Due to an increase in outside activities, feet need extra care in the summer. Activities such as biking, hiking, swimming, jogging, summer games and walking outdoors occur more frequently in the summer. Sandals and flip-flops replace winter boots and heavy closed-toe shoes. The main concerns for extra foot care in the summer include looks, sweat, tiredness, safety and injury care.
The high visibility of the feet in the summer encourages a close look at calluses, badly cut nails, cuticles that are stuck on the nail and yellowed, faded toenails. Sweat, a big issue, causes uncomfortable feet and odor. Injuries happen more often to exposed feet and then it becomes necessary to know how to tend to minor hurts.
Feet Need Extra Care in the Summer
The best way to address the extra care feet need in the summer is with a good pedicure. The pedicure makes the feet look better, it gets rid of odor and sweat and it promotes the healing of minor hurts. It's the best time to trim calluses and buff the nails. Items needed for a pedicure:
- toenail clippers and/or nail scissors
- nail file
- nailbrush
- nail buffer
- orange stick
- cuticle oil or baby oil
- foot file (for rough spots)
- water basin
- foot scrub (dishwashing liquid, bubble bath, salts)
- foot lotion
- big, soft, absorbent towel
Peroxide, Epsom salts, milk and nail polish (for women) add to the pedicure. The peroxide helps to heal minor cuts, the Epsom salts helps with swelling, soreness, the acids in the milk help soften and slough off dead skin, and nail polish adds some color and beauty to the feet.
Grooming the Feet: The Basics
Great foot grooming doesn't need to be difficult or time consuming; however, 30 minutes should be set aside for the first pedicure and 15 minutes for follow-up pedicures. The following steps tell how to accomplish good foot grooming.
- Soak the feet in warm water with foot scrub of choice. You can also add peroxide, Epsom salts or bath salts to the water. A spa secret: a third of a cup milk works well as a sloughing agent. Soak for 10 minutes.
- Use the nailbrush, foot scraper and pumice stone as needed to smooth the skin.
- Remove your feet from the basin and dry vigorously with the luxurious towel.
- Cut the toenail straight across and file the edges until smooth.
- To the skin around the toenail, apply cuticle remove or baby oil and rub in. Slowly push the skin back with an orange stick to the place where it meets the skin.
- You can use a cuticle moisturizer if the cuticles do not push back. Sometimes it takes a few days of repetition to get the skin to loosen around the nails.
- Massage your feet with baby oil and then apply a moisturizing lotion
- Let your feet relax for a short while on the plushy towel.
- Now is a good time for the women to apply the nail polish
Safety for Exposed Feet
It is good to go with a lighter weight shoe in the summer, preferably sandals that will let the feet breath. (This helps to control sweating and odor.) New shoes cause problems of their own such as blisters and calluses. To avoid these problems change shoes often so that different areas of the foot come in contact with the new shoes
Stubbed toes or dropping things on newly exposed toes demand extra caution. The re-stubbing of the same toe repeatedly is highly likely. To avoid continual harm consider wearing a shoe with closed toes until the injuries have healed.
Playing sports or outdoor exercise without the proper shoes causes safety issues such as twisted ankles or not enough arch support. Sandals provide comfort and look pretty, but high activities require a good thick-soled running or walking shoe.
The newly exposed feet are susceptible to sunburn, even sun poisoning. Use a high SPF and reapply sunscreen often to protect the feet and toes against ultra-violet rays.
Extra Foot Care in the Summer Includes Injury Care
No matter how careful a person is injury will still happen. The pain of some injuries such as a slight sprain, pulled muscle or twisted ankle, can be relieved with an ice pack. If the swelling and pain persists past the first day, consult a physician. If there is doubt as to the extent of the injury or in the case of extreme, swelling and bruising consult a doctor immediately.
Many summer injuries can be treated straight from the medicine cabinet, kitchen or bathroom. Soothe bee stings with a commercial sting relief or apply toothpaste. Poison Ivy's itch needs a commercial anti-itch gel, or bathe the infected area in Epsom salts and apply a paste of baking soda. Sunburn sting gets relief with vinegar followed by a bit of gel from the aloe vera plant. Clean skins and scrapes with dishwashing liquid or mild soap pour on peroxide, top them with ointment, and cover them with a Band-Aid. If any of the injuries are severe or if an allergic reaction is evident, get immediate professional care.
Summertime is full of fun and opportunities. With a little care, the feet will step up to the challenges with beauty and strength.
Cher'ley Grogg - Cher'ley Grogg has specialized in freelance writing for seven years. She has written articles, interviews, essays and blogs. Among other ...
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