Foot care is no less important than hands and even a face. This is not only about the aesthetic side of the issue, health comes to the fore. Most of the time, the person’s legs are in closed shoes. No matter how high-quality it may be, the skin can sweat and undergo friction. This provokes the appearance of an unpleasant odor, corns, cracks in the heels, a fungal infection and nail ingrowth. Regular and proper foot and foot care helps to avoid this.
The Importance of Skin Care
Affected by the fungus nails and dry, cracked heels limit the woman in choosing shoes in the summer. On the beach or by the pool is also unpleasant to appear in this form. It’s impossible to hide the problem for a long time, choosing closed shoes. The condition of the feet will begin to deteriorate and cause more serious discomfort. There will be an unpleasant smell, itching, pain during walking. In addition, infection is also possible.
Avoiding the development of such problems is easy. All that is needed is regular foot and foot care at home. The following rules will help keep the skin in perfect condition:
- Regular wash. For the procedure, it is recommended to use warm water and a mild antiseptic soap. The feet must be thoroughly wiped.
- Moisturizing and nutrition. After washing, it is recommended to apply the cream. You can use any vegetable oil, it is recommended to warm it up a bit.
- Exfoliation is one of the secrets of the tender heels. If the skin is in poor condition, you will need to use pumice, acid for a pedicure or an electric file. For well-groomed legs, the use of store scrubs or self-prepared scrubs will be sufficient.
- Regular trimming of nails. Irregularities and angles should be smoothed out using a file. This procedure will avoid the development of such a pathology as an ingrown nail.
- Daily self-examination of the skin of the legs. This will help prevent the development of a fungal or bacterial infection. In no case should diabetics neglect this recommendation.
- Proper foot and foot care is not possible without massage. It is recommended to do it before bedtime using coconut or almond oil. This procedure will help to avoid the development of edema, relax, relieve pain and improve blood microcirculation.
- Spa treatments. Softening, relaxing and aromatic baths must be done at least two to three times a week.
- Hyperhidrosis control. Increased sweating can be inherited and develop for other reasons. Special deodorants for feet help control the smell. These funds regulate the activity of sweat glands and disinfect the skin.
- The choice of shoes. This is one of the most important points. Shoes should be chosen by size. As well as comfortable and made from natural materials. High-heeled model shoes should be left for special occasions.
Foot baths
Home baths are an important part of foot and foot care. This pleasant and relaxing procedure will help soften the skin, relieve fatigue, eliminate unpleasant odor and corns. In a preventative cling procedure, perform two to three times a week. If you need to soften the corn, defeat the fungus or cure another disease, the baths can be used daily.
Simple but effective recipes:
- For relaxation and cleansing use sea salt. One hundred grams of this ingredient is dissolved in two liters of warm water and lower legs for 15 minutes.
- The roughened skin will soften soda. Two teaspoons of powder, liquid soap and liquid ammonia are added to two liters of water. After the procedure, you can treat the problem areas with pumice.
- Sweating the legs will eliminate the oak bark. It is also an excellent anti-odor remedy. For the procedure, you need 30 g of bark, pour two liters of boiling water and leave on low heat for 10-15 minutes. After the liquid has cooled, use it for baths.
Scrub recipes
Proper skin care for the feet of the foot cannot be imagined without the use of a scrub. This cosmetic product eliminates peeling, softens the hardened epidermis and is an excellent prevention of the appearance of corns and corns. It is recommended to use it after baths, but can also be used during showering. The product is rubbed into the skin with massage movements, then washed off.
You can buy a ready-made scrub in any cosmetic store. But a product prepared at home will be much safer, healthier and more natural. Well cleansed skin such compounds:
- Coffee. This is one of the most popular formulations. To prepare it, you need to mix three tablespoons of ground coffee, 10 g of sea salt and cinnamon. At the end, add some vegetable oil.
- Sugar. The composition cleanses and brightens the skin. To prepare, mix 30 g of sugar (you can use regular or brown), 30 ml of natural lemon juice and 30 ml of olive or linseed oil.
- Orange. Citrus acts like an acid peeling, gently eliminating dead cells. For the procedure, you need to grind an orange with a peel in a blender. Apply the gruel on the skin and leave for 10 minutes. Then rinse with cool water.
Best Nourishing Foot Creams
Foot creams nourish and moisturize the skin. They prevent the formation of cracks, unpleasant odors and destroy bacteria. It is recommended to apply creams after daily hygiene procedures.
Only high-quality products can maintain skin in perfect condition. Foot and foot care is recommended with the help of such creams:
- Scholl Active Repair K +. The cream contains urea and another two dozen active ingredients. Eliminates cracks, corns and corns in just a few days.
- "Healer Cream with urea." The composition also contains an extract of oak bark and celandine, tea tree oil, vitamin E. This is one of the best remedies for softening rough skin.
- Cream-care for calluses from Natura Siberica. The preparation contains extracts of Far Eastern and Siberian herbs. As well as vitamins, beeswax and D-panthenol. The cream nourishes the skin, heals calluses and relieves inflammation.
- Cream for the feet "Sophia". The tool is able to make the skin soft, like a baby, thanks to the wax, glycerin, tea tree oil, lanolin, urea, and a medical leech extract. The cream eliminates dry corns in a matter of days and promotes the healing of cracks.
- Foot cream Green Mama. This drug demonstrates the greatest effect if applied after peeling. The cream contains mint, sage and yarrow extracts. As well as menthol, sesame, linseed and cedar oil.
Homemade Mask Recipes
Despite all the efforts, baths and nourishing creams are not enough for proper care of the feet and legs. Return to the skin absolute softness will help masks prepared at home. The following recipes are considered the most effective:
- Glycerin with yolk. This tool must be used by people with very dry and rough skin. To prepare the mask, you need to heat a tablespoon of honey in a water bath to a temperature of 40 degrees. Add chicken yolk and 15 ml of natural lemon juice to it. Then pour 30 ml of glycerin into the mixture and mix. Fold a piece of gauze in several layers and saturate it with the resulting composition. Apply the fabric to the foot, cover with cellophane and insulate. Leave the application for at least one hour.
- Mask with clay. Moisturizes and cleanses the skin. It is recommended to use in the summer when a lot of dust and dirt settles on the feet. To prepare the mask, you need 25 g of blue clay diluted with water to the consistency of sour cream. Add a few drops of lemon juice and 20 ml of olive oil to the mixture. The resulting paste should be applied liberally to the feet, wrapped in cellophane and insulated. Leave the product on the skin for 40 minutes.
Masks are recommended to be prepared immediately before use. Nutrient mixtures can be left on the skin overnight.
Best Foot Deodorants
Neither men nor women are safe from unpleasant odors and excessive sweating. In order not to be in an unpleasant situation, it is better to take care of buying a special product for the care of the feet in advance. Such drugs destroy pathogenic microflora, reduce the activity of sweat glands and mask an unpleasant odor. They are released in the form of aerosol deodorants, creams, talc and gels.
The best remedies for hyperhidrosis include the following:
- "Deo-Control" from the concern "Kalina" together with Rexona. The consumer can choose a product in the form of a cream, gel and aerosol. All products have a deodorizing and antibacterial effect.
- Scholl Fresh Step. Deodorant eliminates the infection and reduces sweating. Suitable for diabetics.
- 12 hours from Yves Rocher. The cream has a mild lavender aroma. Not suitable for people suffering from a sharp foot odor. This product refreshes the skin, eliminates sweating and prevents the appearance of fungal infections.
Callus control
Increased stress and skin friction can cause corns. Taking care of your legs and feet involves getting rid of this painful formation. Corrosion-resistant plasters, which can be purchased at the pharmacy, help eliminate the growth. The most effective include:
- Salipod. Removes even those corns that have an inner core.
- Compeed It copes with wet and dry corns.
- Salicylic patch Leiko. Salicylic acid helps to eliminate calluses.
Heel Crack Treatment
Cracks in the heels can form due to overweight, lack of hygiene, tight shoes and internal pathologies. To avoid the appearance of wounds reaching to the bone, proper foot and foot care will help.
Tips for dermatologists to restore skin integrity:
- In equal proportions, mix ammonia and glycerin. Apply the mixture to the skin after the bath. Repeat the procedure twice a day until complete recovery.
- Grind two tablespoons of cottage cheese, fat sour cream and honey. Apply the mixture to the feet for 30 minutes.
- In a water bath, heat 50 g of petroleum jelly. Add 10 g of chopped propolis. Strain the resulting mixture and lubricate the feet twice a day.
Features of diabetic foot care
In patients with diabetes, circulatory disorders are often observed. The lower limbs are especially affected. In severe cases, the development of necrosis and even gangrene is possible. Often the situation ends with amputation. Therefore, the so-called diabetic foot requires special attention. Foot care should be carried out regularly.
Patients should have in their home medicine cabinet such antiseptics as: Malavit, Miramistin, Chlorhexidine, furatsilina solution. If even small cracks or wounds are found, treat them with the listed medicines. This will help prevent infection.
In diabetes, foot baths with copper sulphate and extracts of medicinal plants are useful. To soften the skin, disinfect and improve blood circulation to the feet, it is recommended to apply gruel from crushed leaves of aloe or Kalanchoe. Applications with sour-milk products, honey and essential oils have a good effect.
Fungus prophylaxis
Prevention of infection with the fungus is an important component of foot and foot care. In summer, this becomes especially true, as people often visit pools, spas, gyms and baths.
To avoid prolonged control of the fungus, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Use rubber shoes in the pool and sauna.
- Take care of your feet regularly.
- Do not wear someone else’s shoes and even slippers when visiting.
- Inspect the skin of the feet daily.
- Do not use other people's towels and manicure.
Ingrown Nail Prevention
Onychocryptosis is a growth in the skin roller of the nail plate. The wrong pedicure technique, fungus, uncomfortable shoes and flat feet contribute to this. Every day, the nail tears the tissue more and more. This leads to the development of pain, which is several times worse when walking. An infection enters the non-healing edges of the wound and purulent discharge appears.
In most cases, pathology is fought with surgical intervention. To avoid painful treatment, it is recommended to adhere to some rules that will help to avoid the development of onychocryptosis:
- Observe personal hygiene.
- Do not wear uncomfortable and tight shoes.
- Follow the pedicure technique.
- Timely treat orthopedic and fungal diseases.
- Avoid injury to the toes.