We have our hair, skin and even hand care routine, but what about our feet? Have you been paying attention to them? There are several reasons to take care of your feet at home, after all, they support the weight of our body and, as much as we are at home now, at some point we will return to our routine and our feet will take us to many places and will stand for many hours.
To help you understand why you should pay more attention to your feet, we spoke the experts about important care, the manicure & pedicure accessories and what are the best tips for taking care of your feet at home.
If your feet, for example, are dry, with peeling, cracks or sores between your toes, it’s because you need to hydrate them. Other common signs that can appear are nails that are different in color or detached from the skin. Regardless of the sign, as soon as you notice changes, look for a dermatologist to investigate the cause and help you take care of your feet at home in the best way.
Ritual to take care of your feet at home
There is a simple step by step that can be done by anyone. Write down:
- Clean your feet with soap and water;
- Dry your feet, including between your toes;
- Exfoliate your feet three times a week;
- Use sunflower or grape seed oil on your nails;
- Cut the nails following their original shape;
- Use a urea-based moisturizer.
In addition to the steps above, check out more specific tips:
Hydration
If your feet are dry or cracked, it’s important to take care of hydration. And it’s not just direct hydration, that is, using cream, no! Food and water intake also count. Thicker creams based on urea, Vaseline, oils and butters are ideal. But be careful, urea is not suitable for pregnant women.
To enhance foot care, use moisturizer at night and put on a cotton sock or a moisturizing sock while you sleep.
Exfoliation
Do you have the habit of exfoliating your feet? This process is super important and one of the essential steps to achieve smooth feet. Exfoliation is responsible for stimulating cell renewal and removing dead cells that do not come out alone, but it is worth remembering that this care should be done at most three times a week. If the feet have been exfoliated more than this, the effect will be the opposite.
Foot soak
Foot bath is a process made with warm water to relax, perfect for that day when you spent many hours on your feet. For this, you should use fancy foot spa at home. There is no single formula for a good foot bath, but many people use soothing teas such as chamomile and lavender, or even essential oils in their water. Another tip is to add coarse salt to the mixture.
To avoid bad smell
To dribble foot odor, the best tip is to seek a dermatologist, as this specialist will be able to investigate the cause of the problem and its ideal solution. But, in the meantime, it is important to know that the feet have sweat glands and, when they are stuffy for a long time, they end up generating moisture – one of the main causes of the bad smell.
To control this discomfort, it is recommended to wear cotton socks and leave the shoes in the sun after use before putting them on again, in addition to adding a foot deodorant to your routine.
Nail care
According to the podiatrist, the recommended thing for nails is not to stay more than 15 days with the same enamel and always take a break of at least three days so that the nail has a rest from the dryness that acetone and enamel cause. The tip is to use sunflower and grape oil for hydration.
To treat ingrown toenails
Ingrown toenails are also a common problem that afflicts many people. They are usually caused by tight shoes, incorrect cutting, or even excess skin at the corners of the nails. Podiatrist’s tip for treating them is the straight cut, following the shape of the nail, never trimming the corners. In addition, moisturizing your nails and cuticles will help with excess skin, which causes discomfort due to dryness.