Why You Should Put Aloe Vera Gel On Your Feet Overnight
When you spend a lot of time on your feet, there is nothing worse than dry skin. From peeling skin to cracked heals to itchy red patches, dry skin can be a real pain in the foot! Fortunately, there are natural, easy, and affordable ways to get rid of dry skin on your feet. One of our fave options is to use aloe vera on your feet overnight.
Ready to transform your dry, tired feet overnight? Here’s everything you need to know about why you should put aloe vera gel on your feet overnight and how to maximize the effects.
Not sure which Aloe Vera gel is best for you? Be sure to see our updated guide to the top 5 recommended organic aloe vera gel brands.
Why Overnight Treatments Are So Amazing
The reason why aloe vera on your feet overnight is so effective is that your skin loves rich creams overnight. In fact, it has been proven that your skin’s natural healing system goes into overdrive while you sleep. Your skin cells replicate and reproduce much faster for a renewing effect. Your metabolism is boosted while you catch up on your Z’s, and the cell turnover is much higher, especially from 10 pm and 2 am. If you use a moisturizing agent, like aloe vera gel, you will give this process an even bigger boost.
During this renewal process, your skin is able to lock in moisture by absorbing it faster rather than letting it just sit on the surface of your skin. While you are getting some shuteye, your body’s skin balances itself.
Though proper hydration is always essential, it becomes more important as you age. As we get older, our skin gets drier. Even if you never had to worry about moisturizer when you were younger doesn’t mean that you can go fancy-free forever! Your skin also takes a major hit during the winter as temps drop and we spend more time in dry, heated homes. Of course, anticipating these issues means that you can get ahead of your dry skin before it becomes irritating and goes from bad to worse.
Blending Moisturizers Can Be Important
Before we talk about using aloe vera on your feet overnight, let’s talk about why not every moisturizer works for every person in every situation. This is an important topic because people often ask why aloe vera doesn’t work for them. In fact, some people have even said that aloe vera makes their skin feel dried out! There is indeed some science behind that.
To hydrate your skin, it is essential to add moisture and to seal it in. That is why we love a blend of aloe vera gel and coconut oil! The aloe vera gel will hydrate your skin while the coconut oil will help you to seal in the moisture to keep your skin quenched.
- Tip: Bathe Before Putting Aloe Vera Gel On Your Feet Overnight
To ensure that you get the most of out your aloe vera gel overnight treatment, it’s helpful to open up your pores first.
For the perfect pre-treatment bath, here’s what you will need:
- 100% pure aloe vera gel (read those labels to make sure it’s pure!)
- A foot tub
- Socks
- Warm water
- Coconut oil
- Pumice stone
Once you have gathered all of your supplies together, soak your feet and gently massage them with a pumice stone to remove any dead skin from your feet. Afterwards, keep letting your feet soak until the water starts to get cool.
After you have bathed your feet, massage the aloe vera gel into your skin. Keep rubbing it in until you can feel your skin absorbing it. After a few minutes, apply the coconut oil to your skin then put your socks on and leave them on overnight to let the aloe vera work its magic.
Repeat once or twice a week to keep your skin hydrated and comfortable.
What Causes Dry Feet?
While aloe vera gel on your feet overnight can make a big difference in your dry feet and cracked heels, the ultimate goal is to prevent dry skin. To do that, you have got to understand what exactly causes dry skin.
Dry Feet Cause: Standing
Standing for long hours can cause your feet to get dry and your heels to crack. If you are overweight, this is even more likely to be an issue. If you are always standing, you can actually cause damage to the sweat glands in your feet, which is not uncommon for people who have to stand all day for work.
The best way to prevent this is by losing weight if you are overweight or obese, and by wearing properly padded shoes. It can be worth going to a specialized shoe store to get tips to find the best option for you.
Dry Feet Cause: Certain Medications
It is possible for medicines like antihistamines or diuretics to dry out your skin. If you think that might be a problem for you, check the drug side effects and talk to your doctor. While it won’t warrant going off your meds, it is good to know so that you can plan to drink extra water and do special treatments like overnight aloe vera gel treatments.
Dry Feet Cause: Your Shoes
Sandals and open-backed shoes are notorious for drying out your feet. Switch to full coverage padded shoes. If you live in a warm climate, look into “sock” style shoes or other vented options that’ll prevent you from overheating.
Dry Feet Cause: Skin Conditions
A range of issues like eczema, psoriasis, and athlete's foot can cause dry feet. Athlete's foot is a fungal infection that can be treated at home with over the counter drugs. It is essential to monitor your condition, however, to ensure that it is getting better. If not, you need to see a doctor.
Problems like eczema and psoriasis are skin conditions that really do need to be diagnosed by your doctor. They are serious issues that require a doctor’s advice to be treated properly.
Dry Feet Cause: Too Much Hot Water
Taking long baths or showers can dry out your skin. Even if you’re just spending a lot of time in a hot tub or foot bath, you might be surprised at how much it can dry out your skin.
