Foot-notes from the workshop

How dry skin files and why it matters

PedEgg has been made by BulbHead of Fairfield, New Jersey since 2007. The file shaves dry, dead skin off heels so the built-in cup catches the powder. Here is why the file needs dry skin, how light passes work across the heel, and how to finish with an emery pad.

Dry skin shaves instead of tearing

Dry skin is brittle. When the metal surface passes over a dry heel, it pares off dead skin cells as a fine, dry powder that falls straight into the cup. Damp skin behaves differently under pressure. Water softens the outer layer so it bunches up, drags across the metal edges, and tears away in uneven strips rather than shaving cleanly. For that reason, file your heels before a shower or bath rather than after one. The dry surface lets the blades work across the outer layer without pulling on the flesh underneath.

Light passes across the heel

Hold the egg shape so it sits flat against your palm. Move the file across the heel in short, light strokes along the same spot. Pressing hard into the skin does not remove more dead tissue. Heavy pressure forces the metal against live skin below and clogs the cup. The Classic filing surface holds 135 stainless steel micro-blades that cut with very little force. Let the surface slide across the dry heel without digging in. If you have diabetes or fragile skin, ask a clinician before filing at all.

Signals to stop the session

Check the skin with your fingertips every few passes. The signal to stop is a surface that feels smooth to the touch. Never keep filing in an attempt to make the heel look thin or pink. Thin skin rubs against shoes and grows tender fast. Stop as soon as the rough, chalky texture is gone. The file is made to remove dead surface skin and nothing more. Any deep cracks, open fissures, bleeding, or thick calluses that cause pain belong to a medical clinician, not to a home foot file.

Smoothing pads and emptying the cup

After the main filing passes, switch to the fine emery pads. The Classic and the printed-shell Designer Series each come with 2 emery finishing pads in the box. Stick a pad to the bottom of the egg to buff the heel until the edges blend into the rest of the foot. Once finished, separate the two halves of the egg shell directly over a trash can. All the shavings gathered inside the cup drop straight into the bin. Snap the shell back together for the next use.

Find the foot file that fits your palm from our range of shell designs.

PedEgg Classic

$9.19 at our retail partner

Designer Series, assorted print

$22.25 at our retail partner

Designer Series, zebra print

$23.52 at our retail partner