Recently, my mom visited my apartment in New York, and after a round of snooping, asked what the bright-pink tube in my bathroom was. I told her it was Heel Genius, a foot cream I’d been given by a girlfriend during a weekend getaway last year (we do our own version of Oprah’s Favorite Things and exchange gifts). She swore by it, and now I did, too. Mom was skeptical, though, saying she had yet to find a foot cream that worked beyond giving your foot a temporary coating. I told her to try it. I knew it would only be a matter of time before she would become converted.
The stuff is better than the dozen other foot creams and treatments I’ve tried for moisturizing my feet — including everything I’ve gotten done at nail salons and spas. It’s rid my heels of dry cracks and smoothed over calluses in a way no professional could. I’m not sure what the magical ingredient is, but it’s likely a combination of skin-soothing agents like allantoin and macadamia oil plus the light chemical peel of fruit-acid smoothers like lemon and orange.
While the product recommends you slather on a generous amount and wear cotton socks overnight (does that sound comfortable to anyone?), all I do is put a thin layer on my feet before bed. The thick, icy-blue gel goes on clear and dries after a few minutes without any residue — sometimes I’ll use it on my rough elbows and cuticles too. It’s become my go-to all year round: summer, when I’m practically living in sandals, and winter, when my feet are cracked from cold weather and dry air. After using the Heel Genius herself for a few days (per instructions, with socks), my persnickety mom was sold. She’s since adopted the goop as one of her own favorite things, gifting it to several of her friends — all of whom are now ready for sandal season.
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