How can I "cure" my really rough feet?

I’m going to go with bag balm and socks.

Did I win?

Except the rather expensive foot creams that are available and which work quite well, the next best is a lot of Vaseline and socks(daily)!

2 remedies. At a pet store, get hooflex. it is to soften horses hooves. Rub (glob) it on your feet, wrap them in saran wrap, put socks on and go to bed. In the morning, when you shower, use a pedicure file and file the crap out of them. Follow up with a good lotion (My favorite for feet is Amlactin 12%) and use the lotion daily. Do the hooflex thing weekly or as needed.
The second way is to butter up your feet with the Amlactin 12% lotion every night before you go to bed. This is what my dermatologist suggested and in about 3 weeks I had super soft feet. Problem for me is that I have compliance issues. I can never remember to do it every night.

then a pumice stone for sculpting! I spoil my wife by rubbing her feet almost nightly and she can have some pretty gnarly paws from time to time. Avon does make a sluffing cream that works pretty well…

Blue Goo. This stuff is cheap, and it really works!

It’s a whole process. The best thing I’ve found is to
1. Use some foot files. Get at least three grades. Use the coarsest one first, then the medium, then fine. Just like you would if you were sanding a piece of wood. I’m terrible at keeping up with this, but it should be done about once a week for maximum results. After a while, if you keep up with it, you can probably eliminate the coarsest step.
2. Keep the dogs very clean. If you shower in the morning, wash them again before bed.
3. Moisturize. Find a thick heavy cream that works for you and apply after washing. The best thing I’ve found is pure lanolin. The brand I use is Lansinoh (it’s actually for breastfeeding moms). I use it all over, even on chapped lips. It’s just pure lanolin.
4. As most have said, wear socks. Earth Therapeutics has a great line of socks that have moisture in them (gel, aloe). Aside from getting them online, you can find this brand in Bed Bath and Beyond and Koh’s. I’m sure there are more, but those are the only places I’ve seen it.

@ubersiren I know fluther hates Walmart but…. you can also buy the socks there for $3.00. They are the same socks that you would spend $9.00 at Kohl’s.

::edit:: I should say same style of sock, not the same brand name.

@jonsblond Oh, very good!

Angle grinder ;)

@troubleinharlem your Loch Ness Monster tag made me laugh myself into a coughing fit!! Hilarious!

Anyway, I second bag balm… it works like a charm!

My mother had the world most dry and roughest feet. They had horrible cracks in them and they had been like that for years. She found the best remedy: Get Stridex pads (you know the acne pads) and Eucerin cream. Rub your feet with the Stridex pads, let them completely dry and then put a generous amount of Eucerin cream on them. When I did mine I waited until right before I went to bed then lathered them with the cream and then put thick socks on and left it over night. They were incredibly soft the next morning.

My friends always threatened to tie me to the back of a pick up truck and drive down the road at 60mph to slough off the dead skin on my feet. Since you probably wouldn’t like that idea, here are some suggestions:

1. The Pedegg—When I got my first one, it worked wonders on my feet. All the dead crocodile scales came off to reveal smooth baby feet. But I’ve noticed that the replacement blades aren’t as sharp as the blades that come with the Pedegg, so I may be switching to a new method…

2. In the shower, use Earth Therapeutics Foot Scrub or, if you can’t get any of that, St. Ives Apricot Scrub.

3. Vaseline petroleum jelly cream worn under socks also helps.

The sad news is that there’s really no cure for rough feet. It’s just like dieting. Whatever method you choose, you will have to continue performing in order to have consistently soft feet.

A spa pedicure is also helpful. The best way is to go to one with a hot tub and steam bath and do those first. After that it is much easier for the manicurist to sluff off all that stuff!

There are these little fish people keep to “eat” all the dead skin off. You go somewhere, put your feet in the water, and the fish peck away all the non-living parts. I don’t know how well they do or don’t work but I do know that PETA HATES THEM so it might be worth a shot for the story.

the cheese graters for the heels

Indulge in pedicures once a month until you get a feel for what they are doing and then buy those tools and use them on yourself. A pedicure in upstate NY runs about $25 not including the tip.

Following along the lines of the pumice stone (which is just waaaay too much work for me!) my suggestion (and it works well for me) is on a warm day soak your feet in very warm water until they are all wrinkled and pruny. Immediately go outside and rub the rough parts on concrete – doesn’t matter if its your sidewalk, driveway, whatever. If you live near a river that has huge boulders, you can soak your feet in the river and use the boulders as an abrasive. Rub gently but persistently until all the rough patches have come off. In the wintertime, I do this by soaking in the hot tub and rubbing my feet on a sisal rug on my porch. The rug is easily thrown over a clothesline and hosed off with a garden hose.