Take Care Of Your Feet This Winter

Fall is here and winter is fast approaching. With cooler temperatures come many challenges. One challenge is properly taking care of our feet. Life is full of distractions and sadly that means our feet can get overlooked. This can cause many problems since our feet are very important and can get pretty beat up. Let’s discuss three common problems that can occur during cooler weather and how we can combat these problems.

Ingrown Toenails

Colder temperature means warmer, and often thicker, socks. Thicker socks means less room in your shoes. Add enclosed shoes to the mix, and you have a perfect environment for ingrown toenails. People tend to squish their feet into their shoes due to thicker socks, and as our nails grow, there is less room. The nails then push up against the skin and voila you have an ingrown toenail!

A good way to avoid this problem is to listen to your feet. That may sound silly, but you will notice your feet crying out when they are cramped in your thick socks and tight shoes. If this happens try switching to thinner socks, like merino wool. Another option would be purchase a little bit larger shoes for colder weather.

Fungal Infections

Humid air can trap moisture into your shoes, causing blisters and even fungal infections. Fungus thrives in warm, moist and dark environments. Just like the ones in our enclosed winter shoes. When you add the moisture from snow or rain, it can create the perfect breeding ground for fungal infections. 

To prevent this, the goal is to keep your feet dry. When wearing socks and shoes, use a powder or foot spray that will keep shoes and feet dry and clean. Once home, promptly remove damp shoes and socks and dry feet immediately.  Thoroughly washing your feet daily is also very important.

Dry Cracked Feet

Our feet do not have oil glands like the rest of our skin. Thus, our feet are prone to drying out when combined with cooler temperatures. When the skin on our feet is dry, the sensation of our feet decreases and we are more prone to developing callus and having hard, dry, cracked skin, especially at the heals. 

Use lotion, creams or butters on a daily basis, especially right after a bath or shower. This will make a big difference for cracked, dry feet.

5 Must Have Items To Care For Your Feet During Cold Weather:

1. Proper foot care begins with a soak. Plain water won't cut it! Our foot soak relaxes tired feet, improves circulation, and softens hard skin. Soak your feet as often as you would like with our SAY NO TO CRACKED FEET FOOT SOAK. This soak is a mix of Dead Sea salt, Epsom salt, healing flowers like calendula and rose, and a mix of essential oils like tea tree, lavender, peppermint, and grapefruit. These botanicals help loosen dead skin and have antiseptic properties to protect feet from bacteria and fungus.

Foot soak directions - Fill the tub with warm water, immerse your feet in the water and leave them there for 15 minutes. Gently brush feet with foot brush to remove excess skin and dirt. Super-hot water can suck out all your natural oils, leaving you with dehydrated skin. So stick with a warm or lukewarm soak. Use as needed or until the condition of your feet improves.

2.Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate. Your skin (including your feet) needs regular exfoliation to remove dead skin cells so that new, shiny and smooth skin can be seen. After thoroughly soaking feet, use a heaping scoop of sugar scrub and gently scrub feet, paying particular attention to rough patches. The oil will soften skin and the sugar gently exfoliates. For really thick skin use a pumice stone or foot file to gently work through the hard, dead layers of skin.

3.Moisturize with foot butter. After soaking and exfoliating, toroughly wipe dry. Moisture on the feet is not desirable because it facilitates the development of fungi. Now it’s time for a moisturizer and massage. Apply foot butter - SAY NO TO CRACKed Feet Foot Butter. While applying the cream, you can gently massage your feet. Foot massage has a beneficial effect on the entire body. Put on clean cotton socks. Leave them on your feet until foot butter is fully absorbed.

 4.Keep your feet and shoes clean. Refresh your feet and shoes with our all-natural deodorizing Foot & Sandal Herbal Mist. It is an instant pick-me-up for tired, achy and smelly feet and shoes. Peppermint and grapefruit essential oil is refreshing and energizing. Pine long leaf is very popular in aromatherapy to revive tired muscles and feet. Patchouli, tea tree, and lavender are known for their antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, bactericidal, and fungicidal qualities. This combination is great for cleaning and deodorizing feet and calves. Just shake and spray.

5.Keep your feet dry. Feet sweat, some more than others. To prevent bacteria growth and blisters, regularly use our Foot & Shoe Herbal Powder to absorb excess moisture.

Cold weather can be frustrating and challenging but if we are proactive, we can successfully combat each challenge. Plus, if we take care of ourselves, and dress appropriately, we can enjoy all kinds of weather, even the cold!