How to ensure you treat your feet right, even during rains?
Should your foot care regime change with the seasons?
How important is pedicure during rains?
Monsoon is here and how! My little one has been eagerly waiting for the rain. Well, not the rain, it is the muddy puddles that she has been waiting for. If you have a kid at home who is into the adorable Peppa pig, you will most certainly be going through the same. Fortunately, my kiddo takes Peppa and her words quite seriously. So she knows that every time she steps out she has to wear her boots.
I am glad, as I have not been that great with my feet as a kid, despite my mom’s best efforts. I have changed, but I make mistakes when it comes to my feet, even now. And so do a lot of us. Things become worse in the rains when we continue with our ‘usual’ treatment. The careless attitude and the humidity make an evil duo.
Recently we had gone out, upon return I made my child wash her feet and then I cleaned her footwear. While I have been finicky about my shoes, I never took good care of my feet. I was worried about my child’s feet, but not mine. This got me thinking – “What sort of an example was I setting?”
But I know I am not alone.
Now, if you want to know how much you are neglecting your feet, take a look at your feet. If they could talk, they would tell you stories of neglect and cruelty. It would be enough to make a soap opera that has the power to move you to tears. While this kind of attitude will get us through other seasons, the rainy season can be a bit unforgiving to that kind of lax attitude.
But you can change all that by taking extra good care of your feet.
Today we are going to talk about taking care of our feet during the rainy season.
Rains and infections of the feet:
Rains are amazing, if we are sitting indoors, all warm and cozy. If you aren’t lucky enough to do that and have to commute, then you have to be wary of infections that monsoons bring along with it (and mind you, there are quite a few). Some of them affects the feet. The water and our careless habits can really take a toll on the feet.
Fungal and bacterial infections are quite common during this season. Prolonged exposure to water can also lead to us losing skin and the skin developing cracks. These cracks are an open invitation for bacteria.
Smelly feet are also a thing that has become associated with rains. It may not be a painful condition, but it can make life ‘painful’ for people around you.
But this doesn’t mean that you will have to suffer during rains. If you follow certain simple tips, then you can keep your feet happy!
Treat your feet right this monsoon with these simple rules
I promised you I will give you some tips for your feet. So here they are.
These tips, if followed correctly will ensure that your feet stay protected even during the harshest of monsoons. So let us get started.
#1. Wash your feet
Earlier old family homes in Kerala had a “Kindi” (type of vessel) kept at the steps of the house. Its use was simple, it was meant for people to wash their feet when they entered the house. This practice may seem outdated, but it is so relevant even in today’s times. It ensured that you don’t get the dirt inside and that your feet remained clean. If you have to travel during rains, make it a practice to wash your feet once you get home – dirty or not.
You can use an anti-bacterial soap to wash your feet. Also make sure that you wash your feet thoroughly and clean in between the toes.
#2. Dry your feet
Always make sure that your feet remain dry. Wet feet will cause fungal and bacterial infections. It will also make the skin susceptible to cuts as it makes it soft. Make sure you dry your feet well before you put your footwear on.
#3. Scrub your feet
Scrubbing your feet will help in getting rid of the dead skin cells and helps to keep it clean and looking great. But do not over scrub. This will lead to the skin being too soft and making it vulnerable to cuts and cracks.
You can use a store bought scrub or even use a homemade scrub. I love this two ingredient scrub as it is easy to make and gives good results. The lemon being anti-fungal helps to safeguard the feet from infections.
#4. Moisturize your feet regularly
Moisturize? Even during the rains? Yes, that is right. You have to moisturize your feet even during the rains. Moisturizing will help to keep the skin supple and hydrated and will prevent your feet from dry and developing cracks.
Having said that, you have to ensure that you do not apply moisturizer in between the toes. This is because it can make this area susceptible to infections due to the moisture.
Make sure that you follow the scrubbing process with proper moisturization. If you are a working mommy or have to travel, then it is advisable to moisturize the feet at night.
#5. Schedule regular pedicures
It helps to get rid of the dead skin build up and helps to keep your feet healthy. A bi-weekly pedicure during rainy season should suffice. You have to be extremely careful about where you get the pedicure done though. You have to go to reputed parlours that take hygiene very seriously. A pedicure done with unclean equipment can gift you with infections.
If you aren’t confident about whether your parlour is maintaining the hygiene standards, then just to be safe, do it at home! In one of the earlier posts we mentioned how you can do the pedicure at home like a pro. If you haven’t read it, you can check it out here.
#6. Trim your toenails
If you like keeping your toenails long, then take a break from that habit during the rains. Long nails can harbor dirt and also become a breeding ground for bacteria. If you feel a little length won’t hurt you, then you are mistaken.
If you have ingrown toenails, then be a bit more careful during this season. This way you won’t be making a painful situation even worse.
#7. Leave the cuticle be
It is better if you don’t trim your cuticle during this season (or any, if you ask me). Pushing it back too much or ending up with a cut is not something you want. Damage to the cuticle will also affect the growth of the nail. So rather than snipping it off, just moisturize it and leave it be.
#8. Always wear footwear
Do not walk around barefoot. Walking around barefoot during the rains can make your feet prone to infections. If you are a diabetic, then goes without saying that walking barefoot is a strict no-no. This is because cuts and nicks can get infected and will take a long time to heal.
#9. Wear the right type of footwear
I remember, back in school, rains meant permission to not wear shoes. We were told to wear footwear appropriate for rains.
I know that our school days are behind us, but you have to keep those leather and suede shoes away. The rainy season is a time to dress practical. You have to ensure that your footwear is suitable for rains. If you own a pair of Wellingtons, great, wear them.
If you aren’t a boot person, go for open footwear. Avoid styles that have fabric on it as it can become difficult to dry it. Also go for footwear that has sufficient grip so that you can navigate slippery roads and floors with ease.
#10. Care for your footwear
It is not enough if you just care for your feet, you have to care for your footwear too. When you return home, make sure you clean and dry your footwear too. It is imperative that you wear clean footwear, so as to keep infections at bay. Wash off any dirt and grime.
You can wash the insides of the footwear with a bit of Dettol or Savlon too. Once you do that, you have to dry it well. Wearing wet footwear is one of the causes of the bad odour of the feet. Our bad habits have earned the rains a bad rap!
Rains will also cause fungus growth on the footwear we haven’t worn in a while. So make sure you air your shoe rack once a while. Take out all the shoes and inspect it for any fungal activity.
#11. Keep a spare footwear at hand
Mommies who have to travel daily and stand a chance of getting the footwear wet/ face a possibility of staying in wet footwear should keep a spare footwear. You won’t lose anything by doing this. But a spare footwear is a handy thing to have.
#12. Wearing socks- should you or should you not?
Soaks on feet at all time? Well, it is advisable not to wear socks during the rains. The reason is quite obvious, isn’t it? Socks can get wet and do not allow the feet to breathe. Wearing wet socks can cause a host of issues, from infections to stench.
If you have to wear socks, ensure that you wash and dry it properly. Using some Dettol or Savlon is a good idea too.
Use socks that are made of absorbent material only. As in the case of footwear, carry a spare so that in the event it gets wet, you can change into a pair of dry socks.
#13. Foot soaks and masks
Soaking the feet is a good way to soften the dead skin cells and facilitate their easy removal. A simple soak that you can do at home is the salt water soak. Take some lukewarm water in a basin. Add some Dettol and shampoo to it and soak your feet. It helps to relieve tiredness and the salt kills the also helps to clean the feet.
You can also make a soak by boiling neem leaves with water and soaking your feet in it while it is lukewarm. Neem is a natural antiseptic so this simple soak will work wonders.
You can also apply a pack of multani mitti, neem paste and/turmeric paste once a week.
Also read:
- Benefits of neem for your skin and hair (with DIY face and hair masks)
- 25 Benefits of Multani mitti for face, skin and hair
#14. Oil massage
Massage your feet once a week with some oil. Wash it off with some green gram powder or besan. This will help to get the oil out without drying your feet too much.
- Also read: How to do reflexology massage at home?
#15. Treat wounds on the feet
If you have got any wounds, cuts, scrapes or lesions on your feet, ensure that you treat it. Wounds should be kept covered unless and until your doctor has advised you against it. As I mentioned above, foot packs with neem and turmeric will help to hasten the healing process.
If you feel uncomfortable doing that, try the neem water foot soak. But after you are done, dry the feet properly.
#16. Avoid saunas
Avoid trips to saunas during the rains. Germs and a warm and moist environment is like a carnival ground for diseases.
#17. Clean all your mani/pedi tools well
Clean feet- check, clean footwear- check, but what if you don’t clean the mani/pedi tools well? All your efforts go waste.
So there you go. Simple rules to treat your feet right during this rainy season. I am sure you would have seen some and gone, “Hey, I know that!” Well to be honest, all these are not something new, but something that needs reiteration. A bit of care goes a long way and if we follow these then these will come to your rescue even when you are older.
Mommies hope you find this useful and you do treat your feet well henceforth. Don’t forget to like, share and comment so that other mommies can benefit from it too!
Till then stay fab!
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