An electro-thermal ice protection system for an airfoil comprises: a metal foil heater including an integral parting strip, the metal foil heater configurable to cover at least a portion of a leading edge of the airfoil with the integral parting strip disposed along an air-stagnation zone of the leading edge; and a controller coupled electrically to the metal foil heater for controlling electrical energy from a power source to the metal foil of the heater in accordance with a pulse duty-cycle and for controlling power to the parting strip of the heater to maintain the air-stagnation zone virtually free of ice formation. A method of making an exemplary metal foil heater for use in ice protection of an airfoil comprises the steps of: preparing a sheet of Titanium foil in a rectangular shape having a length substantially greater than a width thereof for covering at least a portion of the leading edge of the airfoil; applying a layer of Nickel material over an area along each width edge of the Titanium foil; applying a layer of Copper material over the Nickel layer along each width edge of the Titanium foil; and attaching conductor wires to the Copper layers at each width edge.