Get Your Feet Ready for Sandal Weather With These 6 Callus Removers
Smooth heels can be yours!
With warm weather finally on the way, it’s time to get your feet flip-flop ready, ASAP. And since Covid-19 has likely shuttered your favorite salons, expensive pedicures are out of the question. Luckily there are plenty of great at-home callus remover products, and we’ve rounded up six of the very best. From gels to electric devices, these will get your heels smooth, soft, and callus-free — so you can wear all the cute sandals you want this summer! (Just remember to moisturize your feet afterward, to prevent another round of stubborn calluses.)
Keep scrolling for Woman’s World’s picks for the best callus remover you can order online!
Best Electric Callus Remover
Care Me Electric Foot Callus Remover
Scrubbing calluses can be time-consuming, especially if you’re trying to remove layers of dead skin. Lucky for us, there are electric callus removers — like the Electric Foot Callus Remover by Care Me ($25, Amazon) — that get the job done and require minimal effort. This easy-to-use callus shaver comes with two coarse strips that rotate to smooth and soften cracked heels. Oh, and did we mention that it’s rechargeable? One charge lasts up to eight hours, meaning you’ll never have to frantically search your house for batteries again.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, “Easy to use, easy to clean, easy to recharge — I couldn’t ask for anything better! Its design makes maneuvering around the various nooks and crannies of your feet very easy and does the job without irritating your skin. Once I finished buffing my feet, I rubbed a little lotion on them, and voilà, I had feet as soft as if I’d just had a pedicure!”
Best Callus Remover Gel
Lee Beauty Extra-Strength Callus Remover Gel
For the price of two fancy lattes, you can get summer-ready heels at home with Lee Beauty’s extra-strength callus remover gel ($16, Amazon). Be warned: This product, which is used in salons and spas, is so powerful that you need to wear gloves while using it. Start by soaking your feet in warm water for a few minutes, then gently rub calluses with a pumice stone. Apply the callus-removing gel and let it sit for three to five minutes. If you feel the need, you can further exfoliate your foot with your pumice stone. After you rinse, dry, and moisturize your feet, you’ll notice your callus have disappeared.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, “I have the driest heels and this is the ONLY product that has ever worked. Before I used this, my heels had some pretty deep cracks. Now they’re almost baby soft again.”
Best Callus Remover Cream
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a cream for removing calluses on your heels? Good news: PurSources callus-removing cream ($16, Amazon) will do the trick. It has a high concentration of urea, a compound that aids the breakdown of skin cells. Simply apply the lotion after showering and head to bed, and overtime your calluses will shrink and your heels will become buttery smooth. Some Amazon customers recommend donning a pair of thick socks to avoid getting cream all over your sheets.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, “Superb product! I do need to be consistent with its application, but my feet are in the best shape they’ve been in since I was a child, I swear! It’s not magic, but pure science (the urea breaks down the keratin in the callus formations that cause the roughness, and those eventually can crack). For the price, no one should ignore the problems that this product can easily abate. Go for it!”
Best Callus Remover Blade
ZIZZON Foot Care Pedicure Callus Shaver
A blade may be your best bet for removing thick calluses on your heels — but be careful not to injure your foot tissue or cause an infection by cutting too deep. This two-in-one tool from ZIZZON ($13, Amazon) comes with a sturdy wooden handle to reduce the likelihood of your hand slipping while shaving. It also comes with a handy file to use on thinner calluses.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, “My feet look like I just came from the salon — super soft and dry-spot free. I used to go get pedicures professionally, but this was just as good. Razor worked beautifully, easy to use and switch out. Soak feet for about 20 minutes, or straight out of the shower, dry off, the dry skin shaves off so smooth. Just don’t use on non-soaked skin; it’s meant to be used on wet skin.”
Best Callus Remover With Salicylic Acid
Mosco One Step Corn Remover Pads
Using salicylic acid on calluses is effective because it increases the skin’s moisture levels and dissolves the substance that makes skin cells stick together. The body can then more easily discard the old skin cells, revealing smooth new skin. This powerful corn and callus remover ($12, Amazon) comes with a tiny brush so you don’t end up with any on your hands, which could lead to peeling. Soak your feet in warm water, dry them off, then apply the liquid to your calluses to speed up the shedding process.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, “I give this five stars because it removed a very stubborn callus on the sole of my foot that had been bothering me for months. Just apply it faithfully and use a pumice stone and you will get excellent results.”
Best Callus Remover Stone
Tweezerman Sole Smoother Anti-Bacterial Callus Stone
There’s nothing wrong with using a good old-fashioned pumice stone to remove calluses. This sole-smoother from Tweezerman ($14, Amazon) comes with an easy-to-grip handle so you don’t have to worry about it slipping out of your hand in the shower. One side has a coarse stone for scrubbing, while the other side is smoother for softening and polishing your heels. You can even use the gentler side for full-body exfoliation.
One Amazon reviewer wrote, “I can’t say enough good things about this callus stone! I initially bought it for my feet; the coarse side, used while my feet are softened from a shower, is the most effective tool I’ve used for smoothing rough, callused feet. The Tweezerman Pedro is ten times better than the old plastic mesh loofah, and infinitely more environmentally friendly! I anticipate that it will have a long lifespan, and I plan to purchase many more as gifts in the future.”
