Summer Foot Care
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With summer now in full swing and the sliders/sandals/flipflops well and truly out, it’s time to think about foot care.
Think about it, they’ve been hidden away in your socks and most likely your slippers for the last few months and now you’re exposing them to the elements, battling sun, sea and sandals.
It’s time to give them an MOT and prepare them for the season ahead. If they’re already showing signs of dry skin, calluses and cracked heels, it’s better to address those issues now than further down the line.
Step 1: Take a long hard look
In order to fix up your feet, first you need to know what issues you’re working with. So this means stopping and taking stock of what you’re working with. You’ll need to identify if you’re dealing with any of the following:
If you are experiencing any of the above, then you could benefit from a trip to the chiropodist or podiatrist to get those checked out.
Problems such as rough skin or uneven nails can be remedied at home.
Step 2: A wash is what’s needed
Next up, before we can do anything too dramatic, let’s try something simple - giving them a proper wash. Not just a ‘letting water run over them in the shower’ wash…
If you have dry skin that is flaky, use a foot file to sand those flakes away before you wash them to ensure you have a good base to work with. Use a dry file on dry feet.
Then wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water.
Step 3: Smooth the surface
If you have rough or callused feet, use a pumice stone to smooth the skin. You should do this during your shower once your feet have been in warm water for a few minutes as this will soften it and make it easier to remove the dead skin.
Rub the stone gently on the feet, before rinsing them with water and drying thoroughly.
Step 4: Let’s trim those toes
Trimming your toenails properly is key to good foot health. Cutting them in the wrong way can cause problems such as ingrown toenails.
To do this properly, let’s avoid the Christmas cracker clippers and invest in a pair of proper nail cutters. Clippers can make it difficult to know how much nail you are cutting and whether you’re achieving a straight cut which can lead to ingrowns.
Instead, use some professional nail cutters to cut straight across the nail. If the nail is long, cut it off little by little and not in one big chunk as this can cause a lot of stress to the nail bed. This will also help you to have more control of how short the nail is.
Once you’ve completed the cut, use a crystal nail file to smooth the edge.
Step 5: Cuticle care
The cuticle is the layer of clear skin that is found at the bottom edge of your nail. If these are getting long, they can be trimmed; however if you’re not a seasoned nail pro, we’d suggest getting this done by a professional to ensure you don’t cause yourself discomfort.
If they don’t need a trim, you can soften them which will provide an instant improvement. Simply rub a small amount of oil into each nail. You can either buy a specialist oil - or extra virgin olive oil will also do the trick!
Step 6: Soften scratchy skin
Especially during the summer, skin can become rough, scratchy and dry. It’s important to stay on top of this by regularly moisturising. Whack on some foot moisturizer at night before you go to bed and massage it into the feet. This will give it time to soak in overnight as feet specific moisturiser is thicker than its body / hand counterparts.
Step 7: A foot peel will fix all
While this shouldn’t enter your daily foot care schedule, a foot peel can be a great way to revitalise dry or rough feet.
Every 6 weeks to 2 months, you should use a foot peel to exfoliate away all of the dead skin and give you a fresh surface to work with. The simple treatment involves wearing moisturizing boots for 90 minutes while the peel works it’s magic. Then over the next 7 days, your dead, rough and callus skin will begin to peel away, revealing the fresh and healthy skin beneath it.
We recommend: BARBER PRO Foot Peel
Shop now >>
Think about it, they’ve been hidden away in your socks and most likely your slippers for the last few months and now you’re exposing them to the elements, battling sun, sea and sandals.
It’s time to give them an MOT and prepare them for the season ahead. If they’re already showing signs of dry skin, calluses and cracked heels, it’s better to address those issues now than further down the line.
Step 1: Take a long hard look
In order to fix up your feet, first you need to know what issues you’re working with. So this means stopping and taking stock of what you’re working with. You’ll need to identify if you’re dealing with any of the following:
- Yellow / thick nails
- Itchy / dry patches
- Cracked skin, especially on your heels
- Ingrown toenails
If you are experiencing any of the above, then you could benefit from a trip to the chiropodist or podiatrist to get those checked out.
Problems such as rough skin or uneven nails can be remedied at home.
Step 2: A wash is what’s needed
Next up, before we can do anything too dramatic, let’s try something simple - giving them a proper wash. Not just a ‘letting water run over them in the shower’ wash…
If you have dry skin that is flaky, use a foot file to sand those flakes away before you wash them to ensure you have a good base to work with. Use a dry file on dry feet.
Then wash them thoroughly with soap and warm water.
Step 3: Smooth the surface
If you have rough or callused feet, use a pumice stone to smooth the skin. You should do this during your shower once your feet have been in warm water for a few minutes as this will soften it and make it easier to remove the dead skin.
Rub the stone gently on the feet, before rinsing them with water and drying thoroughly.
Step 4: Let’s trim those toes
Trimming your toenails properly is key to good foot health. Cutting them in the wrong way can cause problems such as ingrown toenails.
To do this properly, let’s avoid the Christmas cracker clippers and invest in a pair of proper nail cutters. Clippers can make it difficult to know how much nail you are cutting and whether you’re achieving a straight cut which can lead to ingrowns.
Instead, use some professional nail cutters to cut straight across the nail. If the nail is long, cut it off little by little and not in one big chunk as this can cause a lot of stress to the nail bed. This will also help you to have more control of how short the nail is.
Once you’ve completed the cut, use a crystal nail file to smooth the edge.
Step 5: Cuticle care
The cuticle is the layer of clear skin that is found at the bottom edge of your nail. If these are getting long, they can be trimmed; however if you’re not a seasoned nail pro, we’d suggest getting this done by a professional to ensure you don’t cause yourself discomfort.
If they don’t need a trim, you can soften them which will provide an instant improvement. Simply rub a small amount of oil into each nail. You can either buy a specialist oil - or extra virgin olive oil will also do the trick!
Step 6: Soften scratchy skin
Especially during the summer, skin can become rough, scratchy and dry. It’s important to stay on top of this by regularly moisturising. Whack on some foot moisturizer at night before you go to bed and massage it into the feet. This will give it time to soak in overnight as feet specific moisturiser is thicker than its body / hand counterparts.
Step 7: A foot peel will fix all
While this shouldn’t enter your daily foot care schedule, a foot peel can be a great way to revitalise dry or rough feet.
Every 6 weeks to 2 months, you should use a foot peel to exfoliate away all of the dead skin and give you a fresh surface to work with. The simple treatment involves wearing moisturizing boots for 90 minutes while the peel works it’s magic. Then over the next 7 days, your dead, rough and callus skin will begin to peel away, revealing the fresh and healthy skin beneath it.
We recommend: BARBER PRO Foot Peel
Shop now >>