Soothing Cracked Heels - The Challenge
I remember as a child getting out our home made foot emery board (made from sandpaper glued to a strip of plywood) and sawing away at my mother's heels, slathering them in Pond's cream and hoping for the best.
My Mother's Feet Were Tough
Her feet were as tough as old boots and as dry and cracked as ancient leather.
Getting Mum's feet to any form of acceptable softness was almost impossible.
I Inherited My Mum's Skin
Unfortunately I inherited both her penchant for going barefoot... and her thickened skin on soles and heels. I was facing the same lifelong battle as she did.
So being an inquisitive sort I decided that there had to be a better way.
Formulating Soothing Salve
The team and I hit the herb room - found a lovely combination of infused Wild Yam, Elderflower, Chamomile and other soothing, softening herbs- added in some healing and anti inflammatory essential oils - and combined all of this with honey rich natural beeswax.
The herbal concoction worked a treat on my heels.
Soothing Salve was born!
So we shared a few jars around to family and friends. Not only did they love it but their dry, scaly and cracked skin improved in a matter of days.
Try the Soothing Salve 7 Day Cracked Heel Challenge
Commit to doing the following for seven nights/days in a row and your feet will thank you.
The Seven Day Cracked Heel Protocol
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Before your shower-Using a foot smoother (looks like a large black emery board using wet and dry sandpaper) gently file down the calluses on each foot. Just smooth it a little; you don't have to achieve perfect smoothness in the first night. A little each day will achieve amazing results
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After your shower- Using the pop stick supplied, scrape a small amount of Moon Haven's Soothing Salve from the jar.
- Apply the Soothing Salve to the cracked heels in a thin coat. Do not apply thickly or smother the area thinking that more is better. This is far from the case as what we are aiming for is the damaged skin to absorb all of the salve with very little residue on the surface of the skin after 10 or so minutes.
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Rest your heels until all of the salve is absorbed. This should occur in 5 to 10 minutes. If there is still evidence of excessive salve on the skin after this time just remove the excess and apply less next time.
- Repeat the above process each night for 7 nights in a row then once a week thereafter.
The key is to not use too much salve and ensuring that the salve is absorbed into the skin.
Excess salve not only blocks the skin and makes a mess of your sheets at night, but also is wasteful and is certainly counterproductive. The same goes for using socks (and gloves for dry cracked hands) in an effort to encourage the skin absorb more of the salve. This technique often results in a build-up of heat and makes for unnecessary washing and waste. The skin will absorb what it needs, as it needs it. There is no need to force feed it by occluding the skin with a covering or force feeding it with excess oils.
Of course, if you find that these measures are not helping or controlling your symptoms, please do consult your health professional.
I hope this information is helpful.
Leonie of moon haven
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Always seek qualified medical advice regarding your own individual situation
Please note: Information in this article and on the moonhaven.com.au website represents the opinion of the author and as such is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.
