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By Anna Borges
As someone who’s been using the cult-favorite Baby Foot peel for years, I would be remiss not
to shout from the rooftops that now is the perfect time to hop on the bandwagon if you haven’t
already. Sure, we might not have an immediate need for supersmooth, soft feet (it’s not like
we’re going to the beach anytime soon, sigh), but with everything going on, this freakishly
effective skin exfoliating foot peel is a welcome dose of self-care.
Before I go any further, though, some background: For those who haven’t heard of Baby Foot,
it’s an exfoliating foot peel that comes in the form of plastic booties. Inside the booties is a gel
that claims to soothe hard, dry, and cracked feet, as well as improve foot odor and fungus. By
now the foot mask has become a cult favorite for drastically sloughing off dead skin to reveal the
baby-smooth feet beneath (hence the name).
Which brings me back to why now is the perfect time to indulge in this gratifying foot-peeling
ritual. There’s not a lot to look forward to amid a pandemic, so waking up each day feeling
morbidly curious to check on the progress of your peeling feet can make a small but impactful
difference. It might sound silly, but it has spiced up my mundane quarantine. I’m not the only
one who thinks so, either. The Baby Foot peel is currently sold out at a few retailers because tons
of people are trying out new beauty routines in quarantine or just looking to do self-care at home.
Luckily, though, there are a few dupes out there, including ones I’ve tried and loved. You can
check them out below.
First, though, let’s talk logistics and revisit the perennial popularity of Baby Foot with some
reviews from former staffers who tried it and loved it.
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It’s important to understand how and why Baby Foot works. So SELF talked to Lifestyle
Podiatry podiatrist Dennis Shavelson, D.P.M., to find out why this product has such a dramatic
outcome. He explained that the gel inside the bootie contains salicylic acid and alpha hydroxy
acids (like citric, glycolic, and lactic). Chemical exfoliants like these break down the fibers that
bind the dead skin cells together (called desmosomes). Together, these chemicals break up the
dead skin cells so the skin can easily peel away on the surface.
There are a few things you want to be aware of health-wise before diving into this chemical peel
treatment. The label warns against using this on babies (they already have “baby feet”). If you’re
pregnant, consider consulting your doctor before use just to make sure it’s okay for you. Also, if
you have any foot issues like wounds, heel problems, open sores, or infections, you shouldn’t use
this. Shavelson also recommends that those who are diabetic or have poor circulation should
consult a doctor before using this product.
You should also be aware of allergies before using an exfoliating foot peel. An allergic reaction
to the ingredients could result in soreness, itching, redness, and blistering. Shavelson compared it
to a reaction to poison ivy. If you do have a reaction, you should consult a professional or get
medical attention
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Before you slip your feet into the booties, the package recommends you first soak your feet.
Then you cut open the boots, slip both your feet in, and tape them up. In my experience, the tape
isn’t the greatest at holding the plastic bootie together, so I tend to either sit in the same place for
the whole 60-minute treatment (like while I’m working) or put socks on over the booties to hold
them in place. Even then, you’re not going to be doing a ton of walking around either way—the
socks keep the booties secure but your feet still slip and slide around in the gel.
After the hour is up, gently wash your feet. From there, it’s just a waiting game as Baby Foot
works its magic and your skin starts to shed. Peeling your feet as you go is okay as the dead skin
starts to detach, but Baby Foot recommends only removing what comes off easily—don’t pull off
any skin before it’s ready (even if it is satisfying).
Now that you know the Baby Foot basics,
here’s how it turned out for each editor.
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0!#$ I exfoliate my feet
regularly, once every three weeks or so.
So I gured that I would have already
exfoliated away most of my dead skin
from the bottom of my feet. But when I
turned my feet over to shoot “before” pictures I noticed they were really dry and
cracked in certain areas, especially (like most people) the heel and ball.
The results: At first nothing was happening. Like, seriously, nothing. My feet maybe felt a little
drier than usual and more sensitive. But when nothing significant was happening by morning of
day three, I was starting to get nervous I did it wrong. But when I was watching Stranger Things
that night, I pulled my foot up to my thigh on the couch and WHOA! I started seeing major
pieces of skin start to peel on the balls of my feet and heels. The next day I was walking around
in my loafers all day. By the end of the day, I thought there was something in my shoes. But it
was just pieces of balled up dead skin.
Once I hit the one-week mark, I expected it to be pretty much finished. However, my family was
confused and disgusted when they kept finding flakes of skin around. By day nine the bottom of
my feet were pretty much all finished, but the peeling moved from the bottom of my feet up
around the sides to the tops of my feet. Then the tops of my feet shed in smaller, drier pieces.
This continued until day 12! From my toes up to around my ankles was peel-central. After they
finally stopped peeling, my feet did feel incredibly soft. There were no rough patches or any dry
areas. Is it as dramatic as they say? Yes! And two weeks later my soles are still baby soft. —ER
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The expectations: Full disclosure: I’ve
done this before, and I loved it so much
that I insisted on doing it again for this
article. Baby Foot is absolutely
disgusting and also a load of fun.
The results: It took about six days from
application for my feet to start peeling,
and then things got very gross very
quickly. I tried not to help things along
by peeling by hand, but I truly couldn’t help it. I also regularly soaked and physically exfoliated
my feet to make sure I was getting the most out of Baby Foot!
I wore socks literally all the time to stop my vile feet from shedding all over my home. Luckily
no one seemed to question my sartorial choices. It took about nine days for the skin peeling to
stop entirely, and my feet were left looking and feeling supersoft. —NB
1+,-$"#+/
The expectations: I had never heard of
Baby Foot before, but once I found out
it could get rid of my calluses, I was in.
I have rough spots on the outside of my
big toe, the ball, and heels of my feet
due to the rubbing that comes with
running and working out. Average
pedicures aren’t harsh enough to remove
the thick skin in these areas, so I hoped
this would help.
The results: At first my skin hardened in the trouble areas, but it didn’t really peel. One day I
noticed some of the skin exfoliating and flaking off. But other than that, I only saw light peeling
throughout the sides of my feet and minimal flaking on the top—nothing drastic or alarming. It
all happened over nine days and didn’t really diminish my calluses or trouble areas. —EA
2+,"''3$$+/
The expectations: I had heard about
Baby Foot before but never tried it
because it was never the right time. I
was afraid that my feet would be
peeling in the middle of summer, so I
was trying to hold out until the winter
when I could hide the peeling in my
boots. But honestly my heels were in
need of some serious TLC. Even after
getting pedicures, it seemed like my
heels always remained powdery white
and thick.
The results: It took a full week for my feet to start flaking. I was on a phone call and I saw skin
hanging from the bottom of my foot. For the next week the bottoms of my feet were slowly
coming off in small sections. So much so that I started wearing socks as often as possible to keep
myself from picking at the skin. I couldn’t stop peeling it away piece by piece. And when I got in
the shower, even more would rub off.
Then, once my soles were soft and new, the tops of my feet started to rub off as well. And while
it was easy to hide the dead skin on the bottom of my feet, I got a lot of questions about what
looked like a skin infection on the top of my foot. After three weeks total, the process was finally
over. Baby Foot really worked like everyone says, but I kind of miss my calluses. —JC
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The expectations: My beauty
editor friend told me about it.
She said you let your feet soak
in these booties for an hour, and
within a few days your dead
skin comes off in sheets. I’m
looking forward to a really
satisfying, post-pedicure result. I’m hoping it will leave my feet smooth, soft, and less beaten for
a longer period of time than if I had just used a foot cream.
The results: Before the peeling started, my feet were dry and rough. They started to slightly peel
on day three but with a lot of help on my end (I was pulling at the skin a bit—okay, a lot). It
didn’t hurt, and I could hardly notice anything was happening unless I looked down and saw the
pieces of skin everywhere. It wasn’t as visible and drastic as I was expecting, but it was very
satisfying when big sheets of skin came off. It kind of felt like I let a lot of Elmer’s glue dry on
my feet and then I peeled it off.
My roommate did notice the pieces on the floor, but she didn’t know what they were exactly. I
was quick to vacuum them up before she could ask any more questions. All in all it took about
two weeks for the whole process. It looks nasty at times but feels amazing. Most of the action
happened around the thicker areas, like the bottoms of my feet, heels, and the sides. As a whole,
my feet are much softer and the calluses are all gone. I’d absolutely recommend this treatment to
others. —ER