Ingredients and Formula for Cracked Heel Treatment

Cracked heels that snag on blankets while sleeping can be quite annoying. Keeping the skin on your heels moisturized and soft can significantly reduce this problem.

Key ingredients commonly used in products for cracked heels, which have direct beneficial properties, include:

• Urea: An excellent humectant, and when used at higher concentrations (around 10-20%), it has keratolytic properties that help exfoliate thick, hardened skin, making it smoother. Urea helps draw water into the skin and improves the skin's ability to retain moisture.
• Glycerin: A humectant that helps attract and retain moisture in the skin, making the skin soft and flexible. It is a common base ingredient in almost all skincare products.
• Shea Butter: An excellent emollient and occlusive, rich in fatty acids that help nourish the skin, keeping it soft and moisturized, and creating a protective barrier to reduce water loss. It helps restore damaged skin cells, softening the cracked area and promoting healing.

Approach to selecting ingredients for a cracked heel formulation:

You should choose ingredients that focus on providing high moisture and helping to exfoliate dead skin cells. Combining Urea, Glycerin, and Shea Butter will help address the problem comprehensively, tackling dryness, exfoliating thick skin, and building a stronger skin barrier.

• You might use Urea at an appropriate concentration (e.g., 10-20%) to help exfoliate the hard, cracked skin.
• Supplement with Glycerin to enhance the ability to draw water into the skin.
• Finish with Shea Butter to provide softness, moisture, and coat the skin to prevent dryness.

Regular application of a cream or balm containing these ingredients, especially after showering while the skin is still damp, will help the ingredients penetrate the skin effectively. Applying generously before bed will boost moisture throughout the night, helping your heels become softer and reducing the problem of snagging on fabric.