UrbanUpdate

Any guy should consider a foot peel. Our feet absorb so much abuse for us throughout the day— hence the calluses, cracks, odors, and agony. Now, I know some of us wear those calluses with pride.(Runners, mainly.) But there’s nothing quite like the feeling of truly soft feet—and it's also the surest way to prevent Athlete’s foot and other fungal infections. But really, it feels incredible. Each step is like a breath of fresh air. 

A foot peel will deliver a bunch of exfoliating (and safe) ingredients into your soles over the course of an hour. (These are alpha hydroxy acids, like glycolic and lactic acid, which people also use to lift away dead skin from their face.) Then, after a few joyfully tingly days, you’ll notice that all of the dead skin—and it’s a lot of dead skin, even if you aren’t particularly cracked and calloused—will start to lift away. You can have the most yellow, gnarly feet on this green planet, and after a week or two, they’ll be perfectly smooth again, all the way up to the ankles.

A peel isn’t something you would do more than 2-4 times a year. And because it can be a little gross and annoying to have to wear socks almost full time for the week of the actual skin shedding (which is painless, by the way), it’s probably not something you’ll want to, anyway. But it’s also a perfect jumping off point to incorporate more proper foot care measures into your regimen, to prevent the buildup of calluses, cracks, and odorous bacteria all the while. (Start with a good foot cream or two.)

One strange thing is that, after you apply the peel (which usually involves wearing a serum-soaked plastic boot on each foot), it will still be a few days or more before the skin starts to peel at all. Sometimes it can even take a week before it starts. And then wham, the next week or your life is peel city. 

In most cases, it won’t stop you from doing sport or staying active. So it’s not something you need to plan your schedule around—aside from, say, vacation. I’d do this a few weeks before hitting the beach, so that the peeling is done by the time you bust out your Havaianas.  

There are two peels I recommend above all the others:

Dr. Scholl’s foot peel

Dr. Scholl’s foot peel (3 pack)$12

Amazon

Not to be confused with the brand’s hydrating foot mask, which is more for a smoothness maintenance and lightweight buffing. This exfoliating mask from Dr. Scholl’s should deliver a slow but thorough peel. And the 3-pack could be your annual foot peel plan. 

Baby Foot Peel

Baby Foot Peel (lavender)$25

Amazon

This more-expensive peel, in my experience, works a little faster and more efficiently than Dr. Scholl’s. I noticed peeling after a few days, and was done shedding within a week of that. (Whereas with Dr. Scholl’s it was peeling after a week, and then another 7-10 days of shedding.)

Read More9 of the Best Callus Removers for Soft Feet

From a light exfoliation to full-throttle peeling, here's what to look for.

By Adam Hurly



Adam Hurly has been covering men's grooming since 2013 (and for GQ since 2016). He is also a travel writer. In Fall 2024, Adam is launching Blue Print by Adam Hurly, a men's grooming platform. Adam resides in Lisbon (previously Berlin, NYC, and San Francisco). He is a Sioux Falls, SD, native... Read moreWriterInstagramRelated Stories for GQGQ RecommendsSkincareFeet