It’s the beginning of summer, and you have to prepare your feet and legs for those open shoes and barefoot activities.
Whether you go to a spa or decide to do it yourself, a foot file will be used to remove the rough surface from the feet.
Using a foot file is not a hard task. Nevertheless, knowing the proper method of using it will prolong its efficiency and improve the results.
Here you’ll get to know the procedure of using a foot file correctly.
If you follow the steps carefully, you won’t need to go to the spa every month to remove the calluses from your feet.
How To Use A Foot File Properly
First of all, gather your tools and accessories for scrubbing and getting rid of hard, dry skin on the feet. The filing doesn’t require only a foot file machine, does it? It needs you to have a lot of other accessories. For your ease, we’ve described the importance of each tool also.
Filing Tools:
Some call it filing and some call it scraping. Whatever term you may use, you need certain tools for that purpose. We are going to discuss foot files today, but you’re going to need more tools.
- Foot file: A foot file is a tool that features a double-sided scraper with a metal, plastic, or wooden handle. Both the scraper sides aren’t equally rough. In most cases, one side is rougher and the other side is less coarse. There are electric foot files too. They are good to use except one drawback. They have parts that need to be changed regularly.
- Pumice stone: Though we’re talking about using a foot file, a pumice stone can enhance the results. If you use pumice after using your foot file, you’ll get better and softer feet. A pumice stone might be available in its natural state or along with a handle. You can use whichever type you might like.
Accessories for soaking, cleaning, and drying the feet:
Before scraping your feet, you need to prepare them for that. You have to clean them and soak them for some time to make the calluses soft so that they can be filed easily.
- A basin or bowl: You need a basin or a bowl for soaking your feet in water. The bowl has to be so big that you can submerge the feet into it. If you have a spa basin at your place, that’ll be good. If not, you can use any regular big bowl.
- Hot water: Soaking your feet in hot water softens the hard skin quickly. The water doesn’t need to be too hot. It has this much warm which won’t burn your skin. The quantity of water has to be as much to have your feet submerged in it.
- Salt: The foot soak you make should contain some mineral salt. You can add Epsom salt. It’s better known for its healing properties for cracked skin. You can add any other salt too.
- Essential oil: One or two teaspoons of any essential oil in the foot soak will moisturize your skin. If you decide to add oils to the soak, you might consider adding olive oil, coconut oil, or chamomile oil. You can also use lavender oil. That’ll create a fine scent and also moisturize the skin. The oils will decrease the risk of getting cuts while filing.
- Soap/shampoo: If you like bubbles in your soak, use soap or any mild shampoo in the hot water.
- Pedicure soaks: You can skip everything else and mix pedicure soaks in hot water. These soaks generally contain vitamins and are designed for feet.
- Towel: You are going to need a towel for wiping off the water from your feet after soaking and washing. A small wipe cloth will also do the job. Use something clean.
Using the foot file:
Here are the steps for using a foot file properly. There are three steps to filing off the hard skin from feet and discovering smooth, supple legs. The steps are pretty basic. We’ve included them below.
Making the solution to soak the feet:
- Fill a basin or a big bowl with tolerably hot water. Don’t take too much hot water to soften the skin quickly. This could burn your skin rather than make it soft.
- Add essential oils and salt to the water. Take one teaspoon of each of them. You can also skip this step.
- Add soap, shampoo, or pedicure soak to the water and make suds by mixing them properly.
- Alternatively, you can also decide to take only hot water and nothing else to soak the feet.
Soaking and drying the feet:
- Take the basin of a foot soak and immerse the feet in it. Make sure there’s enough water to keep your feet underwater.
- Keep the feet submerged in the warm water for at least 10 to 15 minutes. 15 minutes of soaking will make the calluses soft. Using your foot file can cause the feet to bleed if you skip this step.
- After this certain period, take out your feet from the soak. Take a fresh, clean towel or a cloth, and press it against the feet to absorb water. Dry them enough to use the file correctly, but don’t over-dry the feet. Make sure they have enough moisture left in them. The skin has to be soft enough so that filing doesn’t cause any bleeding or irritation.
Scrubbing and Filing the calluses:
- Clean and dry the foot file machine.
- Draw the moisturized and dried feet towards yourself and search for the thick areas. You’ll need to flex your legs to keep the ball of the foot closer. Sit in a position that makes it easier for you to file the calluses.
- Now, take your foot file and press it against the thick areas. Work it around the edges of your foot where most of the thick skins are found. Press it with a small pressure and move it backward and forward in a specific region. This way, scrub all the areas of your foot. Continue to do this till you can feel the smooth skin. Avoid soft regions otherwise, you’ll make them bleed.
- Move to the toes after you’re done with the edges. Use circular motions with little pressure on the toes.
- After doing one leg, simply take another leg and start working on its calluses. Repeat the same steps you did for the other leg. Stop scraping if it causes you any kind of irritation or burning. Don’t overdo any area or you might get cuts.
Finishing it up:
After scraping off all the calluses with the foot file, now it’s the turn for the finishing touch. In this stage, you’re giving your feet a more supple finish and moisturizing your skin.
Checking for any leftover callus:
- To check if you have any calluses left, move your palms on the feet. If you feel any rough skin anywhere, you can use the file again. If you choose not to use the foot file, you can now use the pumice stone. Take the finer side and rub it on the edges of the feet.
- Even if you don’t have any calluses left after filing, you can still use the pumice to get a smoother finish.
Moisturizing:
- After all these soaking and scraping, wipe your feet with a clean cloth. Take a foot cream or a good moisturizer and take some of it in your palms. Gently massage it on the feet, especially in those areas where you used the file.
- Alternatively, you could use glycerin or any oil of your choice for hydrating the skin. No matter what you choose to use, you have to keep in mind that the product has to supply moisture to the feet. Locking moisture keeps away dry skin.
- Massage moisturizing lotions on your feet regularly to keep callused skin at bay.
So, this was pretty much everything to get velvety soft skin using a foot file properly. If you start using a foot file regularly and correctly, your feet will stay smooth and supple always. Remember to keep your feet always clean and wash them when you’re home to keep them healthy.
