A Derm Says These 3 Kitchen Ingredients Will Fix Your Dry Heels

If your heels have been feeling tight, looking rough or developing those frustrating little cracks, you’re far from alone—and the fix may already be sitting in your kitchen. Doris Day, MD, a New York City dermatologist and clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center, has outlined three targeted DIY treatments to get heels sandal-ready, each addressing a different need. Whether you want to hydrate, exfoliate or do both at once, there’s a specific formula for you.

Dr. Doris Day’s hydrating honey and Coconut oil Soak for dry heels

If dryness is your main issue—heels that feel tight, look ashy or develop fine cracks—this treatment from Dr. Day focuses on deep moisture. The layering strategy here is what distinguishes it from a basic soak. Rather than simply soaking your feet and calling it a night, this approach adds a moisture-sealing finish that keeps working while you go about your evening. You’ll need just a couple of common pantry ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time.

What you need: 2 tablespoons of honey, 1/4 cup of coconut oil and warm water.

How to do it: Add the honey and coconut oil to warm water. Soak feet in the mix for 5 to 10 minutes. Then coat slightly damp feet with a petrolatum like CeraVe Healing Ointment. Cover with cotton socks to seal in moisture.

Skin care experts generally note that applying an occlusive barrier like petrolatum over damp skin helps lock hydration in more effectively than moisturizer alone. The cotton socks create an additional seal, extending the treatment’s contact time while you sleep.

Dr. Doris Day’s gentle rice flour scrub for rough heels

If your heels feel rough to the touch or you’ve noticed thick patches of dead skin building up, this treatment from Dr. Day buffs them away without harsh scrubbing. Rice flour is a notably gentler alternative to coarser scrubs, so if you’ve ever used a pumice stone or foot file and felt like you overdid it, this paste approach gives you more control. The fine grain provides enough texture to slough off dead cells without the aggressive friction that larger exfoliating particles can cause.

What you need: 1 tablespoon of rice flour and 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive or coconut oil.

How to do it: Mix the rice flour and oil to form a paste. Massage on damp feet for 1 to 2 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.

According to Dr. Day, the rice flour gently buffs away dead skin, and the oil adds moisture and softens heels. That means you’re not just removing rough patches—you’re conditioning the fresh skin underneath at the same time.

Dr. Doris Day’s two-in-0ne urea cream for dry, cracked Heels

If you want to hydrate and exfoliate in a single step—or you’re simply looking for the most efficient approach—this is the treatment from Dr. Day to know about. It’s the lowest-effort option of the three, with zero preparation required. No mixing, no soaking, no rinsing. You apply one product directly to your rough heels and you’re done. If you prefer a streamlined, one-product approach, a urea cream may be the smartest addition to your foot care routine.

What you need: A 10-20 percent urea cream, such as La Roche-Posay Lipikar Urea 10 percent Roughness Smoothing Lotion.

How to use it: Apply the cream directly to rough heels. No mixing required.

Dr. Day explains that the urea draws moisture into the skin while breaking down tough, dead skin cells. That dual action—hydrating and exfoliating simultaneously—is what makes urea creams a standout for heel care. Urea is a compound that naturally occurs in the skin. At the concentrations Day recommends (10-20%), it functions as both a humectant, drawing water in, and a keratolytic, softening the bonds that hold dead skin cells together. This means it can address roughness and dryness in one application without irritating healthy surrounding skin.

Which of Dr. Doris Day’s dIY heel treatments fits Your needs?

Each of the three treatments Dr. Day recommends targets a different aspect of heel care, so the right choice depends on what your feet actually need. You can also rotate between methods depending on what your feet need on any given week, since the soak and exfoliator use common pantry ingredients that are simple to prepare without a trip to the store. The urea cream, meanwhile, is a single product you can keep on hand for quick application whenever you need it.

The honey and coconut oil soak works best if your heels are dry but not particularly rough or calloused—the petrolatum-and-socks finish locks moisture in overnight. The rice flour paste is the pick if thick, dead skin is the primary concern, offering a gentle physical scrub without the harshness of a pumice stone. And if you need to address dryness and roughness at the same time, a urea cream handles both simultaneously, with zero preparation and the least time commitment.

Whether sandal season is days away or still a few months out, having the right fix on hand means you’re not scrambling for solutions at the last minute.

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A version of this article originally appeared in the April 6, 2026 print version of Woman’s World.

Copyright 2026 A360 Media

This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 8:30 PM.