Had To Share
It’s Gross, But The Baby Foot Peel Works Better Than A Thousand Pedicures
There’s a reason I’ve been using it for 10 years.
Maybe it was a YouTube video, or was it a photo-heavy BuzzFeed post from back in the day? Like a really good, old friend, I don’t recall exactly how I first came across the Baby Foot peel. I just remember seeing a human foot with a sheet of skin peeling off of it, looking absolutely reptilian, and knowing I must experience that for myself. I tried it for the first time in 2013 for my column in a local magazine, for which I tested out weird health and beauty products. I was thrilled to discover it really worked at getting every last bit of dead skin off your feet and revealing new, ultra soft skin underneath. The magazine published my Baby Foot review along with pictures of my feet shedding off all their dead skin (and yes, we’re doing it again here, with no paywall — you’re welcome).
What I thought would be a one-off review of a product that might not even work became an introduction to one of my holy grails. In the year of our lord 2023, you can still find me, once a year, doing the Baby Foot peel a few weeks before the weather warms up and it’ll be time to break out the sandals. It always goes something like his: My husband sees the box on the counter and, dejected, whispers, “not again.” I try to hide a sinister smile as I shove my crusty little goblin feet into the two pouches of Baby Foot goo.
Stats
- Price: $22.50
- Size: The plastic booties fit a women’s shoe size 4 through 13, or a men’s 4 through 12.
- Who it’s for: Anyone with rough heels, callouses, or build-up of dead skin on their feet. That said, Baby Foot can aggravate conditions of the skin or feet. Talk to your doctor before using it if you have sensitive skin, eczema, warts, infections, or open sores.
- Pro tip: Your feet will feel dry after using them, but don’t use any lotion. The dead skin peel off faster if you don’t moisturize.
The packaging
The Baby Foot peel comes with two plastic booties that come up to just past the ankle. Inside, there’s a clear serum — this is the magic potion that’s going to cause all the dead skin to come off of your feet. The box also includes pre-cut tape strips so you can close the tops of the booties after you put them on, preventing any leaks.
When you’re ready to use the Baby Foot peel, you just cut the tops off the booties with a pair of scissors, slide your feet in, and tape the openings closed around your ankles. I usually put on a pair of socks over top of them because I feel like it really holds the serum against my feet. Then, plop onto the couch and let your dogs soak for an hour.
The ingredients
The active ingredients in the Baby Foot peel are lactic, glycolic, and salicylic acids (all derived from natural sources). They work together to lift all those dead skin cells off your feet and cause that disturbing-yet-satisfying peeling process to begin. The serum also includes lots of moisturizing compounds, like chamomile extract, and lavender oil for fragrance. A full list of ingredients is available on their website, if your skin is sensitive to certain actives and you want to check them out before ordering.
How long do feet peel after Baby Foot?
Fair warning: we’re going to get into the nitty gritty of the skin peeling now. About five days after you use the Baby Foot peel, you’ll begin to notice areas of skin on your feet lifting up. You’re supposed to leave the skin alone and not peel any off to prevent irritating the skin underneath, but to be honest, I can’t resist the urge and always start picking at it immediately.
Because the dead skin cell buildup on your feet is thicker than anywhere else on the body, the old skin comes off in surprisingly big pieces. For gross girlies like me, pulling them off is incredibly satisfying, and underneath, your skin is so smooth and soft. After about a week, if you have dead skin on the tops of your feet, even that will peel and flake off. In total, it takes two to three weeks for all of the old skin to slough off and reveal the new. If you soak your feet in the bath or shower for about 20 minutes each day, you can speed this process along and land closer to the two-week mark.
To maintain my skin’s softness after using Baby Foot, I moisturize my feet with heavy duty Eucerin healing cream or Aquaphor every few days and throw on some socks. If a rough spot starts to form or my heels begin to feel dry, I pumice them lightly in the shower.
Pros & cons
Pros
- I no longer feel like I have to go get a pedicure just to keep my feet soft. This peel costs less than one pedi, and my feet look and feel 10 times better than they ever have after leaving the salon.
- I only need to use Baby Foot once a year, and otherwise, the occasional scrub with a pumice stone maintains the results.
- It’s totally painless to use, and the peeling doesn’t hurt at all.
- If you’re the ticklish type and trying to treat roughness and callouses is impossible, Baby Foot can do it without any tickling sensations.
Cons
- It’s a single-use product.
- You have to sit down for the hour you leave these on (maybe this is a pro?). If you try to walk, your feet slide around in the serum within the envelopes and it just gets treacherous. If you slide socks on over the Baby Foot booties you can hobble around very slowly, but save this for emergencies.
- Baby Foot takes off nail polish — even gel — so be prepared to forsake your pedicure.
- The full shedding process (sorry) takes two to three weeks, and for some of that time, your feet will be pretty unsightly.
- There are counterfeit Baby Foot peels on the market, so verify you have the real deal before purchasing. Looking at the pics, I’ve definitely used a couple fake versions and nothing bad happened, but err on the side of caution.
Final verdict
Listen, I know the idea of skin peeling is akin to that of pimple popping: for some, it’s gag-inducing, and for others, strangely satisfying. Baby Foot is not going to be for everyone. But if it’s for you, my god is it for you. Your feet will feel softer and smoother than they have in years (like, I feel like after using this I have teenager feet? Is that weird?). When you put lotion on them, it will actually get absorbed, because it’s able to reach your skin underneath all the old dead junk that sloughs off. If you’re sick of pedicures and pumice stones only helping so much, I implore you, try Baby Foot.
The TL;DR
I’ve been using this product for 10 years and will never, ever not have one stashed in my bathroom.
Had To Share highlights the products and finds that Romper editors and contributors love so much, we just had to share in the group chat.
