those who don’t understand Afrikaans]), but the results are so worth it. I’ll spare you the trauma of pictures of the peeling process, but please trust me what I tell you this is something you really need to try.
Second in line: Environ Derma-Lac Lotion. This is another alpha hydroxy acid-rich product, so it sloughs away dead skin cells in a jiffy. It makes light work of rough, cracked heels, and if you are diligent and apply it every evening, you will see results in a very short space of time. The texture is a bit sticky/tacky, but don’t let that deter you – just massage it in and put your feet up for a bit while it sinks in.
Last, but certainly not least, the Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File*. This electronic foot file buffs away hard skin in minutes, leaving you with soft, silky feet – a fantastic little gadget if you can’t be bothered to put in some elbow grease and buff your feet with a traditional foot file. You simply turn it on, and roll it over your feet until you have the desired results and then go on your merry way. The device turns off automatically if you apply too much pressure, so there’s no danger of overdoing it or hurting yourself. Here is a little ‘before and after’ shot of my heels for your viewing pleasure:
Having used traditional foot files my whole life, I can’t definitively say that you will get better results from the Scholl Velvet Electronic Foot File, because I don’t think the results differ that much. It’s the ease and convenience of the device that makes it superior – you just turn it on and go. No labouring over your callouses, no working up a sweat as you vigorously pummice your feet…no, no. This is an effortless, effective option and I think it’s a really fantastic little tool. It launches in February and will be available at major retailers including Pick ‘n Pay, Dischem and Clicks as well as online at Takealot and Rubybox. It retails for R399.99 (the The Velvet Smooth Foot File Refill retails for R149.00 for two, and the Velvet Smooth Daily Moisturiser retails for R99.99/60ml).
*PR Sample