Your feet never get a day off. They let you connect with the earth beneath you, send tickles to the back of your spine when the water hits them, carry your weight, and take you places. Your Feet are the uncredited heroes that deserve some love and attention. Take them from being the most overlooked part of your body to the most healthy one with our all-natural tips and tricks. Get ready to have the most beautiful-looking feet with our team's seven tried and tested secrets!
1. Salt is your new best friend
Now, salt might be bad for your body when consumed in copious amounts, but it can do wonders for your skin when used topically.
Make salt soaks a weekly ritual for clean and healthy feet. Pour warm water and some sea salt into a tub or a bucket. Dip your feet in the tub and let them soak for fifteen minutes. Salt is a rich source of magnesium, contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that will help get rid of all sorts of bacterial and fungal infections and/or any unwanted smell from your feet.
Quick Tip: Don't have fifteen minutes to spare and want to give your feet some much-needed TLC? Try exfoliating using sea salt and honey mixture. It's a better kept ancient secret that helps get rid of dry and dull skin. A massage with sea salt is proven to improve blood circulation, and the honey moisturizes and gives your feet a radiant glow.
2. Never underestimate the power of a good scrub
We all know that exfoliation can work wonders for the skin, but what most of us don't realize is that it should be mandatory for your feet since the dead skin there is a lot tougher to shed. Now you can easily use any easily available, off-the-rack foot scrubs to exfoliate weekly, but we encourage you to take a peek inside your pantry and go the au naturale route. All you will need is Kasturi/Wild Turmeric powder and some coconut oil. Make a thick paste of the two and exfoliate your feet half an hour before your bath. Leave it on for fifteen-twenty minutes and wash it off with your regular body wash to reveal soft, glowing feet. This combination of oil and Haldi will not only miraculously heal dry, cracked feet, but it can also prevent skin from ageing if used regularly.
Quick Tip: For oily skin, avoid coconut oil. Mix the turmeric powder with heavy cream/malai, and add a dash of lime to the mixture. The acidity of the lime juice will control the production of excess sebum, while the heavy cream will retain the essential oils and prevent the skin from getting completely stripped.
3. Work for that flawless complexion
Suntan or uneven skin tone is another big concern for most women. There is nothing more annoying than strap-marked, discoloured feet.
Homemade packs are a great way to get rid of that. Our all-time favourite pack to get rid of tan quickly is to mix orange peel powder with milk into a spreadable paste and apply that to the feet for at least twenty minutes. You'll need to use this pack three-four times a week for best results.
Quick Tip: Don't have orange peel powder? No worries, mix rice flour, tomato juice, and honey and apply that to clean feet for twenty minutes. Gently scrub and wash off the pack after twenty minutes and get even-toned, brighter feet.
4. Moisturize! Moisturize! & Moisturize!
We can't say this enough, but moisturized feet equals happy feet! Did you know, feet are the most ignored body part? We all have a skincare regime, a haircare regime, we'd massage our bodies with all sorts of expensive creams and oils, but we don't even have the time to go, see a pedicurist for our poor feet. If you want beautiful, supple feet, never skip this step. Wash your feet twice a day and moisturize after. Aloe vera gel is an excellent option for daytime but go in with something heavier like coconut or almond oil during the nights. We promise you'd have the softest feet in no time.
Quick Tip: Massage and lather your feet in any oil of your choice, and put on a pair of cotton socks before going to bed every night. Not only would you wake up feeling refreshed, but you'd also have feet softer than a baby's butt in a week.
5. Invest in a good SPF
The infamous UVA/UVB rays penetrate the skin and speed up premature ageing changes, including wrinkle formation. Your hands and feet are the first ones to age since they already don't get enough TLC. A big mistake that we all make is not applying SPF to protect our feet. Our feet get just as much exposure as our arms or face, so protecting them would be the right thing to do. Please, do not skip sunscreen! You can use any sunscreen you already own, but we strictly recommend you apply a liberal amount of an SPF 30 or more before stepping out.
Quick Tip: Go for a sheer, lightweight formula that does not leave a white cast or any residue behind. Some of our favourite skincare brands that have great sunscreen formulas are-Supergoop, Drunk Elephant, Honest Beauty, and Biossance.
6. Nail care Toe-tally matters
You cannot achieve beautiful feet even if you follow all our tips religiously but neglect your toenails. Yes, you read that right! While the easiest thing to do would be to head to a salon every twenty days or so and let a professional take care of your dry heels, calluses, and ingrown nails; we do realize that it can be a bit rough on the pocket or you might not have that kind of time. So, we suggest you invest in a nail hygiene kit and use that after your salt soaks to push back your cuticles, clip your nails, and get rid of those nasty ingrowns. Finish with scrubbing, moisturizing, and you'd never need to set foot in a salon again.
Quick Tip: Use olive oil to massage your cuticles after moisturizing your feet. Vitamin E-rich olive oil is very moisturizing and easily absorbed, making it great for cuticle health and nail growth. It's the best thing for people with weak or brittle nails.
7. Choose the right kind of footwear
The kind of footwear you wear plays an important role in how your feet look and feel. According to industry professionals, ill-fitting shoes are the number one cause of foot-related problems like blisters, calluses, and corns. The constant friction between the feet and the shoes causes your skin to harden as a natural defensive measure. Not only do these look bad, but they also hurt a lot. So, you need to be aware of what you're buying. Many doctors strictly advise against heels or walking bare feet for long hours. If you absolutely must, then wear heels with a short block heel or a low kitten heel, and avoid moving around too much. It is best to wear flats in and out of the house to keep your feet in perfect health.
Quick Tip: As shoe lovers, we understand that you can't wear a pair of regular crocs to a celebration or party, and that is why we think that investing in traditional Indian Juttis is the best thing you can do for your feet. Not only are they are beautiful to look at, but they are also utterly comfortable, and they come in an array of colours and designs. So there is always something for everybody.
Follow all our tips and tricks to get envy-inducing feet, but don't forget to invest in a comfortable pair of Coral Haze to, truly take care of your feet.