Between minus twenty in January, boots worn eight hours straight and the heating that dries out the air in our homes, winter is the hardest season on your feet. Some people's feet turn icy as soon as the mercury drops; others discover cracked heels in the spring that they never saw coming. A few habits, adopted from November on, change everything.
Why it happens
When it's cold, the body gives priority to the vital organs and naturally sends less warmth to the extremities. Your feet, far from the heart and often motionless inside a boot, are the first to cool down. People who work sitting down or outdoors are bothered by it more often, without it signalling anything abnormal.
Winter's second problem is dryness. Cold air holds little moisture, and heated indoor air holds even less. The skin on your feet, already low on sebaceous glands, loses water faster than it can hold on to it. Shut inside a boot, it swings between the dampness of sweat and the dryness of the air, which weakens it and encourages cracking at the heels and dry, tight toes. Winter sports add wind, snow and the rubbing of a ski boot or a skate.
The 3-step routine
1. Insulate, inside and out. Choose boots in the right size, with a little room for air to circulate: a squeezed foot cools faster. Wear merino wool or technical-fibre socks rather than cotton, which holds moisture, and change them as soon as they're damp. At home, avoid walking barefoot on a cold floor and keep slippers within reach.
2. Warm and moisturize every evening. After your shower, on well-dried skin, apply a rich cream over the whole foot and massage for three minutes, working up toward the ankle: the massage itself warms you up. In the morning, a warming-effect cream applied before you put on your socks gives a feeling of warmth for several hours. Once a week, a lukewarm foot bath, never scalding, followed by a mask or a thick balm under cotton socks, makes up for the dryness that has built up.
3. Protect before you head out. Before a day outdoors, a ski outing or a snowshoe trek, apply a protective cream to the areas exposed to cold and moisture: feet, hands, face and ears. On heels and fingers that crack, a clear insulating film forms a water-resistant barrier.
The right Akileine products
Cold Feet Cream is the winter product par excellence: a few minutes after application, a pleasant feeling of warmth settles in and can last for several hours, while the skin stays moisturized all day. Its texture doesn't stain and doesn't feel sticky. For the whole family and every outdoor activity, AKILHIVER Winter Cream for face, feet and hands, with shea butter, calendula oil and ginkgo, protects the skin from the effects of cold and damp; the 30 ml pocket size slips into a coat pocket or a ski bag.
On heels that have already cracked, Cicaleïne Balm softens the skin and makes it supple again, and Cicaleïne Insulating Film protects fingers and heels from cold and rubbing. Dry Foot Nutri-Repair Cream takes care of daily hydration from November to April.
When to see a professional
Feet that are always cold, even well covered and in a heated room, toes that change colour in the cold, a loss of sensation, numbness or persistent pain are not matters for cosmetic care: talk to your doctor. After prolonged exposure to extreme cold, skin that is white, hard or numb calls for a consultation without delay. For cracked heels that don't improve despite the routine, your foot care professional can advise you.