How to Have Beautiful Healthy Feet

Many people want their feet to look good. Now nail salons and spas offer pedicures. However, this grooming service can be very expensive. Hear are some simple tips for people who want their feet to look good. A person can take it upon himself or herself to keep feet soft, smooth, pretty, and healthy.

Preventing Dry Cracked Feet
Dry cracked feet is caused by excessively dry, dead thick skin. During the spring and summer, many people particularly woman, like to wear sandals and open heel or open toe shoes. Dry, cracked feet can be very unsightly in shoes such as these. To protect one's feet from such conditions one should first of all be sure to scrub ones feet daily. Daily foot scrubbing will clean away dead, dry skin and prevent the accumulation that causes roughness and cracking.

Instead of soaking one's feet in the foot tub each day, which can take up time, simply give attention to scrubbing ones feet while bathing and showering. Let one's feet be the last part of one's body to clean so they will get enough soaking so that dry dead skin can be easily removed. After cleaning one's feet always rub them with a lotion especially formulated for moisturizing feet.

People with excessively rough feet can smooth away rough dry skin and calluses by using a Ped Egg, which is a foot file that can easily and painlessly file away rough dry skin.

Toe Nail Grooming
Toe nail grooming is very important. One should trim and file ones toe nails every two weeks. Trim toe nails after bathing because nails are easier to cut after long exposure to water. After trimming wet toe nails, clean the deep skin from beneath the nails and from around the sides of the nails. Cleaning away this dead skin promotes healthy nail growth and prevent the accumulation of bacteria and toe nail fungus which causes swollen toes and cracked discolored nails.

Calluses, Bunions, Corns, and Hammered Toes
Growth and deformities can occur on feet which can cause them to appear unsightly and can make walking uncomfortable. Common foot growth and deformities are calluses, corns, and hammer toes.

Calluses: Calluses are skin build ups on areas of the sole of the foot where the foot has a lot of friction and pressure.

Corns: corns form on the tops of toes. They occur when shoes rub the tops of toes. As this happens the skin thickens, hardens, and grows to resemble a corn kernel.

Bunions: A bunion is a bony protuberance at the base of the big toe. It is caused from wearing tight fitting shoes at the toes and tight fitting high heel shoes.

Hammered Toes: Hammered toes are caused by wearing shoes too small for one's feet, pointed toe shoes, and high heel shoes. Wearing these shoes may cause the toe to press against the toe of the shoe which prevents toe movement when walking. This causes the toe to jam in a hammered position.

Ill fitting foot wear plays the main cause of these foot problems. These foot problems can simply be avoided by wearing the type of shoes and socks that will prevent the problems.

Socks
To help prevent calluses and corns it is best to wear soft socks made of cotton. Avoid wearing socks made with polyester and acrylic. These synthetic materials rub against the feet and can cause irritation. Soft cotton toe socks are especially made to fit the contours of the foot and around the toes. They are made with less material around the foot and toes to prevent bunching and rubbing against the skin, which causes irritations that bring about calluses and corns.

Shoes
Avoid shoes that are made from hard stiff material that fail to flex with the foot when walking. This causes excessive rubbing on the heel and sides of the foot which causes blisters, redness, corn, and calluses all over the foot and toes. Avoid wearing narrow toe shoes, and high heel shoes. When walking in these shoes the squeezing pressure around the toes cause bunions, hammered toes, and other toe deformities. To protect one's feet one should wear shoes with flat soles and soft flexible leather. Also select shoes with a box toe so the toes will not be squeezed when walking. Such shoes may not be stylish, but they provide comfort and are better for one's feet.

Practicing good foot care is not hard at all. With a little extra time, effort and sacrificing style over comfort one can have feet that are healthy and pretty to look at.