Hi All!
Just wondering if any of you have issues with very dry feet due to your diabetes? It is sandal season, and I have incredibly dry feet. I have been using a gentle file for my calluses and moisturizing with this expensive Dr. Scholl’s lotion, which helps kinda but I’d love to have those gorgeous feet you see in commercials. Anyone have issues with dry feet, and if so, how do you care for them and what lotions do you find work the best?
It’s a gorgeous 79 right now and I have my pretty shoes all layed out. Too bad my feet are so scale-y I don’t want to wear them yet. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.
I use a big square nail file on my feet after I shower. I have found that “Bag Balm” works great! I usually put some on at night with a thin pair of socks for a few hours and also apply a small amount and rub in well, each morning. You can find the Balm at a feed store…hahaha you might not want to know what it is used for, Unless you already know. But, it works great. It might be sold at a drug store, not really sure.
Shea butter - it works wonders. I don’t actually have dry feet and I never used lotion on them before the D. But I did notice that the bottoms of my feet were sort of leathery. Use pure shea butter esp. after showering. And if your feet are not dirty - do not use soap on them - that will dry the skin out even further. Check for ingredients like alcohol in your lotions. I don’t know anything about the Dr. Scholls lotion but you need something pure and intense. Most popular brands have all sort of extra ingredients as filler that you don’t need that will dry out your skin (of course they would - if your skin got better you wouldn’t need their product anymore now would you? 
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You can probably find some at a health food store and if not you can buy it online - make sure it is just shea butter - no other ingredients. Coconut oil will help too but shea butter is better.
Yes I have very dry feet and keep it controlled with several moisturizing creams. In summer I use sandals on my feet. (Where else?) Never walk on bear feet, anywhere. Such a pity because I really have such good looking feet! LOL. Ten toes and everything.
JOHNBEN or JB.
My heels are a sight & not a pretty one!
I also use shea butter with white socks at night. Emu oil is also great, but it’s expensive.
I use Dermatological cream called E-45. It was prescribed to me at first by my dermatologist for Psoriasis. It also works wonders for extremely dry skin. It helped me for cracked skin on my ankles before.
you can get Bag Balm at Harmon’s beauty supply stores. also at Quilt Shops, as quilters use it when their fingers get poked a lot. I use Burt’s Bees Honey and Bilberry Foot Cream after every shower. It smells great! I get my dad a foot cream called Flexitol foot cream - it says for diabetics on the blue box - at Walmart - it works really really good, but I don’t like the smell
Aloe Vera gel - it doesn’t feel wonderful going on the way that shea butter does, but it really helps in the long run.
Thank you all, I will look into all these. My husband is a lotion junkie, so it’s not like they will be wasted. I have used Bag Balm before, my mum grew up on a farm and still reminds me that they “used it on cows like what it was meant for”. I hate the texture, but I’ll admit it does work. We used to put it on our feet, put our feet in plastic bags (I don’t know why) and then slip socks on over and try to walk around the kitchen. Thinking about it now, I suddenly realize how dorky we must have seemed.
I second the Flexitol. I don’t like the smell either, but it really works on my cracked heels–seems to be the best thing I’ve found. I put it on at night with socks for a few hours–then those come off, b/c for the life of me I canNOT sleep in socks
I would love to say I have a diabetic pedicure each week, but can’t afford that. I do, however, during the summer have a foot check with my CDE. She does nails, callus’ and moisturizes them . She suggested that even during the summer I put lotion on them at night, never between the toes, and then put a pair of light sock s on them…I do have that dry feet thing going on too. No flip flops with toe straps but I do love the others with just slipping my foot into them. I use a moisturizer cream rather than lotion, it’s a lot thicker and keeps them softer. It’s in a jar from one of the *von companies. In the winter I use that clear Farmer’s Lotion on them, and that really helps. I have friend who use the expense stuff, and yet they have since found the cheaper brands are much better for keeping their feet moist with out harming them. Good luck!