Your feet are just as important as any other part of your body. They don’t deserve to be neglected but it’s very easy to do so. During the day, we’re generally on our feet. Running around with our feet either enclosed in socks and shoes or exposed to the outside elements, depending on the season.
Our feet go through a lot. So it’s only right to treat them with as much love as the rest of the body deserves (a lot!).
If you would like to have beautiful and healthy feet, try some of the tips below and incorporate them into a beauty regime of taking care of your feet.
Keep your toenails short and trimmed
Always use a toenail clipper or manicure scissors rather than normal scissors because this will prevent the nail from splintering. It’s important to clip the nails short and straight across. This will help prevent ingrown toenails. You should always trim your toenails when they are dry (before a shower). Use an emery board to smooth the nail out if there are any jagged edges.
Treat ingrown nails immediately
If you have any ingrown nails, it’s best to treat them straight away rather than leave them. It can lead to infections in the future. If you want to treat ingrown toenails at home, the best way is to:
1) Soak your feet in warm salty water (Epsom salts) for 15 minutes.
2) Do this 4 times in the day until the ingrown toenail is fixed. The salt water softens and loosens the skin around the ingrown toenail so the skin can be pulled away, calms the area and can help draw pus out from the toenail.
3) Once your feet are dry, massage Vaseline into your foot and toenails.
4) Take painkillers if needed.
If the infection is serious, please see a practitioner.
Have Regular Pedicures
Pedicures improve the blood circulation to the toes, keeps infections away, results in your feet and toes having a healthy appearance, and removes the hard skin around the heels and toes.
It’s a great way to treat your feet and help you feel good about yourself. Taking time out to have a pedicure can put you in a relaxing mood, giving yourself some much-needed mental rest.
Apple cider vinegar soak
Add a cup of apple cider vinegar to some warm water in a basin. Soak your feet for 10 minutes then gently dab dry with a soft towel.
Apple cider vinegar is antimicrobial so this soak will protect your feet from fungus infections such as athlete’s foot, bacteria, foot odour, and viral infections such as warts.
Moisturise your feet
It’s important to keep your feet moisturised to avoid hard dry skin from building up around your heels and toes. Moisturise before bed, after a shower or after a foot soak. Lovingly rub some lotion or cream onto your feet and feel your skin slowly becoming soft and supple as you continue.
Let your feet breathe
It’s very easy to wear socks and shoes all day and then wear bed socks at night, especially if you live in a cold country. Your feet also get trapped in socks and shoes when you have to be on your feet working every day. Although they cushion your feet, wearing them for very long periods of time can cause swelling and puffiness in your feet. A lot of moisture ends up getting trapped and your skin is unable to breathe properly, leaving your feet prone to infections. Try to leave your feet bare for a few hours to let them breathe and get some fresh air.
Wear the right size shoes
Investing in a well-fitted pair of shoes is beneficial for your feet’s long-term health. Constantly wearing ill-fitted shoes can cause foot issues such as corns, calluses, and hammer toes. It can also lead to more falls and injuries.
When trying to figure out what shoe size you are, there are many shoe stores that offer measuring services. Generally, you should be able to fit one finger between the back of the shoe and your heel, and there should be a finger’s width of room between the top of the shoe and the longest toe. Make sure your feet feel comfortable and fully-supported throughout the day.
Wear the right shoe for the right activity
Choosing the right pair of shoes for the activity you’re doing is very important for the comfort and protection of your feet. If you’re going for a run, you will need to wear a running shoe, if you go for a long walk, you should wear a walking shoe. These shoes are designed to support and protect your foot during the activity and decrease the risk of injury.
Like in tip 8, make sure your feet feel comfortable and fully-supported. Only then can they work at full capacity for you.
Wear insoles in your shoes
To bring more comfort to your feet, add insoles to your shoes. These will provide more protection, better supporting the arch of your feet, cushioning your heel, and supporting muscles and ligaments in the feet.
Be careful to pick the right size insoles for your feet. Wrongly fitted ones can cause more harm than good to your feet.
Try not to share your shoes with anyone
This is purely for hygiene reasons. Sharing shoes will allow you and others to share fungal and bacterial infections.
Change your socks everyday
Your feet contain a quarter of a million sweat glands and excrete a lot of moisture. So it’s no wonder your socks can sometimes end up smelling quite rotten and feeling damp by the end of the day. Even if you feel you don’t sweat that much, try and change your socks everyday. The buildup of bacteria will cause foot infections such as athlete’s foot.
Legs up on the wall
Elevating your feet by placing your feet above you against a wall will reduce the swelling in your feet and legs. Try it out!
Tennis ball Roll
Rolling your foot from heel to toe over a tennis ball will stretch foot muscles that are tight, increase blood flow and reduce tension in your foot. When going through stressful periods in your life, tension can build in the body, including in your feet. This action must be done slowly, patiently and gently so as not to cause further discomfort.
If you would like to share your remedies about how you keep your feet and toenails looking and feeling great please let us know on our forum and social media! Share some of your thoughts with others and start a conversation.
DISCLAIMER
Before you start any new diet, health programme, exercise routine, and ingest or topically use any oil, vitamin, mineral, product or compound, it is very important to consult your doctor, therapist or do a patch test to make sure you do not have any adverse reactions.
We do not offer any form of medical or psychological advice. The information in our wellbeing articles are offered for educational purposes only. Our wellbeing articles are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any disease. Thank you.
