Removing calluses at home without pain

I'm Ellen, and I graduated as a beautician in 2003. I used to do pedicure treatments myself. With this blog I want to teach you how to remove your calluses yourself at home.

Calluses on your heels or under the ball of your foot feel hard and rough, and sometimes burn. That white cast on your heels is visible straight away when you wear open shoes. You can remove calluses yourself at home, as long as you do it gently.

My routine against calluses and white heels

Calluses that you only file away come back. That is why I work in 2 steps: the callus softener softens the callus, so you can file it away easily without rasping until it hurts. The DD Cream Mousse then keeps your heels supple. I use this routine myself.

Footlogix | Routine against calluses and white heels
€ 62

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Why do calluses always come back?

A callus is your skin protecting itself against pressure and friction, for example from your shoes or from walking a lot. If you file everything away at once, your skin simply makes new callus.

That is why I prefer to file regularly and gently. A thin layer of callus can stay, it protects your foot.

Remove calluses at home in 2 steps

Step 1: soften your calluses with the callus softener

Spray the Footlogix callus softener on the areas where you have calluses: your heels, the ball of your foot and sometimes under or on your toes. Leave it to work until it no longer feels wet, but still slightly tacky.

Step 2: file gently and care for your feet

File the softened callus away with the foot file that comes with the callus softener. There is no need to rasp until it hurts. Rinse your feet, dry them well and apply the DD Cream Mousse.

In this video I show you how I do it:

Why these products

The callus softener

The spray softens dry, hard calluses and hydrates them before you file. You don't need to rinse it off: it keeps hydrating your skin after filing. Footlogix also recommends it for a pedicure without a foot bath, so your feet don't need to soak first. The bottle sprays in every direction, even upside down, so you can easily reach your heels.

The foot file

The file is double-sided and made of stainless steel. The grit runs in different directions, so you can file in any direction without tearing your skin. After use, wash it with a brush, soap and water.

The DD Cream Mousse

Thanks to Footlogix's Dermal Infusion Technology (DIT), the urea penetrates deeper into the skin than with a classic urea cream, so it can do its hydrating work better. It leaves no greasy film, so you can put your socks on straight away. The mousse also contains Spiraleen®, a micro-alga used only by Footlogix that strengthens your skin barrier.

How often should you remove calluses?

Check your feet every 2 weeks and file gently where needed. If you only have a little callus, don't overdo it.

I recommend doing a full pedicure every 4 to 6 weeks. I do it myself every 4 weeks, so my feet look nice and cared for all year round. How to do a full pedicure at home, you can read in my step-by-step plan.

My tip: keep your products in your wardrobe or shoe cabinet. You see them and you remember to use them.

Tried everything against white heels?

Many customers tell me they have already tried all sorts of things against white heels, mostly creams. They wonder whether this will really work.

White heels are built-up dry skin. It has to come off first, because a cream on its own can't get through it. But rasping on its own doesn't help either: rasping hard callus away without softening it first hurts, and without care your skin soon dries out again.

It is the combination of the 3 steps that works: first spray the callus softener to soften the dry skin, then file gently, and then apply the DD Cream Mousse to keep your heels supple.

Do you have cracks too?

If the hard skin on your heels has a crack or fissure, read how I treat cracked feet. I use a different foot mousse for that.

My routine against calluses and white heels

Calluses that you only file away come back. That is why I work in 2 steps: the callus softener softens the callus, so you can file it away easily without rasping until it hurts. The DD Cream Mousse then keeps your heels supple. I use this routine myself.

Footlogix | Routine against calluses and white heels
€ 62

Add the routine to my cart

Your questions, my answers

Should you remove calluses?

Not all of it. A thin layer of callus protects your foot. Thick, hard callus that feels rough or starts to burn is better filed away gently.

How often is it best to remove calluses?

I recommend checking your feet every 2 weeks and filing gently where needed. If you only have a little callus, don't file too much.

Does removing calluses hurt?

No, not if you soften the callus first and file gently. If it hurts, you are filing too deep: stop and leave that layer.

Should you file calluses dry or wet?

With the callus softener you don't file on a wet foot. You spray it on your callus and leave it to work until it no longer feels wet, but still slightly tacky. Then you file gently.

Does toothpaste help against calluses?

I don't recommend it. Toothpaste is made for your teeth, not for the skin on your feet. A callus softener is specially made to soften calluses, so you can file them away easily.

What does callus mean?

Callus is the English word for the thickened, hard layer of skin in places with a lot of pressure, such as your heels and the ball of your foot. That is why the product that softens it is called a callus softener.

Also discover all Footlogix foot care.