Summer is upon us, and with it, sandals and open-toed shoes. Many will experience unpleasant dry skin, calluses, and corns on their soles without protection on their feet. One beneficial tool to help rid you of this problem is the pedicure knife. But how do you use it? We've done the research to tell you exactly that.
You must first choose which pedicure knife is the best for your purposes, as they can come with curved, straight, wide, narrow, and inclined blades. Once you have made your selection, you will take hold of the gripping side between your index finger and thumb. Then you will very gently use the blade to scrape away dead skin, calluses, and corns on your feet and toes.
Now you know how the pedicure knife is basically meant to be used, but these knives come in many shapes and sizes. Which pedicure knife to choose, as well as when and how to use it, varies between ailments. Keep reading to learn more about this instrument and how to use it correctly.
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Best Uses For Pedicure Knife
You can purchase this pedicure knife set on Amazon.
Correcting Dry Skin
Dry skin is skin that has dried and is peeling due to lack of moisture, and this can easily develop on your feet during hot temperatures when you are not preserving moisture on your feet by wearing socks, tights, or closed shoes. Typically, this is a skin condition that will appear all over your feet, with some problem areas. It is not thick skin without feeling, but just overall dry and flaky.
With this condition on your feet, what is most helpful will always be to rehydrate your skin with soaks, masks, and moisturizers. However, a pedicure knife can be helpful in this by being used to remove the dry, dead skin beforehand to make these solutions more effective.
We suggest using the curved blade pedicure knife for this job. Just scrape very gently, barely touching the surface so that you do not break or cause any harm to the healthy skin. Then apply your favorite moisturizer or foot mask.
Check out this hydrating foot mask on Amazon.
Removing Calluses
A callus is an area of soft tissue, namely skin, that has hardened and becomes thick. You usually will have no feeling in a callus, and it will have a hard "core" where it is the most firm.
Pedicure knives help remove calluses, but we don't recommend you go right to cutting. First, you will want to soak or treat the callus. You could use many solutions to do this, but Healthline suggests castor oil when you are aiming to remove the callus altogether.
Once the callus is treated, it is only then you should begin scraping at the skin with a pedicure knife, and still, you should be gentle and only take so much off as you know completely dead and able to be removed without harming the healthy skin beneath. Then, once you've removed most of the callus, you will want to finish with a pumice stone to finish removing the excess dead skin.
The curved, straight-edged, or inclined pedicure knives may all be used to remove a callus, depending on where it is positioned on your foot or toes.
Take a look at this pumice stone on Amazon.
Removing Corns
A corn is a type of callus that is round and raised. The center of a corn is hard, thick, and painless, much like the core of a regular callus. However, the outer edges of the corn are often swollen, and the skin is not dead, making it quite painful to push or step on. They are similar to a blister in this way.
Because of this, you will want to dry out the soft area of the corn before ever touching it with a pedicure knife. This can be accomplished by applying juice or a medical corn remover with salicylic acid three times a day.
Once the corn has begun to dry out, gently scrape with a curved pedicure knife. Remove only what is obviously dead skin. You may also use a straight-edged or inclined pedicure knife for the core of the corn. Then repeat the process as many times as needed. It could take several days of repeated treatments to remove the entire corn.
Take a look at these corn removing pads on Amazon.
Check out this video for more information on using a pedicure knife!
Other Pedicure Instruments
Pedicure knives are only one type of blade to be used for foot grooming needs. Here are some similar instruments that could be handy to use in conjunction with your pedicure knife.
Peeling Knife For Nails
A cuticle trimmer is another common name for this tool. It features a sharp fork on one end and a gripper on the other.
The user will first apply a softener to the skin around the nail. Solvents often used for this purpose are cuticle oils and creams. Once the skin has had time to soften, the user will use the trimmer by pushing it against the skin around the nail and removing the excess cuticle.
Take a look at this peeling knife for nails on Amazon.
Foot File Callus Remover
A foot file comes in most basic pedicure kits. Calluses and dry skin problem areas are often remedied with foot files. This tool looks very must like a grater, with several openings that contain small, sharp blades.
The user lays the file flat against the skin, then pushes and pulls the file against the skin using the handle. The blades catch the dead skin and pull it away from the foot.
Take a look at this bamboo and steel foot file on Amazon.
Callus Shaver
A callus shaver is an instrument that is meant to be laid flat against or atop a callused area of skin. The user will grip the shaver and push it downward and forward.
The callus shaver contains a sharp blade that catches the dead skin and shaves it away. This is very effective, but again, it can be dangerous. It should be only used on skin that is dead and painless.
Check out this callus shaver on Amazon.
In Closing
Dry, cracked skin, calluses, and corns are all very common problems to have with one's feet, especially during warmer seasons. We can all benefit from learning how to treat such issues.
Using a pedicure knife is one effective tool to use. When using the pedicure knife, be sure to use it in conjunction with other solvents and solutions and choose the correct knife for the job. Be gentle and do not use it on healthy skin.
We all want feet we don't feel that we have to hide. With a pedicure knife, you're one step closer to beautiful feet!
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