Foot Care That Keeps You Moving - Dr. Nicole Graf (Freels)
The gear that carries you is only as good as the feet inside it. As a board-certified podiatrist, these are the Modern Podiatrist products I formulated to solve what actually sidelines athletes—cracked heels, damaged nails, blisters, and post-trail recovery. Same care I'd give you in clinic, built for the trail.
REPAIR | 4-in-1 Toenail Fungus Treatment Oil by Modern Podiatrist — If your toenails are thick, yellowed, or crumbling at the edge, you already know the frustrating part: most nail products ask you to layer a softener, then a treatment, then an oil, every day, for months. Nobody keeps that up. I built REPAIR as one pen because the routine people stick with is the one that gets results. Urea and lactic acid soften and thin the nail plate so the formula can actually get where it needs to go. Clotrimazole 1% is the antifungal active. Niacinamide and jojoba support the nail bed and cuticle. Twist, brush, done — about ten seconds a day.
<strong>Who it's a fit for:</strong> thickened, discolored, or brittle toenails, nails that have never quite recovered after a run of polish or acrylics, and anyone who wants a nail routine they'll realistically keep up. It's safe in pregnancy and for ages 2+. Be honest with yourself about the timeline — nails grow slowly, so you're looking at consistent daily use over several months as the new nail grows out, not a quick fix. If you have diabetes, circulation issues, or a nail that's painful, red, or separating from the bed, see your podiatrist first.
HEAL | 42% Urea Callus Eliminator for Cracked Heels by Modern Podiatrist — <strong>Callus isn't dry skin. It's keratin — and lotion just sits on top of it.</strong>
That's why the pumice stone never gets you anywhere. HEAL is 42% urea, a keratolytic strong enough to dissolve hardened tissue instead of coating it. The strength I reach for in practice.
It's a balm stick, so you swipe it on your heel without bending or twisting — which is why people actually stay consistent with it.
For thick calluses, hardened heels, and deep winter cracks.
HYDRATE | Intensive Foot Repair Cream by Modern Podiatrist — Most foot creams sit on top of the skin. You put it on, it feels good for an hour, and by the end of the day your heels are tight and rough again. I formulated HYDRATE to go deeper than that — shea butter, cocoa seed butter, and aloe in a base light enough to actually absorb, so skin stays soft through the day instead of just right after you apply it. No greasy film on your socks or sheets. It's the one I use daily, and not only on my feet.
<strong>Who it's a fit for:</strong> chronically dry feet, rough heels, tight or flaky skin from winter air, closed shoes, or standing all day. It's a moisturizer, not a treatment — so if you're dealing with fungus or nail issues, that's a different product in the line. Because it's light enough for full-body use, it also works if you want one cream instead of a separate foot cream and body lotion.
Antifungal Nail Treatment Kit | Complete Fungal Nail Protocol by Modern Podiatrist — The thing patients almost never hear is why nail problems keep coming back. You treat the nail, and then you put your foot into the same shoe, step onto the same shower floor, and re-expose it every single day. The nail is one surface out of four. This kit is the protocol I actually walk patients through: CLEAN in the shower, FRESH on feet and inside shoes, REPAIR brushed onto the nail and cuticle daily, and RELAX as a soak two or three times a week to soften thick nails so the treatment can get in. Four products, four surfaces, one routine.
Who it's a fit for: thickened, yellowed, or discolored toenails, especially if you've treated a nail before and watched it come back. It's also the right pick if you've got both nail and skin involvement — flaking, peeling, or dry patches between the toes alongside the nail. Set expectations honestly: nails grow slowly, so this is months of consistent daily use while the new nail grows out, not weeks. That's exactly why I built it as a routine rather than a single product — a routine that takes two minutes is one you'll still be doing in month four. If you have diabetes, neuropathy, or circulation problems, or a nail that's painful, red, or lifting away from the nail bed, see your podiatrist before starting anything at home.
Sizes and options: one kit, one configuration, no sizes to choose between — four full-size products, not travel or sample sizes. At $65 it's about $11 under buying the four separately. The real question people ask me is kit versus just REPAIR on its own: buy REPAIR alone if you want to treat one nail and you have no skin symptoms. Buy the kit if the problem has come back before, if more than one nail is involved, or if the skin is involved too — because reinfection from shoes and shower is the reason most people end up starting over.
RELAX | Antifungal Epsom Foot Soak by Modern Podiatrist — A soak reaches places a cream never does. Between the toes, around the nail folds, into the skin at the edges — those are exactly the spots people skip when they're rubbing on a cream at the end of a long day, and they're exactly where athlete's foot lives. RELAX is 10% undecylenic acid, the maximum strength allowed in an over-the-counter antifungal, in a magnesium sulfate base. So it treats athlete's foot and relieves the itching, scaling, cracking, and burning that come with it — while your feet are doing the thing they'd want to do anyway at the end of the day. The lemongrass and tea tree are the part everyone comments on.
Who it's a fit for: athlete's foot, including the dry, flaking, peeling kind that doesn't itch and gets mistaken for ordinary dry skin. Also for tired, aching feet after long shifts on hard floors, and for thick nails — soaking softens them, which makes trimming far more comfortable. My own tip: soak the night before a pedicure or a nail appointment. It's a soak, so it's easy to be consistent with, which matters more than any single application. If you have diabetes or neuropathy, talk to your podiatrist about water temperature and soak time before starting.
Sizes and options: one container, one formula, no sizes or scents to choose between. What actually matters is dosing, and this is where people go wrong: one tablespoon per quart of warm water, soak 30 minutes. For active athlete's foot, daily for four weeks. For maintenance, two to three times a week. Don't eyeball it like ordinary Epsom salt — the concentration is what makes it an antifungal rather than just a nice soak. Compared to the rest of the line: CLEAN is the daily wash, FRESH handles skin and shoes, REPAIR is for the nail itself, and RELAX is the weekly reset that reaches what the others can't.
FRESH | Antifungal Foot & Shoe Spray by Modern Podiatrist — Here's the part most foot care misses: you can wash and treat your feet every single day and then put them right back into the shoe that caused the problem. Warm, dark, damp — that's where fungus survives between wearings, and a deodorizing spray that only masks odor does nothing about it. FRESH is 10% undecylenic acid, the maximum strength allowed in an over-the-counter antifungal. You spray it on your feet and inside your shoes, so you're treating both surfaces instead of half the problem. The peppermint and tea tree hit immediately — it's genuinely cooling, not a cover-up fragrance. It's the one I keep in every exam room and use after nail trims, and patients ask where to buy it before they've left the office.
Who it's a fit for: persistent shoe and foot odor, sweaty feet, athlete's foot — including the dry, flaking, peeling kind between the toes that doesn't itch and gets written off as ordinary dry skin. Also for anyone in boots, cleats, work shoes, or anything closed all day, and for gym bags, locker rooms, and shared showers. If you've treated athlete's foot before and it came back, the shoes are almost always why. Safe for ages 2+.
Sizes and options: one bottle, one formula, nothing to choose between. It's small enough to live in a gym bag or a locker, which is the point — daily use is what makes it work, and you'll only do that if it's within reach. It dries fast without residue and is safe on socks and footwear. Compared to the rest of the line: CLEAN is the wash, RELAX is the soak, REPAIR is for the nail itself. FRESH is the only one that treats your shoes. If you're buying one thing and odor or recurrence is your issue, start here.
CLEAN | Antifungal Foot & Body Wash by Modern Podiatrist — The shower is where reinfection happens, and almost nobody thinks about it. You can treat a nail every night and spray your shoes every morning, and then stand barefoot every day in the one warm, wet place fungus likes best. CLEAN is 10% undecylenic acid — the maximum strength allowed in an over-the-counter antifungal — in a wash you use exactly the way you already use body wash. That's the whole design principle: it isn't a step you have to add to your routine, it's a swap. Rich lather, peppermint, rinses clean without that stripped feeling. It's the product I point to as the foundation of any antifungal routine, because treating everything else while reinfecting yourself each morning is how people stay stuck for years.
Who it's a fit for: anyone treating or prone to athlete's foot, especially the dry, flaking, peeling kind between the toes that doesn't itch and gets mistaken for plain dry skin. Also for gym showers, shared bathrooms, households where one person has it and others don't want it, and anyone who's cleared athlete's foot before only to have it come back. It's safe for full-body use, so it works as your only wash rather than a second bottle in the shower.
Sizes and options: one bottle, one formula, nothing to choose between. What people actually want to know is how it fits with everything else: CLEAN is the daily foundation in the shower, FRESH handles skin and the inside of your shoes, RELAX is the two-to-three-times-weekly soak, and REPAIR is the only one for the nail itself. If you're starting somewhere and the problem keeps coming back, start with CLEAN — it's the least effort to sustain, because you're not adding anything to your day.
SCRUB | Peppermint Exfoliating Foot Scrub by Modern Podiatrist — Feet get the least attention and take the most abuse. SCRUB is the step that makes everything else in a foot routine work better — fine sea salt in coconut and avocado oils, so you're exfoliating and conditioning at the same time. The difference you notice is after you rinse: skin feels soft and comfortable rather than tight and stripped. The peppermint is bracing in the best way. The oils separate in the jar between uses, which is normal — stir it with the wooden spoon that comes with it and it's ready.
Who it's a fit for: rough, dull, flaky skin on the feet, and anyone who wants a spa-feeling routine at home without booking anything. It's a texture and comfort product, not a treatment — so if you're dealing with thick callus, that's HEAL's job, and if the skin is very dry, follow SCRUB with a cream. Where it earns its place is in combination: exfoliate first, and whatever you apply afterward absorbs better instead of sitting on top of dead skin. It's also lovely before a home pedicure, since it softens the skin around the nails and makes trimming easier. Below the neck only, not for the face.
Nail Fungus & Athlete's Foot Treatment Kit by Modern Podiatrist — Here's what I explain to patients constantly: the fungus on your skin and the fungus in your nail are usually the same organism, and they reseed each other. Treat the nail and the skin puts it right back. Treat the skin and the nail stays a reservoir. Add in the shoe you wear every day and the shower floor you stand on every morning, and you've got four surfaces keeping one problem alive. This kit is the protocol I actually walk people through, with all four covered: CLEAN in the shower, FRESH on feet and inside shoes, REPAIR on the nail and cuticle daily, RELAX as a soak two or three times a week to soften thick nails so treatment can get in.
Who it's a fit for: anyone dealing with both at once — thickened or discolored toenails plus flaking, peeling, or cracked skin between the toes. It's also the honest answer for anyone who's treated one or the other before and watched it come back, because recurrence almost always means a surface got missed. Set expectations properly: nails grow slowly, so this is months of daily use while new nail grows out, not weeks. I built it as a routine rather than a hero product for exactly that reason — a two-minute routine is one you'll still be doing in month four. If you have diabetes, neuropathy, or circulation problems, or a nail that's painful, red, or lifting from the bed, see your podiatrist before starting anything at home.
Dry Skin & Callus Treatment Kit | Cracked Heel Repair by Modern Podiatrist — Most people fight callus with lotion and lose, because callus isn't a moisture problem. It's built-up keratin, and moisturizer can't get through it — it just sits on the surface. This kit is the sequence I actually use with patients, and the order is the whole point. SCRUB first, three times a week, to take off the dead surface layer that blocks everything else. HEAL next — 42% urea, a keratolytic strong enough to dissolve hardened tissue rather than coat it, twice daily. Then the cream, morning and night, to keep the newly softened skin soft instead of letting it harden right back. Exfoliate, dissolve, seal. Skip a step and the next one works at half strength.
Who it's a fit for: thick calluses, hardened heels, deep cracks that open up in winter, and skin that's been rough for so long you've stopped trying. Also good if you've been managing with a pumice stone or a callus shaver and watching it rebuild every few weeks — this addresses why it rebuilds. Expect meaningful change in two to three weeks of consistent use, not overnight. If you have diabetes, neuropathy, or reduced circulation, talk to your podiatrist before using a high-concentration urea product or any exfoliant on your feet.
Sizes and options: one kit, one configuration, three full-size products — no sizes or variants to choose between. The comparison worth making is kit versus single product: buy HEAL on its own if you just want the callus-dissolving step and you already have a cream you like. Buy the kit if you want the full sequence, because the sequencing is what makes the difference — HEAL works considerably better on freshly exfoliated skin, and the cream is what stops you from starting over in a month.
NOURISH | Reparative Antifungal Foot Lotion for Dry Skin & Athlete's Foot by Modern Podiatrist — Dry skin and athlete's foot feed each other, and that's the loop most people never break. Cracks in dry skin give fungus a way in. The fungus keeps the skin from healing, so it stays dry and cracks again. You can chase that for years with a moisturizer that only handles half the problem. NOURISH is a rich shea butter, cocoa butter, and aloe lotion with 1% clotrimazole — it treats athlete's foot and repairs dry, cracked skin in the same step. It absorbs instead of sitting on top, so there's no grease on your socks or your sheets. One product, once or twice a day, instead of layering a treatment under a lotion and hoping you remember both.
Who it's a fit for: chronically dry feet, cracked heels, and athlete's foot — especially the dry, flaking, peeling kind between and under the toes that doesn't itch and gets mistaken for ordinary dry skin for years. If your feet are dry and something isn't quite right about the skin between your toes, this is the one. It's also the daily maintenance choice if you've cleared athlete's foot before and don't want it coming back. If your problem is thick, hard callus rather than dryness, reach for HEAL instead — that's 42% urea and a different job entirely.
