Take Care Of Your Feet Naturally

Do you love your feet?  They do so much for us, yet we don’t often give them the attention they deserve.  As the weather cools and we put our feet back into our shoes lets give our feet some tender loving care.

Foot Fact

Each foot has about 250.000 sweat glands that are capable of producing a pint  of sweat each day.  That is certainly a reason to keep them clean, fresh and dry.

Tips To Keep Your Feet Clean and Pampered

• When washing your feet, be sure to wash each foot-top, sides, soles, heals and toes each day.  It is not enough to just let the soap run off from the shower clean them.  I use a body brush with a long handle.  I keep one for dry brushing my body and another for brushing my feet.
• Dry each foot completely with a towel after bathing.  Get the towel in between the toes, since damp feet tend to encourage bacteria to grow.
• Massage coconut oil cocoa butter or shea butter onto your heels and food bed each night before bed.  This will keep your skin from cracking, it also feels really nice.  I use this coconut butter for my body and feet.
• Use a pumice stone on cracked heels to help  exfoliate them
• Once a week soak feet in warm water for 10 minutes to get them ready for an exfoliating scrub.  Look for a scrub with natural ingredients, phthalate free, paraben free, preservative free.  Rub the scrub ini a circular motion, paying extra attention to the heels and any calluses.
• Athlete’s feet is a fungal infection that my be a sign of a weakened immune system.  It is often picked up by touching a person who already is infected or from walking on damp floors in public showers or locker rooms. Peeling, flaky skin and intense itch are some of the symptoms.  If you do get athletes foot start boosting your immune system by eating more vegetables.  Treat the area with tea tree oil.  It works as well as or better than pharmaceutical antifungal products. Apply a light coating to the affected area two or three times a day, and continue to apply it for two weeks after signs of the infection have disappeared to make sure the fungus is eradicated.  Keep your feet dry.  Wear cotton socks and change them daily or wear sandals.

Tips To Care For Your Toes

Your toenails are designed to protect the bones and nerves underneath the skin, as well as the ends of the toes.   Unfortunately many of us have find they are prone to funguses, discoloration and brittleness.  If we wear shoes that are too tight they may even grow in curved.  I once let my toenails grow too long, then after a hike my nail beds were bruised.  Here are some tips to care for your toenails.

• Put little coconut oil on your toenails each evening before bed, it is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal.
• Avoid ingrown toenails by cutting your toenails straight across -never round out the edges.  Smooth any rough edges with a nail file.
• Make sure your shoes don’t crowd your toes as this can cause ingrown toenails.
• If you do wind up with an ingrown toenail, soak your feet in Epsom salts 1-3 times a day to promote healing.
• Tea-tree oil will also clear up fungal infections of the toenails or fingernails.  You’ll find tea-tree oil products at health-food and herb stores. Be sure to select brands that are 100 percent tea-tree oil.

If you have persistent fungal problems with your toes or feet try this:

HERBAL FOOT OIL RECIPE:

1Tb  castor oil
1 Tb  liquid coconut oil (simply leave in the sun to melt)
1 vitamin E capsule (pierce capsule with pin to release the oil)
4 drops of tea tree essential oil
1 drop of peppermint essential oil (optional)
2 drops of lavender or oregano essential oil

• Mix all ingredients together in a new 50 ml bottle  Shake well.
• If the mixture solidifies, simply put in a basin of hot water.
• Massage a little oil into the nails and feet each night.

Feet are often neglected until there is a problem. Why not start to care for your feet today?