How do you take care of your feet? Do you jam your feet into fashionable shoes, kick them around, stub their toes, ignore their nails and demand that they carry you around all day?
No wonder they look a little worse for the wear. Luckily, there are plenty of simple, inexpensive tricks you can use to have your feet looking and feeling their best in no time at all.
There are so many elements of everyday living that are absolutely torturous for your feet.
Standing all day, too-small shoes, stuffy boots, and exposing them to the locker room floor at your local gym are examples of scenarios to which most women can relate.
Feet are often taken for granted until they start to hurt and reject the burdens you place on them, so think of taking care of your feet now as an investment against problems in the future.
If you’ve ever had a professional pedicure, you know how amazing it feels to have your feet taken care of: soaking, exfoliation, moisturizing and maybe even a massage.
The best part is you can recreate this experience at home with only a small investment of time, money, and resources. Check here the initial steps of doing so.
Foot Care Tips
1. Begin by removing any old nail polish with a remover-soaked cotton swab and then soaking your feet in a tub of relaxing hot water.
2. Toss in some bath or Epsom salts to increase the pleasant feeling. If you have a home foot bath with bubbles or jets, that’s even better.
3. Soak for at least five to ten minutes; the heat will promote blood circulation in your feet and soften your skin and you can use the time to read, watch television or just lean back and relax.
4. When you’re done soaking, use a small brush to buff one foot at a time, removing dead skin and softening your feet. Let each foot go back into the water after you’ve finished brushing.
5. Use a dollop of foot scrub lotion that is available at any department or drug store to further soften any rough spots like your heels or the sides of your toes.
6. When you’ve massaged the lotion into your feet, take a pumice stone to finish off any lingering rough skin. This is a great tool, so take your time and rinse your feet when you’re done.
Feeling good by now? There’s more.
Remove your feet from the water and dry them with a soft towel. Rub your feet with some of your favorite lotion.
A peppermint lotion may be particularly soothing and relaxing, especially if you have a willing partner to handle this step for you. Either way, it feels marvelous.
After you’ve finished massaging your feet, it’s time to add a little style.
Trim and shape your nails with clippers and a file, and then use a cuticle stick to gently push back your supple cuticles.
If you have a cuticle trimmer, you may want to scale away excess cuticle skin, although it’s imperative to do this carefully to avoid damaging the cuticle.
Once your cuticles are under control, you will want to even out the surface of your nail by applying a clear or opaque base coat.
This will help hide any ridges or lumpy areas that might show up if you applied nail color directly to the affected area.
When the base coat is dry, add a coat of your favorite nail color. Choose something soft and light for a conservative look or something bold and daring for more flair.
Whatever your choice, it’s a good idea to apply several coats to improve the durability of your finish.
Clean up any messy areas as you go, using a small cloth or cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover to dissolve stains that may have been deposited around the edges of your toenail.
An additional coat of clear sealer will prevent chips and scuff marks from harming your pedicure masterpiece.
That’s it! You’re ready to strap on a pair of open-toe sandals or to pad around the house in your bare, and very fashionable, flattering feet.
Looking pretty is one element of great feet. The other part is keeping your feet healthy.
Wear supportive, well-fitted shoes, wash and dry your feet carefully to avoid fungal infections and bacterial problems.
And mention any significant problems, such as cuts and scrapes on your feet not healing well as that could indicate a more serious problem such as diabetes.
On Wearing Heels
Many people fail to realize that when you were uncomfortable shoes and you walk long distances this can affect the knees if not right away, it will eventually catch up to the person.
A young person, who can walk miles at a time in heels or uncomfortable shoes, will suffer some pain when they are finished their fashion hike.
They may not realize that this could also affect their foot health in years to come. Corns and bunions are just the beginning of their pain.
For the woman who craves high heels can experience several injuries to the foot including hammer toes and stress fractures not to mention sore feet.
Squared toe fashion can is better to wear because of the natural curve of the toes. Low-heeled shoes with thickness will cause less damage to the foot.
The only drawback is these types of shoes may be recommended for the foot but is damaging to the knees. Thicker shoe soles have a shock absorbent and put less pressure on one’s foot.
The upper fabric of a person’s shoe should made from leather or a microfiber. This allows the foot more room to move its toes around, and will not constrict the foot if swelling occurs.
Being that heels are necessary, they should not be worn daily. Flat or low heel shoes can be very fashionable if worn with the right garments.
Many women who take public transportation into work wear sneakers and when they get into the office where they do less walking, they put on their high heels as a fashion statement.
When it’s time for them to return home, they place their sneakers back on for total comfort.
After wearing heels, a woman should definitely soak their feet at night, even if their feet are not swollen or hurting.
Soaking the feet in warm (not hot) water with shower gel or bath oils will help relieve tension in the feet.
Another activity that is very helpful and should be done is mild foot massages.
Last but certainly not least is getting a pedicure professionally.
A professional pedicure will not only help relieve tension in the feet but it relaxes the entire body.
Basic Foot Care Tips for Year-Round Exposure
There’s nothing worse than having to take your shoes off and exposing rough cracked heels, corns, bunions and blisters.
Our feet carry us many miles on a daily basis and they deserve special treatment after a long day.
The following are a few basic tips to get your feet ready for year-round exposure and not just for spring or summer sandals.
1) Blisters, corns, and bunions!
Those pointy toe shoes are pretty and in style but your feet suffer greatly. A lot of foot ailments are due to neglect and abuse. According to the APMA, all three-foot ailments can be helped or prevented by wearing the proper footwear.
The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) suggests using over the counter creams (avoiding acid preparations) and exfoliating products on corns.
The blister shouldn’t be broken, but if broken wash with soap and water; apply an antiseptic ointment and cover to prevent infection.
Bunions can be helped by wearing shoes that have a wide toe box and consulting your podiatrist.
If you suffer from diabetes consult your medical doctor or podiatrist to determine the best way to care for your feet.
2) Make sure your feet stay clean by washing and drying between your toes.
Be sure you dry them well to prevent bacteria and fungi from forming, which thrives in moist areas.
Always give your shoe time to air out and dry between wearing and using a little foot powder can help to keep your feet dry.
3) If you have athlete’s foot or any other fungal conditions, Dr. Scholls Foot Center suggest that you DO NOT REUSE your towel during treatment as bacteria can lay dormant for up to 4 weeks.
Athletes foot can be contracted in swimming pool areas, gyms and anywhere a person’s bare foot will come in contact with such as a dressing room.
4) If you give yourself a home pedicure, try soaking your feet for about 10 minutes in 1 cup of Epsom Salt or sea salt to 2 gallons of water in a foot tub.
Great method for softening skin, eliminating odor and soothing tired sore feet. You can also soak your whole body in Epsom salt and take care of your feet at the same time.
5) Use exfoliating products to prevent or remove hard skin from your feet.
There are various types of foot exfoliating treatments, pumice stones and files on the market to choose from. while you’re in the bathtub scrub your feet and heels with your favorite body scrub to keep them soft and smooth.
6) Take your own personal pedicure tools as some lower scale salons use the same tools on everyone.
For your in-home pedicure, make sure you wash your tools with an antibacterial soap to get rid of any bacteria that may form before using again.
7) Sometimes polish will crack or peel before the next pedicure and you can remedy that by using your own polish so you can touch up a toe or two in between visits.
Use your own polish because when the polish rubs off on your baby tow when wearing closed in shoes, it’s easier to touch up with it than repainting all ten when changing to open shoes.
8) If you have very dry skin, use an ultra-moisturizing lotion or cream on your feet.
Apply after a bath or shower and then place socks on your feet, which will make them extra smooth and moisturized in the morning and ready for those open toe sandals.
9) When wearing open sandals, flip-flops or going barefoot at the beach, use sunscreen on the top of your feet. Don’t forget to reapply after coming out of the water.
10) Treat your feet to a massage, in-home or at a professional salon. Our feet carry us many miles on a daily basis and deserve special treatment.
Remember your feet can look great year round with a little care and proper footwear.
Your feet are the key to your mobility and taking care of your feet today will prevent future problems.
Exfoliating Foot Mask
You will need:
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup coarse salt
1/2 cup unscented body lotion
4 tbsp. aloe vera gel
You have to:
1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.
2. Slide feet into mixture and rub, beginning at toes, working up to heel and ankle.
3. Do one foot at a time, rinsing in a separate bowl of warm water.
Beach Sand Foot Scrub
You will need:
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons beach sand
3-5 drops rosemary oil
You have to:
1. Combine and mix into a paste using a fork.
2. Massage scrub onto feet, concentrating especially on problem areas.
3. Rinse off with warm water and pat dry.
Now, do you want to have a flattering feet? Remember the tips and advice you just know here. Do not ignore your feet. Take care of them because you use them to stand and to go wherever you want to.
