12 Awesome Total Foot Care Tips For Men & Women
Want to know something?
People can tell a lot about your hygiene just by looking at your feet. Well, more like your feet can tell people (and yourself) a lot about your personal hygiene, and about you as a person, really.
Scary, right?
Word of advice: Take good care of your feet by practicing the various methods of excellent total foot care. After all, you only have two feet. And this applies to you whether you are a man or woman.
Practicing good total foot care is not only great for your personal hygiene, but it’s also important so that you can live a comfortable, healthy lifestyle, in general. Good total foot care means having gorgeous feet that you don’t have to worry about causing you pain and distress. You will also be able to flaunt your pretty feet out in public without having to worry about those judgemental stares from the other people around you.
Excellent total foot care should be practiced by everyone (including you), and especially in people who have medical conditions like diabetes and kidney disease, or skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, rosacea, or any skin condition that causes skin to become inflamed and irritated. People who have these conditions should always take extra measures to practice good total foot care, as they are more prone to developing infections in the feet if they constantly forget to care for them.
If you want to avoid foot conditions that make your feet:
- Dry
- Flaky
- Appear Severely Damaged
- Hurt due to cracks and breaks in the skin
- Too embarrassing to wear shoes that expose your feet to the public
Then take a look at these 12 awesome total foot care tips for men & women, that will bring and keep your feet to the very best of their health, and start practicing and using these helpful tips today!
#1. Check For Signs of Unhygienic Feet
Don’t worry. Everyone gets stinky feet every once in awhile. What matters is what you do about it.
A big part of hygienic total foot care is always making sure to check your feet for the starting signs and symptoms of things like dryness, cracks in the feet, stench, discoloration of the skin and nails, itchiness and anything that seems or appears to be out of the ordinary for your feet. You know your body better than anyone else, so pay attention for any of these changes, even if they’re moderate.
If you’ve noticed your feet have started to look a little funny, or smell a little “off”, do not hesitate to take action by applying topical creams/lotions and oils to the feet. One of the best and most beneficial oils that can be used on the feet is coconut oil. Read our article on “Using Coconut Oil for Dry Feet is the BEST Remedy” to learn more about how coconut oil can help keep your feet hydrated, healthy, and bacteria and fungus free.
#2. Make an Effort to Thoroughly Wash Your Feet During Baths and Showers
We get it. You’re always on the go, and baths and especially showers just have to be quick. But, regardless if you’re in a hurry or not, this should not be an excuse to not wash your feet (not ever!).
It literally takes about 15 seconds to wash your feet as you bathe or shower, so never worry about this taking precious time away from your day or plans.
It best helps when you use moisturizing soaps and body washes that hydrate and lock in the hydration in your feet.
Try this “Everything Wash” body wash , infused with skin benefiting aloe vera, argan oil and green tea. Perfect for keeping your feet clean, hydrated and healthy.
#3. Scrub Off Dead Skin Cells (and Any Bacteria and Fungus That Might be Present)
You hear constant talk about the benefits of skin exfoliation, right? But usually this talk is especially for the face, right?
Well, we’re here to tell you that skin exfoliation also benefits your total foot care. Using natural exfoliants like epsom salt, cane sugar, and brown sugar in DIY foot scrubs will help you exfoliate dead skin cells from your feet, and will helps keep your feet soft, smooth and hydrated.
Using foot scrubs to rid your feet of dead skin cells may also help rid your feet of bacterial and fungal infections, which are known to be the top culprits of causing that unpleasant and embarrassing dry skin appearance.
#4. Massage Your Tired and Weary Feet
After all you put your feet through, they deserve a little pampering at the end of the week.
Use oils like sweet almond, coconut oil, avocado oil, rosemary oil, olive oil, and essential oils like lavender essential oil, tea tree oil , peppermint oil essential, eucalyptus oil essential oil, and lemongrass essential oil to soothe, replenish, hydrate and soften the skin of your feet.
Combine some of these oils together to easily create massage oils for your feet. Here are a few recommended combinations of oils to use to massage your feet:
- Sweet almond oil and peppermint oil to soften and soothe the feet- The sweet almond oil works to smoothen your skin, while the peppermint oil works to soothe and refresh the skin on your feet.
- Avocado oil and lemongrass oil to hydrate and treat odors and infections- While the avocado oil works as a natural, super moisturizer, the lemongrass oil works as a natural antibacterial and a natural deodorant. Great for feet that have developed an unpleasant stench, and great for keeping foot odors away.
- Coconut oil and lavender oil to moisturize, soothe and treat bacterial and fungal infections –Coconut oil is popularly known for its extreme moisturizing benefits, as well as its antifungal and antibacterial properties (it’s so good for you, you can even ingest it!). Lavender oil helps soothe irritated skin, as well as provides a calming and relaxing sensation all throughout your body. The combination of coconut oil and lavender oil gives you a soothing, hydrating, and antifungal and antibacterial massage oil to apply to the feet at any time of day.
- Olive oil and rosemary oil to hydrate and cleanse your feet – Olive oil is well-known for its benefits for skin, hair and nails. And just like coconut oil, olive oil can be ingested for internal health benefits. Olive oil is super hydrating to the skin. Rosemary oil is hydrating and cleansing to the skin. These two ingredients combined make for an excellent massage oil solution that keeps skin soft, supple and glowing.
#5. Stay Hydrated to Keep Your Feet Hydrated
It may sound crazy, but keeping yourself properly hydrated by drinking a good amount of water every day will help to keep you in good practice of good total foot care.
Our bodies naturally require water (after all, about 60% of our bodies are made up of water, internally). That means we require constant hydration every single day of our lives.
Lack of hydrating our bodies can result in dehydration, leading to dry feet, skin and lips, as well as other symptoms.
To avoid suffering the symptoms of dehydration, and to contribute to healthy total foot care, you should drink the recommended daily intake of water, which is about 2 liters of water (that’s 2 Smart Waters each day).
You can also keep your feet hydrated and healthy by applying creams that contain vitamin E and shea butter. These help lock in moisture in your feet, and can even help repair damage to the skin like scarring and discoloration.
#6. Keep Your Toenails Trimmed and Lookout for Ingrown Toenails
Ingrown toenails are usually caused by wearing shoes, socks or any kind of footwear that is too tight, or that does not fit properly, causing the nails to grow curved or “inward” from their normal growth habits.
Typically, ingrown toenails can be treated at home, and usually do not require a visit to your doctor. But, if your ingrown toenail has punctured the skin of your toe, causing pain, swelling and discomfort, it is highly recommended that you consult with your doctor about your symptoms. These are usually signs of possible infection. This is especially advised to those who have diabetes or another medical condition, or to anyone who may possibly have a medical condition that makes them prone to infections.
#7. Identify, Tackle, and Get Rid of Corns and Calluses Right From the Start
Practice of good total foot care means being able to identify corns and calluses right from the start.
What are corns? Corns are a buildup of hard skin that usually form around bony areas of the toes and feet, and are mainly caused by constant rubbing of the skin. This is usually from friction from shoes and other footwear.
What are calluses? Calluses are buildup of hard skin that usually occurs on the underside of your feet.
Pumice stones and foot files can be used to file down, and maintain hard skin buildup. Even better, soaking feet in nurturing foot soaks that contain lavender and epsom salt will help you scrub away the hard skin buildup. Please avoid using sharp objects and utensils to remove corns and/or calluses.
Foot soaks that contain lactic acid may help with getting rid of hard skin buildup that causes corns and calluses. Please read our article on “How to Heal Cracked Heels with These 7 Awesome Home Remedies”, for information on how to make a DIY soothing milk and honey foot soak, that’s packed with lactic acid that keeps away corns and calluses.
#8. Only Wear Footwear That Fits Properly
For the best total foot care, it’s best to only wear shoes that fit your feet properly. Wearing footwear that fits too loosely, or too tightly can result in unwanted foot troubles like the troubles listed above.
To ensure that you are wearing only footwear that fits your feet properly, you can pay a visit to your local shoe store where you can have your feet measured. Then you will be fully aware of your actual shoe size so that you can purchase footwear that fits you.
#9. Maintaining Good Blood Circulation in Your Feet
Our advice in practicing excellent total foot care is to keep the blood circulating in your feet. This is especially important to people who have diabetes, or any other kind of disease that affects the blood circulation.
To help blood circulate to the feet a little better, take a few minutes out of the day to elevate your feet “at your heart”, or by laying down flat, and your legs and feet elevated higher than the rest of your body. This helps to ensure good blood flow throughout your body, and all throughout your feet.
#10. Wear Open Shoes to Avoid Smelly Feet and Growth of Fungus and Bacteria
Keeping your feet cooped up in constricted footwear isn’t healthy, and is bad for your total foot care. Constantly wearing shoes that are closed off, and don’t allow any room for breathing can cause your feet to develop bacterial and fungal infections.
To avoid this from happening, and to practice healthy total foot care, wear sandals and open-toed footwear as much as you can in order to allow your feet to breathe.
#11. Pay Extra Close Attention to Cracked and Peeling Skin
Good total foot care means paying close attention for skin that’s cracked and even peeling on the feet, especially around the toes and heels. This can indicate that there is a fungal infection, in which you must treat right away. You can treat this infection with a coconut oil and tea tree oil combination that will help soothe any existing itchiness that may be caused by the infection, as well as tackle the infection itself. Both coconut oil and tea tree oil are known for their natural and super effective antifungal and antibacterial properties.
#12. Avoid Letting Feet Sit in Hot Water, or Water That is Too Cold
Although hitting the sauna or jacuzzi may seem like a good idea to help you keep yourself in good practice of good total foot care, it’s not. By doing so, you’re only making your feet more prone to developing dryness and irritation.
Instead, take warm baths and apply ultra moisturizing foot lotions/creams and oils after to keep your feet looking and feeling soft and healthy.
