The best foot cream, much like the best hand cream, aim to keep your hard-working extremities extra soft. But foot creams have to go the extra mile, because our feet are especially vulnerable to problems like calluses and cracked heels, especially for those who work upright or maintain an active lifestyle. On top of that, some foot creams even fight funky smells and fungus.
The overall aim, of course, is keep your feet smoothed, soothed, and softened. If you’ve ever reached this state, then you know it’s worth the effort. Luckily, that effort might be as simple as a nightly application. (Keep the cream beside your bed—and put on some socks after the fact to protect your sheets.) To magnify the euphoria, pair your cream with a callus remover, moisture-absorbing/anti-stench products, proper toenail clippers, and the occasional foot peel. While that might seem like a lot of effort, remember it’s only a minute or two per day, and the payoff is priceless.
Here are some picks for the best foot cream—for any and all issues, from calluses to cracked heels, from stank to soreness.
The Best Foot Cream for Daily Upkeep
This new brand is dedicated to your feet, from an exfoliating rub to soaking salts. But Pedestrian Project’s hero product is this everyday nourishing foot cream, chock full of moisturizing and fortifying ingredients, like oils of avocado, jojoba, and moringa, as well as soothing aloe, anti-inflammatory rosemary extract, plus a base of beeswax, cocoa butter, and shea butter.
The Best Foot Cream for Routine Exfoliation
After using Dr. Scholl’s lotion for a few nights, you’ll notice drastic progress on any kind of rough patches or calluses. It’s a blend of soothing epsom salts, plus exfoliating alpha hydroxy acids (lactic and malic) as well as foot-smoothing superhero urea. We like using the cream as a routine upkeep to stifle those annoyances as soon as they sprout. Rotate this one into your regimen every 3 or 4 days and you should keep feet smooth indefinitely.
The Best Foot Cream for Overall Roughness
AmLactin is terrific for anyone with overall dry, rough feet. It uses a high-concentration lactic acid formula to break down dead skin, buff out rough patches, and soften soles. Perhaps just as importantly, it is one of the softest on your wallet, too. If you need a good daily cream but are also prone to rough patches, cracks, or calluses, then this is a great one to have in your arsenal.
The Best Foot Cream for Calluses
Urea gets top bill in this formula, which means Gold Bond’s foot cream is a foe to the gnarliest of calluses, as well as cracked heels and dry patches alike. It gets an added boost from lactic acid in the skin-buffing department as well. Use it for an overnight miracle, wherein its supporting ingredients (shea butter, jojoba oil, and aloe) combine for a soothing, smoothing finish.
The Best Foot Cream for Cracked Heels
If you need to rebuild cracked heels, then Advanced Clinicals is the ticket. It uses lactic acid to dissolve dead skin and keep the healthiest cells at the surface. It also has a nourishing, softening base of shea butter and avocado oil to continually cushion and maintain pillowy soft heels.
The Best Foot Cream for Stinky Feet
Dr. Hauschka’s foot cream summons the moisture-absorbing powers of rice starch to help mitigate sweat and fungus. This formula also relies on essential oil-derived ingredients to help soothe, nourish, and balance the bunions simultaneously.
The Best Foot Cream for Sweaty Feet
For sweaty feet—including those who suffer from hyperhidrosis—get an aluminum-packed, powder-based antiperspirant lotion like Carpe’s. It’s terrific for athletes who are prone to blisters or excess rubbing, as it creates a small barrier that blocks moisture, reduces friction, and prevents interior moisture levels from escaping. (That is the important kind of foot moisture to maintain.) By reducing moisture accumulation on the exterior, this cream prevents your feet from playing host to bacteria and fungus, so it in turn prevents athlete’s foot and odor.
The Best Foot Cream for Soreness
This foot cream does it all, from buffing dead skin cells with lactic acid, to nourishing with jojoba oil, cooling and toning with peppermint oil, soothing with lavender oil and cica grass, fighting fungus with tea tree oil, and stimulating with green tea extract. It leaves feet feeling soothed no matter the stress they endured, plus it refreshes, smooths, and tingles for a full-court press.
The Best Foot Cream for Athlete’s Foot
This one isn’t so much an all-over foot cream as a targeted treatment for the itching, redness, and scaling caused by fungus (be it Athlete’s foot, ringworm, jock itch, or more). It harnesses the fungus-fighting powers of butenafine hydrochloride to quickly and safely nix the problem. (If problems persist after a few days, it’s probably time to see the dermatologist or podiatrist.)
Adam Hurly
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