I Tried This Super Easy 3-Step Routine to Treat My Dry AF Feet

If I had a starter pack it’d include an iced coffee, an Apple Watch, a Frank Green drink bottle and a pair of Birkenstocks. Why am I telling you this, you may ask? I promise I have a point. And it’s not to talk about the #ESWB thread on TikTok.

I wear sandals or slides everywhere. 

Chic? Of course! On trend? You bet! Comfortable? Always.

But this means my feet are always out in the open and exposed to the elements.

If you’re getting the ick right now because we’re talking about feet, there’s no judgment here. 

I was that person too, a little bit meh around footcare aside from the brunch dates my Mum and I go on to catch up, that on a special occasion, include a pedicure.

But after chatting to some of my colleagues in the office and hearing about a very quick and very easy 3-step routine to make my feet feel soft and smooth, it dawned on me. 

The same way I use lotion and cuticle oil to nourish my hands and nails (hello Glasshouse MELBOURNE MUSE Body Lotion 400ml and essie nail care - apricot cuticle oil you both forever have my heart), I needed to take better care of my feet. 

So after a bit of honest reflection, I came to the conclusion that my feet needed some TLC. 

So I decided to give the 3-step foot care routine a go because there is no time like the present to take care of yourself. And who am I to say no to that?

How to Treat Dry Feet in Three Steps.

This routine on how to exfoliate feet was made popular on TikTok (it was also done by our Digital Content Manager and Dermal Therapist Joanna Fleming) and involves 3 steps to be done at night that exfoliate and nourish your skin to reveal your softest feet ever.

First up is a one-two punch of using both a chemical and a physical exfoliant, aimed at clearing away the stubborn dead skin cells that tend to turn up on places like your heels.

The last step is to use an occlusive moisturiser to aid the skin barrier, and lock it all in by wearing some socks of your choice overnight (mine will be fluffy, of course).

Then, all you have to do is get your daily 8 hours of sleep and voilà!

Your feet are smooth, soft, and ready to be slipped into your fave pair of slides.

Here's a TikTok demo of the hack (in two steps) by creator Calista Tee:

Keep reading for the products I used for this dry feet treatment...

Step 1, Exfoliate.

First up is not a surprise to any skincare aficionado out there - the chemical exfoliant.

Looking for the best exfoliant for feet? This next product although not intended for this, is a great chemical exfoliant for feet...

Using the super popular The Ordinary glycolic acid, I soaked a cotton pad and swiped the solution across my heels and any other dead skin I could locate. 

To my dismay… there was a fair bit.

Glycolic acid is a type of alpha-hydroxy acid that gently exfoliates the skin by removing dead skin cells.

Perhaps my favourite part about this step is that all I had to do was leave the solution on my skin, and it would go to work. 

Step 2, Use a Physical Scrub.

Next up is to use a physical scrub to help really remove any skin that is hanging around.

A physical exfoliator like the Grown Alchemist Intensive Body Exfoliant contains pumice and charcoal that deeply exfoliates and helps with texture.

And not just that, the Grown Alchemist intensive body exfoliant smells divine.

A little bit of this scrub goes a long way, and I only had to use a 5-cent-piece-sized dollop when I scrubbed the product on my feet, focusing on the heels. 

Step 3, Seal Everything In.

The last step on how to get rid of dry skin on feet involves finishing the routine with a nourishing, occlusive product that seals all of the goodness in.

This is where the hero CeraVe SA Renewing Foot Cream 88ml comes in!

It's also just a great, no-fuss dry feet cream that does its job.

After all of the exfoliation, I applied a pea-sized amount of the Cerave cream onto my heels, using the excess across other areas of my feet.

The Cerave moisturiser or known formally as the 'Cerave renewing SA foot cream', sits somewhere comfortably in between a light and thick consistency, applied really nicely and wasn’t too sticky.

Match this with the barrage of skincare-saviours they fit into this super affordable Cerave foot cream (think salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and ceramides).

These Cerave foot cream ingredients will ensure your dry heels are getting a good hit of nourishment.

Then I popped some socks to wear to bed (to ensure that the cream can truly work its magic), turned on the fan next to my bed (I sleep very warm) and pressed play on the audiobook I was listening to (for white noise).

Final Verdict...

So, did the routine actually work? 

I’m so glad you hung around amongst all of the foot chat. 

Long story short, after giving this routine a go, I need to go and thank those colleagues I was originally chatting to about feet (HR I promise there’s nothing to worry about here).

I can confirm this 3-step routine works and it’s actually super easy as well. 

The perfect combo on how to fix dry feet, perhaps?

It was a breeze to add to my nighttime routine, and actually made a difference in both the look and the feel of my feet the next day. 

While I probably won’t be whipping out the in-bed socks every night, I’m definitely adding this to my weekly self-care roster right next to my fave La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Mask 25g and the L'Occitane Cocon De Sérénité Relaxing Pillow Mist 100ml

Want more fun and informative Beauty IQ content? Check out one our recent articles below:

• A Skin Expert’s Guide on How to Build a Sensitive Skin Routine

• Habitual Beauty Has Launched at Adore Beauty and We’re Already Obsessed

• This Is the Moisturiser I Swear By for Dry Skin Prep