Watching Your Feet Shed Skin Is an Emotional Rollercoaster

Photo by najin/iStock / Getty Images
Photo by najin/iStock / Getty Images

In a past life, I worked for a company that sold lots of discovery beauty products, and everyone in the office was obsessed with Baby Foot. It came up in first-day coffee machine conversations, during new hire onboarding—there pretty much wasn't a day when someone didn't mention this product. I thought they were crazy until I finally broke down and tried it.

That shit works.

If you've never heard of it, Baby Foot ($25) is a liquid voodoo combo of 17 natural extracts designed to slough dry, dead skin off your feet. Each pack contains two goo-filled plastic booties. You're supposed to wear the booties for an hour to let the formula do its thing, then rinse the gel off your feet. Right away, your feet feel hydrated— nice, but not life-changing. Then the peeling starts.

Some people report their feet begin peeling within three days and finish three days later. For me, it took about one week, and lasted another two weeks. It's not a scary, should-I-go-to-the-ER kind of peeling, but it's not cute. To be honest, it looks an aggressive case of athlete's foot. It doesn't feel dry or itchy, but your feet will flake skin any time you're barefoot during the peeling period. When you start debating when to try Baby Foot, make sure you have a few weeks' buffer before anyone has to see you without shoes. (Consider wearing grippy socks if you go to yoga during that phase.)

With that said, you should try it. By the time the dead skin exorcism is over, your feet will be baby soft and they'll look amazing. If you've got a sandal-driven getaway coming up, Baby Foot is one of the best home treatments you'll find for your feet.