When it comes to beauty care, one of the most neglected parts is our feet. Our feet carry the entire body weight and are generally the most ill-treated and the least cared for body part. This makes it important to follow a healthy foot care routine to give your feet proper care to make them healthy and beautiful. The skin existing on the feet is quite delicate and regular foot care can lead to better conditions of foot skin.
Here is an effective and easy to follow foot care routine. Being less time consuming, this routine can be followed twice or thrice a week. The step wise routine is:
Removal of calluses
As the primary step, start with removing the dead skin. Dead skin can be removed with the use of a pumice stone. Another option is applying cream in generous amounts on the affected area so as to soften it to be removed easily. Soak the feet in lukewarm water thus softening the dirt as well as dead skin thus getting it removed more easily. One more effective option is using a foot file to rub the skin gently followed by rinsing off the flaky dregs.
Soak the feet
Follow this step by soaking your feet in bearable warm water for about 10 minutes. It would be even better to add a little amount of palm sea oils or mineral salts together with some drops of lavender oil for it helps in relieving pains in addition to reducing the swell.
Dry the foot properly
Pat dry your feet, specifically in between the toes. Trim your toe nails by cutting along the tip. Follow this trimming by shaping the corners using an emery board.
Moisturize
Use a rich foot skin cream to moisturize the foot skin. This moisturizing should be done on a daily basis. The effect gets even better if the moisturizing is done through massage. Use your thumbs to press the upper part of foot moving outwards with the hands cupped to cover the either sides of the foot. Give a gentle massage to the anklebone as well moving in circular motions to do away with any stiffness existing in the anklebone.
Applying nail color
Confiscate the extra cream on the nails and position cotton wool tufts between the toes to let them stay apart. Apply the base coat of nail paint followed by application of a second coat, if required. While applying nail polish, start from the middle with a single quick stroke and then work on either sides.
With these simple steps of foot care routine, you can definitely pamper your feet in a good way. Foot care should form an essential part of your daily routine. If not cared for properly, the entire body starts to suffer.
Some useful tips for foot care routine
Besides the aforementioned steps of foot care, there are also certain hygiene tips to maintain the health of your feet. In summers, it is highly important to be careful with the hygiene practices to maintain the health of your feet and the skin covering them.
These tips include:
Selecting the correct shoes
While buying new shoes, it is really important to consider the feet as well rather than considering only the look. During summers, the best option is going for light weight shoes which support breathing of feet and keeps them dry. Avoid choosing closed shoes which only cause sweating in the feet. Also, prefer going for leather rather than rubber or plastic.
Wear fresh socks daily
Sweating in feet is common during summers. In such situations, change the socks regularly. Also, ensure using cotton socks for they are effective in absorbing the sweat in a better way as compared to synthetic socks.
Try salvia tea
This plant works great in reducing the perspiration levels. if the body sweats excessively, you can take two cups of this tea daily. After two weeks, you will notice positive reactions produced by the body.
Seek tannin tea
Soaking the feet in tannin tea can prove really helpful. One liter of water requires 3-4 tannin tea bags. Boil the tea in water for about 10minutes followed by adding sufficient cold water to make it bearable for a foot bath. Practicing this relaxing tea bath activity daily for 30minutes makes your feet stay dry all through summers.
Be careful with your diet
Diet plays a vital role in foot care. The food we eat is largely responsible for the various smells produced by our body. Therefore, it is important to avoid onions, garlic, and many other spices to avoid these smells resulting from the oil glands secreted by these food items.
Keep your feet clean
Keeping the feet clean through regular and frequent washing is an important part of the foot care regime. Being careful with hygiene becomes even more important in case of excessive sweating. Clean the soles using a pumice stone and a soft brush in between the toes. Conclude this practice by applying baby powder on your feet. You can alternatively use special foot sprays which help in controlling the levels of perspiration. These foot sprays can be used in the inner sides of the shoes as well.
Foot exercise
In addition to caring for the outer skin on your feet, it is equally important to strengthen the feet from inside through proper care. Regular foot exercise also helps in relieving the pain occurring as a result of daily activities. Here are some easy exercises:
- Stretch the toe upwards while holding it with your hands to strengthen the feet along with the muscles of your legs.
- Stand upright on the floor and place a pillow on the floor. Then, clutch this pillow with the toe and bring it to the height of the knee. Repeat this exercise at least five times.
- Hold one of the legs upright with one of your hands while standing on the other one. Hold this position for about a minute and repeat the exercise as many times as possible.
- Winter care
Ruptured or sore heels are a common problem during winters. These problems can be solved by applying petroleum jelly on them followed by putting on socks before going to bed. This foot care routine can help avoid and treat sore heels.
Nutrition and foot care routine
Adding further to the foot care regime, the health of your feet is also affected by what you eat. Many of you, while thinking about your health and nutrition, you may find it problematic to associate the foods eaten with heart health or weight loss. Well, your diet may affect other body parts, like your feet, as well.
There are some foods, such as those containing high sugar amount, might lead to inflammation which may affect your foot health. However, making small alterations in your diet can help you make your feet healthy. So, a little plus-minus and your foot care routine is complete.
Alter your diet slightly
Taking a diet that includes complete nutrition can give anti-inflammatory benefits to the feet as well as the entire health. This diet should consist of sufficient green vegetables plus some other fresh plant foods. Additionally, it is also important to cut on refined grain foods as well as sugary treats to reduce inflammation.
Fighting off pain and inflammation
Inflammation is a common problem associated with what you eat. There are certain food items which are responsible for increasing the level of chemicals in the body. This inflammation may appear in your feet in the form of plantar fasciitis. This inflammation is the cause of pain in the deep tissue band running across the bottom of the foot, along the heel, or anywhere else in the foot.
Some of the most common foods leading to inflammation include sugar, refined grains, and trans-fats in many junk foods and baked goods. Also, the saturated fats contained in red meat plus the omega-6 fats contained in the generally used vegetable oils, like soybean, corn, and sunflower oils contribute to the occurrence of inflammation in feet.
Additionally, inflammation may also occur as a result of chronic allergies even to common foods like wheat. Yet another factor responsible for inflammation includes eating foods that can raise the level of blood sugar to a great extent, like white flour, pasta, and sweets.
Increase intake of omega-3 fats
For good health of your feet, include ample amount of omega-3 fats in your diet as a part of a good foot care routine. Omega-3 fats work on reducing the inflammation. However, it is important to balance them properly with omega-6 fats. Many people take a diet that provides higher omega-6 levels than omega-3. This imbalance can be addressed with a fish-rich diet.
Aromatherapy for foot care
Foot care is an important aspect of personal grooming. It becomes even more important during summers as you wear open footwear that too without socks. Alternatively, in winters, the skin gets extremely rough due to being dry thus making foot care even more important. Foot care with above said tips, steps, and dietary advices, the results can be great if aromatherapy or therapeutic massage is incorporated into the daily foot care routine. More to the point, your worries about foot care would end forever.
Frankincense essential oil for foot care
After a tedious day, it can be great to treat your feet with a foot soak in essential oil or an aromatic bath. However, there are many other essential oils which can be used for the aromatic foot soak, frankincense oil being one of the best oils for foot bath. Adding further, frankincense is known for the wonderful aroma as well as its wonderful effects on skin.
The technique to use this essential oil for its benefits involves adding a few drops of this oil to lukewarm water followed by soaking your feet in this water. The results will be obtained in the form of an enhanced skin. Also, this essential oil also helps treat many ailments like pain and stiffness. Besides, this oil can be used by mixing with a massaging cream for foot massage before going to bed thus relaxing the muscles and reducing inflammation.
To conclude with, it is important to realize that foot skin is really delicate and soft. It requires utmost care to stay healthy and beautiful. With these easy and not so time consuming tips and routines, hope you are able to pamper your feet in a better way.
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