As a horse lover from way back, I know that the saying  ‘No foot, no horse’ is a truism. We humans are able to keep going without any feet, thankfully, but I think you get my meaning: feet are important. For this sharing I am simply going to let you in on how I take care of my feet.

Firstly, our shoes should fit our feet properly. If not, our feet will get sore, friction will lead to blisters, or calluses etc. At home, I wear slippers with good foot support. If you are going to work and need to walk a lot before or after, I recommend wearing trainers and changing into your smart shoes at work. As for socks, those with a higher percentage of natural fibres, like cotton and wool, will be the most suitable for our skin.

Give yourself a good pedicure regularly. This is how I do it. To start, I carefully trim my toenails. Next, I use a large emery-board-type tool (available from pharmacies) to smooth rough skin and to remove excess skin on my heels.  My family have often joked that I’m making parmesan cheese when I do this! After that, I soak my feet in a bucket of soapy warm water (using one of our soaps in a soap net helps to get the bubbles going). After soaking for a bit, I remove one foot at a time and give the nails some more attention, such as removing excess skin with nail clippers. (Be careful not to cut yourself!) Next, I dry each foot carefully and then I am good to go.

When in the shower or bath, I wash my feet, including under my toes, with one of our soaps, and afterwards dry them carefully.  We can all be prone to bacterial or fungal infections because the germs that cause them thrive in wet environments. If I feel that I’m getting a sore area under my little toes, I dust there with some tea tree powder. It fixes the problem up in no time at all since tea tree oil has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Because our soap contains many natural oils, I find that using it on my feet daily keeps them nicely moisturised. Even so, our heels are especially vulnerable to cracking, and nightly I rub my feet with a plant-based cream (to which I’ve added a few drops of lavender essential oil) before bed-time. Or, better still, get my husband to do it! What a relaxing way to end the day.

If your heels are badly cracked, smooth the rough skin as described above (before showering), massage good quality olive oil into the heels (after showering at night) and wear socks to bed. Repeat the oil and sock procedure for several days. Another way to get your skin softened (after manually filing the hardened skin) is to add a few drops of olive oil (and some essential oils if you like) to a warm bucket of water, soak your feet and dry them off. I wish you happy feet!

GENERAL DISCLAIMER

The contents of this sharing are for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment . . . Read More →