National foot week starts on the 17th April and brings our thoughts to our feet, an often neglected part or the body! They really should be looked after carefully. Remember we only have one pair!
Feet that have been stuffed into winter boots and shoes are often at the bottom of our list, when it comes to pampering, so whether it’s dry hard skin, discoloured neglected nails or even aches and pains that are making your feet feel less than their best make sure you take action before sandal season kicks in.
Keep your toenails neat:
US based Mayo clinic research confirmed that keeping your toenails to a moderate length with no obvious shaping not only keeps them neat but lessons the chance of ingrown nails and infection.
Use nail clippers (Boots own brand at £2.50 are excellent, and won’t break the bank www.boots.com), rather than scissors and always cut them straight across without curving the edges. Then buff them with an emery board to eliminate any sharp edges.
Nails thicken as we age, as blood flow slows down and the keratin that nails are made of breaks down.
A podiatrist will use a special tool to break down thickness but you can try (Foot Bender) at home, which is an all in one foot solution for hard skin, corns and cracked heels, more info at www.footmender.co.uk available from Boots, Amazon priced at £28.99
Book a salon pedicure
It’s not surprising that pedicures are one of the most booked treatments in beauty salons and are excellent for keeping your feet and nails in good shape ! They will use hard skin remover tools on the soles of your feet , tidy up your cuticles to stop skin growing over the nails which stops nail varnish application being even.
In between treatments use a foot softening mask to keep them feeling soft, like coconut foot mask with free socks £1.99 from Superdrug.com
Soak and Scrub
Soaking and scrubbing your feet once a week will help ease tension and soften skin and keep bacteria at bay which builds up between washes and can cause your feet to smell.
Use a bowl of warm water and add a dose of Moksha Beauty Dead Sea and Tee Tree foot salts for a wonderful relaxing aromatherapy session in your own home £10 from Amazon.Co.uk
There are some great at home foot spas which use rollers to massage the soles of the feet like Rio Revive and Refresh Foot Spa £40 from www.Superdrug.Com or Amazon
Foot Massage
Feet have 72,000 nerve endings making them super sensitive to massage spend five minutes at the end of the day using small circular moments massage the soles of the feet and across the arches using a massage cream £22 from https://sbcskincare.co.uk/products/rosemary-eucalyptus-foot-cream is gorgeous.
This will help immensely if you have been standing on your feet all day will help prevent cramping and pain and also help you sleep better.
Keep feet fresh!
Keep your feet free from odour and sweat by washing daily and changing socks and tights regularly.
A foot spray like Clinisept . Will help keep feet feeling clean fresh and comfortable ideal for post pedicure warm days and active lifestyles
Available from www.cliniseptplus.com
Priced at £10.75
Take A break from nail polish !
Nail varnish tends to stay longer on toes but leaving it on for weeks can stain the nails increase the risk of fungal infections and dries the nail out
Always remember to use a base coat and remove it every two weeks to keep the nails healthy.
Fungal nail treatment prescribed by your doctor may be needed if you think you have infected nails!
Your Footwear is important!
We all love glamorous trendy footwear but some ill fitting shoes and sandals can lead to troubled feet in the long term causing pain and bunions and even affect your posture
Buy new footwear in the morning when feet are rested and not swollen, choose wisely, take care of your feet they have to last you a long time …
