Why the Baby Foot Peel Is Both Horrifying and Amazing

The following post was originally featured on The Stripe and written by Grace Atwood, who is part of POPSUGAR Select Beauty.

Okay. If you are half reading this post, or just skimming through your feed, I'm going to need you to stop whatever else you are doing and give me your full, undivided attention for the next five minutes. Because this post could be singlehandedly the most disgusting, most important, and most fascinating post I've ever written.

If you've tried the Baby Foot Peel before, then you already know how amazing it is. But if not, stop what you are doing and order this product immediately. Now . . . before you have to wear sandals and open toed shoes. The window is closing in. But luckily, there's Amazon Prime. It will be the best $8.96 you ever spend.

Let's back up. I've heard about foot peeling a few times before and made a mental note that I needed to try it. I have (or rather, had) callouses. My feet were basically hard on the bottom and I was okay with it . . . whatever. Boys have softer feet than me. Whatever. I basically grew up on the beach, ran cross country and track for years and then ran marathons after college, and while I'm not the greatest athlete now, high heels certainly take their toll. Rough feet. But it wasn't until my friend Becca and I ventured down to The Face Shop in Chinatown (as an aside, I highly recommend it if you live in New York . . . especially if you are sheet mask obsessed like us) for a post SoulCycle shopping excursion. We each bought, like, fifteen sheet masks and all sorts of other random goodies . . . and (obviously) the foot peel.

The foot peel then proceeded to take over our lives. I'm completely serious. It actually took over our lives.

Becca started her peel a week before me. This was upsetting. I wanted to wait until the guy I've been hanging out with went out of town so not to completely terrify him. (This turned out to be a wise move, FYI . . . what happened to my feet was nothing short of terrifying - and amazing.) Meanwhile, Becca's feet were peeling away and I had SO MUCH JEALOUSY. We work together, so every single day in the office started with a conversation about the status of our feet and their peeliness. Gross, I know. Our poor coworkers (not really - they all went out and bought the peel, too).

So here's how it goes. Basically, you soak your feet in these little booties filled with magical liquid (it contains a zillion types of fruit acids) for an hour and a half. I recommend setting up a little station with everything you need (book, TV, water, snacks). Nothing happens at first. Your feet feel a little weird (like you've been in the bath too long . . . pruny). But then, five to eight days later, the magic kicks in. The dead skin on your feet begins to just peel off (think of a snake, shedding its skin). I didn't take photos, but if you want to see photos, go here . . . just prepare to be horrified. It was sort of like peeling off dried glue. Completely gross but also completely addicting. My feet peeled like crazy for four full days, and then stopped. What was left was an incredibly soft foot. No more callouses (seriously). I'm still shocked by what happened to my feet. It's nothing short of amazing.

I did a bit of research before conducting my own foot peeling (and Becca provided tips and tricks), so here is my mini guide to the best possible foot peeling.

Tips and Tricks For the Best Foot Peeling Experience:

1. Prior to applying your peel, take a bath and exfoliate with a pumice stone. This will prep your feet as best as possible for what's to come.


2. Once your feet start peeling, it's really helpful to soak them every night. For whatever reason, water seems to accelerate the process. I soaked my feet every night and then (literally) wiped away sheets of dead skin with a washcloth.


3. Don't moisturize your feet during the process.


4. And seriously. If there is a dude in your life, or you have roommates . . . either warn them, or wait till they are away to do this. It's terrifying and disgusting. And that's why I said to do it now before sandal season.


5. Be prepared to vacuum. Daily. Twice a day. Constantly.

from POPSUGAR Beauty