Happy Feet: Natural Foot Care Tips 

What part of your body gets the most use in a day? It’s possible that you could get 
some very different answers depending on who you ask, but one of the most overlooked 
parts of the body is your feet. 

Out of any part of the body, your feet take the most damage so it’s really important that 
you have good strong healthy feet so that you can live a decent standard of life. If you 
don’t take good care of your feet, it could end up being the beginning of serious foot 
issues later in life that could majorly affect the way you live your life. 

The next few pages of information will be exploring some tips for foot care. 


1. Keep Your Feet Clean

This one should be common sense, but you might be surprised to find out that a lot of 
people neglect what should be a very normal, basic part of cleansing your body. When 
bacteria and other microorganisms build up on your feet, it can become unhealthy very 
quickly. 

For some people it might become necessary to keep a few special tools for grooming 
your feet, because dirty feet make it easy for tiny germs to get in your skin, and under 
the sensitive tissues of your toenails. The condition of those areas can result in 
increased difficulty with healing, and small cuts that become breeding grounds for 
bacteria can lead to life threatening infections. 

To fight this, it would be a good idea to develop a habit of washing your feet after you 
wake up, and before bedtime. This will help to remove the day’s dust, sweat, and 
bacteria from your feet. 

You should take note that the best kind of soap will be mild. You will also want to make 
sure to use water that isn’t extremely hot because your skin contains oils that are 
essential for healthy skin. Try warm water and an organic soap. Some store-bought 
soaps can contain alcohol and agents that strip your natural oils, leaving your skin even 
rougher than before. 

Once you have finished washing your feet, it is important that you dry them as quickly 
as possible. Especially in the creases between your toes. These areas are the perfect 
places for infections to take hold. It could also be a good idea to get a towel that you 
use expressly for that purpose as it can majorly reduce the chances for the spread of 
germs and other unwanted microorganisms.


2. Remove Dead Skin 

Another really important part of keeping your feet healthy and clean has to do with the 
removal of dead skin from the surface of the feet. Dead skin is usually somewhat 
unsightly and can make your skin look much older than it should. It can also trap 
harmful and foul-smelling bacteria. 

There are a variety of dead skin removal options available, but some of the best are 
those that employ a simple scraping method like those using specially designed 
sponges and exfoliators. These break up and scrap away the dead skin cells, so they 
can be washed away in the bath or shower. It’s always a good idea to soak for a at least 
15 - 20 minutes before you begin so that you don’t have to rub your skin as hard.  

Other options are exfoliating creams and face washes. These are creams that are made 
with tiny particles mixed into them for the purpose of abrasion. Many of these scrubs 
work well for people, but it’s recently been discovered that the brands that use tiny 
plastic beads could possibly be having a negative effect on the environment. 

Some people have come up with excellent homemade ideas for making safer versions 
of these creams. You can try adding salt of other soluble seasonings to mix with oils to 
create abrasive pastes.  

A small amount of knowledge about what helps your skin goes a long way. You might 
be surprised to find that what you make at home is even better than some products that 
you can purchase at the store. 


3. Find A Good Moisturizer 

If you want the skin on your feet to look nice, it's always a good idea to find a good 
moisturizer that works for you. Your feet are exposed to all sorts of things if you walk 
barefoot, and human feet can absorb some things they encounter. 

Changes in temperature and humidity can also affect the skin on your feet more than 
you may know. A lot of people discover that they suddenly get dry, cracked heels during 
the colder months. This happens because cells that have become dried out have a 
more difficult time staying bonded together. One of the best ways to stop this is to make 
sure to keep your feet moisturized. A good moisturizer will both add moisture and keep 
the moisture trapped close to the skin. That will keep your skin more flexible so that they 
tissue doesn’t become stressed and break. 
 
When you bathe, it’s important to use soaps that preserve your natural oils. There are a 
number of good quality washing liquids available for purchase. Look for the ones that 
contain vitamin E, aloe, and naturally occurring oils. 


4. Keep Your Nails Trimmed

Toenails take some effort to maintain. Nearly everyone has experienced a moment 
when you realize that your toenails need attention. Nails that aren’t well kept will be 
more likely to experience some form of issue. Longer nails can become a place for 
bacteria and fungus to build up. 

Having longer nails can out you at risk of splitting a nail if you stub your toe. If your nail 
breaks and you expose some of the soft tissue under your toenail, you could increase 
your chance of getting some kind of serious infection. You can get rid of a lot of the 
difficulty of taking care of toenails by keeping them as short as you can. Short nails are 
also less likely to develop cracks or splits. 

A very important thing to remember is that you should always use the proper tools for 
the trimming task. Get a good pair of nail clippers. If you use something like scissors, or 
another random tool for something other than its intended purpose, you could cut your 
nails improperly, cause more problems, or even seriously injure yourself. 

If you end up with something like a split or malformed nail, see a grooming professional 
or a doctor instead of handling it yourself. Doing so could end in injury, or a serious 
infection. 


5. Give Your Feet A Rub

When you place your hands on your own feet, you are creating an opportunity to learn 
about your foot health. During a self foot rub, you can discover any injured that you 
might have sustained at some point recently. Foot rubs dramatically decrease stress 
and help you to improve circulation. 

There are a lot of foot massage exercises available, but one of the most important 
things is to always take your time and go slow. That reduces the opportunity for injury. 
The best part of it though, is that it can take a little 5 or 10 minutes to execute. Foot rubs 
can even reduce inflammation and soreness. 

A good foot rub can also help the joints and bones around your feet. Having good 
strong ankles can help you to keep better balance and working through your feet with 
your hands can help work your ankles a small amount enough to make small, gradual 
increases in strength. 


6. Buy the Right Shoes

How well do your shoes fit? An often overlooked casualty of fashion choices is often 
comfort. When you’re buying new shoes, it only takes a few points of interest to make 
sure that you don’t end up with a pair of shoes that are going to damage your feet.

Shoes that are smaller than they should b can constrict that natural movement of your 
bones, and if there is too much room in a pair of shoes, you could be at risk of losing 
your balance and causing yourself injury.  
 
It’s important to move around in a potential pair of shoes so you know where they are 
going to push and pull your feet when you’re walking. Be sure that they're comfortable 
and have the ability to allow proper ventilation. This is important because shoes that 
don’t ventilate well will be susceptible to molds, and fungus.

A lot of people have naturally sensitive feet that sweat in large amounts when their feet 
become warm. That means that it would be a good idea to be very selective about the 
types of shoes that you wear in warmer weather. 

Keep shoes that are meant for specific types of activities, so your feet can have more of 
a variance of environment. This also keeps you from wearing sweaty shoes that can 
become infected with fungus like running shoes that are designed to be able to handle 
more moisture and impact. 






7. Spend Time in a Foot Bath

Relaxation is good for everyone. Studies have shown that soaking your feet can 
produce a calming response in your body that can be extremely effective in helping to 
reduce stress Taking time to let yourself become more centered is important for every 
person, and giving yourself a foot bath is an excellent way to do that, but foot baths are 
also great for getting rid of some of the toxins in your body. 

If you have a smaller tub that can accommodate your feet, you can fill it with warm 
water and add some Epsom salts. If you let your feet soak for at least 15 minutes, you 
will loosen any dead skin that is on the surface of your skin. Find an efficient abrasive 
like pumice or a textured sponge for scrubbing. 

After you’ve gotten rid of the dry dead skin, rinse and pat your feet dry. Once dry, you 
can select a suitable moisturizer to lock in the natural oils and replenish the vitamins in 
the outermost layer of skin. Try to give yourself some time for these baths at least twice 
a week. This will help to not only relax you and remove dead skin but will also increase 
your circulation and arterial dilation. 


8. Don’t Let Your Sweat Go Unchecked

A lot of people underestimate the amount of fluids the human body can lose in a single 
session of heavy sweating. According to studies, sweat producing glands in the feet can 
create between a ? and a ½ cup of sweat during average daily activities. If the sweat 
collects to heavily into your shoes, this can lead to a fungal infection in the surface of 
your skin or between your toes. 

The best way to combat fungal infections would be to always be sure to remove your 
shoes before they get too soaked with sweat. It would be a good idea to also purchase 
shoes expressly for doing strenuous activities, so you can keep the environment in side 
each shoe separate and free from contamination. 

Wear socks made of a breathable material like cotton and change your socks 
frequently. In some cases, you might even need to change your socks more than once 
in a day. Even though you might feel as if that were tedious, it would be preferable to 
having an unsightly infection on your feet, accompanied by a terrible odor that could end 
your social life. 

You can also make use of special moisture absorbing pads for your shoes or take 
advantage of the many foot powders available to help manage shoe moisture. Try to 
stay away from buying and wearing anything constructed of man-made fibers because 
they tend to be the worst at allowing moisture to evaporate freely. Stick to natural fibers 
and your feet will thank you. 


9. Do Regular Self-Examinations

Throughout your life, an aging body will eventually face challenges and obstacles that 
comes from the need for more specialized maintenance. If you want to prevent some 
situations it becomes extremely important to do frequent checkups that reveal how your 
health is unfolding. That’s why it can be an even greater help to do self-examinations. 
These types of examinations help you to become more well acquainted with what's 
happening, especially with your feet. 

Look at your feet and try to see if you see anything unusual. If you see any sort of 
evidence of infection like changes in your skin around toenails, or discolorations that 
could be the sign of a fungal attack. Other types of ailments can be signified by bruising 
or blistering around areas. 

If you have in fact found any sort of problem with your feet, then the last thing that you 
will want to do will be to ignore it or try to treat it yourself. This can result in an 
emergency situation, so you will want to seek the advice of a medical professional as 
soon as possible. 


10. Special Consideration for Diabetics 
 
Self-examination is also important because a lot of people don’t notice when they have 
been injured, but this unawareness can be caused by another condition that is common 
to diabetic patients called Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. People who suffer from this 
condition are less likely to find injuries and infections without close examinations, so it 
would be a good idea to make self-exams a part of your weekly routine. 

