Buying guide for Best foot creams
If you really want the best care for your feet, you might want to skip the salon pedicure. Even something as tiny as a scratch or having recently shaved legs can leave you vulnerable to infection. And yes, athlete's foot is contagious. The better option for tending to your feet is to DIY at home using foot cream.
The best foot creams don't just moisturize. They can be specially formulated to protect your feet, reduce pain, and even help with circulation. You want a foot cream that absorbs quickly and isn’t greasy, and if it has a pleasant fragrance, that’s a plus as well.
Key considerations
Whether it's to pamper your feet or help combat a medical condition, there's a primary reason why you’re considering using a foot cream. But not all foot creams effectively treat the same conditions. To find the best foot cream for you, it must meet your specific needs.
Soften and repair
Most people first turn to foot cream because they notice the skin on their feet is getting dry and hard. It might also itch and crack, which can be extremely painful. In this case, you want a foot cream that moisturizes, breaks down calluses, and repairs damaged skin.
Protect
Many foot creams not only moisturize, but they also have an added ingredient such as paraffin that can form a protective barrier on the skin to help keep moisture in.
Fight fungus
If you have dry skin plus athlete's foot, you want a foot cream that contains ingredients that can cure your condition. Some creams use chemicals while others rely on natural ingredients such as tea tree oil. It’s important to note that if your feet are not overly dry, an antifungal spray might be more effective than a cream when it comes to battling athlete's foot
Relieve pain
If you’re suffering from foot pain, there are a number of creams that contain additional ingredients that can help manage your pain while also helping to fight inflammation. However, pain can be a result of many different underlying conditions. Be sure to read the label thoroughly to make sure the foot cream you’re considering can effectively deal with the type of pain you have.
Aid circulation
If you have diabetes or another condition that affects your circulation, there are some foot creams that have been medically proven to improve circulation. In some studies, arginine was shown to increase blood flow in some individuals by as much as 35%. If you want to improve your circulation, it’s essential to use a properly formulated foot cream.
Fight odor
Some foot creams have ingredients that help battle odors. If this is a concern for you, make sure the foot cream you’re considering is effective in this realm.
Did you know?
Tea tree oil is found in a number of foot creams, and it’s a natural way to treat mild cases of athlete's foot.
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Foot cream features
Besides treating any condition you may be suffering from, there are a few other aspects to consider when purchasing foot cream.
Absorbs quickly
You want a foot cream that penetrates the skin easily and gets to work right away. Some of the best foot creams can start healing even the driest skin in just a couple of days, so a fast-absorbing, fast-acting cream is best.
Nongreasy
Nothing is worse than a greasy foot cream that ruins not only your socks and stockings but also anything else it gets on. Look for a nongreasy formula to keep your clothing and carpets free of residue.
Scented
Some foot creams have ingredients such as tea tree oil or peppermint oil that give them a pleasing smell. Others have a chemical odor. If the smell of a foot cream is important to you, check the ingredients list to find one that pleases your nose.
Organic ingredients
There is a wide variety of ingredients in foot cream. If organic ingredients and all-natural healing are important to you, check the product information carefully.
Quantity
How much do you need? Many foot creams come in tubes or containers that contain a few ounces. However, it’s possible (and usually much more cost effective) to purchase a 32-ounce pump container, especially if you plan on adding foot cream to your daily health and beauty routine.
Foot cream prices
The difficulty in determining the price of foot creams is the wide variety of container sizes. It might look like you’re getting a bargain, but that $10 tube might only hold an ounce. To level the playing field, look at the price per ounce. Divide the price by the number of ounces in the container.
Inexpensive
Budget-priced foot creams cost $1 to $3 per ounce. For the most part, these foot creams help with moisturizing.
Mid-range
Spend $3 to $6 per ounce and you have the widest variety of options. It’s also the best place to look for value because these foot creams tend to have additional ingredients that help seal in moisture, reduce pain, and/or help cure athlete's foot.
Expensive
High-end foot creams cost more than $6 per ounce. These products can be specially formulated for fast absorption and contain all-natural ingredients, but it's best to be discerning at this level because you might be able to find something that is equally effective for a lower price.
For your safety
Because of the chemical exfoliants and other potentially irritating substances, such as peppermint and menthol, never apply foot cream to your face.
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Tips
Foot cream is an excellent product for taking care of your feet. It can help them look younger and feel revitalized. However, it’s only part of an overall foot-care regimen. Following are some foot-care tips to help you get the most out of your foot cream.
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Clean your feet thoroughly. Washing your feet doesn’t mean just standing in the shower and cleaning the parts that are easy to reach. Be sure to use a washcloth in between the toes, too.
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Change footwear often. For optimum foot care, it's best to change your socks/stockings twice (or more) every day. It's also a good idea to wear a different pair of shoes every day so each pair has time to air out.
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Soak your feet before using foot cream. Before doing any work on your feet, it's a good idea to soak them in warm (not hot) water for 10 or 15 minutes to soften the skin. But be careful using Epsom salts, which can draw out toxins and elevate magnesium but also cause dry, cracked skin.
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Exfoliate your feet. If your heel is covered in calluses and dead skin, the cream is going to have to work extra hard to moisturize your feet. Foot creams that contain salicylic acid or urea can help soften calluses.
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Dry your feet thoroughly before applying foot cream.
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Pay attention to pain. Feet shouldn’t hurt. Consider pain to be an early warning sign of trouble.
FAQ
Q. Do I really need to use foot cream? Can't I just use hand lotion?
A. Ultimately, it's up to you and whether you want what is best for you or if you’re comfortable settling for what is simply more convenient. Your feet endure a lot every day, so the skin there is much thicker than anyplace else on your body. Properly formulated foot cream takes this into account and is more effective than hand or face cream. Using hand lotion might seem like a smart life hack, but it's like driving your car using a spare tire – it works as a temporary fix, but it's not the best solution for the long term.
Q. How does exfoliating help my foot cream work better?
A. Dead skin cells build up on top of your skin and can clog the skin much like undesirable elements can clog a sink and keep the water from getting through the pipe. When you apply foot cream to clogged skin, its effectiveness can be dramatically decreased because the moisturizing elements of your foot cream aren’t able to penetrate the skin to do their job. Exfoliating removes the clog, allowing the foot cream to be much more effective.
Q. Can foot cream really help with circulation?
A. Yes. If your foot cream contains certain ingredients. Arginine, for instance, has been proven to increase circulation significantly. Arginine is an amino acid that changes into nitric oxide and helps blood vessels relax, which improves circulation. However, it’s important to note that even if there are no active ingredients that improve circulation, just the act of massaging in the foot cream can be beneficial to individuals seeking to improve the circulation in their feet.
