After months of wearing slippers in the house I feel bad that I ever forced my feet to wear painful shoes. We are on our feet all day; they take the brunt of our weight and carry us from A-B so it’s time to give them some TLC.
I’m a huge fan of DIY pedicures, and even better if you have someone you can do one with like a sister, housemate or unwitting boyfriend. I like to do these about once a month while watching something on Netflix. I start by filling a bucket with warm water and my favourite bubble bath. Soak your feet for about 5 minutes in the soapy water, and dry with a clean towel. Use the flattened edge of an orange stick to push your cuticles back and the other side to clean under your nails before cutting as needed. Make sure to file any sharp edges away. If you’re doing your pedicure with someone else, now is a great time to give each other a foot massage with a hydrating foot cream. I like to use the Body Shop’s almond cream because I love the smell and I think it strengthens my nails. If you want to paint your nails, now is the time. Start with a base coat and let it dry before applying one or two coats of colour. Let this dry fully before applying a topcoat. Since you don’t want to smudge your newly painted toes, you’ll just have to put your feet up for 30 minutes and relax!
Now your feet are feeling fancy it’s time to talk shoes. Like most people I am guilty of buying shoes because I think they look pretty despite being hideously uncomfortable. The good news is there are ways to try and make them more comfortable. Blister plasters are a great solution if you know your shoes are going to rub and think a standard plaster will just fall off. Keep some in your bag for emergencies too. If it’s the ball of your feet which hurt most, you might want to invest in cushion inserts. Place these in the shoe under the ball of your foot and feel the pain melt away.
My dad always used to tell me to break in my new shoes before school started again, wearing them for a couple of hours a day around the house. I never listened and spent the first few weeks with blisters. Turns out dad was right. Wearing a thick pair of socks in your new shoes for a few hours a day can help stretch them and sort out any areas that may later cause problems. This is a really good idea if you’ve recently purchased some new winter boots where the leather hasn’t quite softened yet.
Sometimes an outfit just calls for heels and no other shoe will do, so we put up with the pain for the sake of the perfect outfit, but there are a couple of things that may help. If you know there will be a lot of standing, opt for a wedge or platform instead as it will help spread the weight more evenly as opposed to a six-inch stiletto. When buying heels, also look at the amount of space under the toes. If it’s about two inches thick and the heel is six-inches then you’re really only wearing four-inch heels. Not only are they more comfortable, they are much easier to walk in. Speaking of which, when in heels try to walk heel-to-toe while leaning backwards ever so slightly as this will help spread the weight as you walk, protecting the balls of your feet. You’ll also look like a professional model and who doesn’t want to look like a professional in heels!?
After a long day in slippers, heels or trainers I like to give myself a short foot massage with foot cream to stop them from feeling dry. This is especially important in the summer when sandals reappear because no one likes to see cracked skin on feet. Since we are spending more time at home, now is a great time to get into a routine of looking after your feet, and trust me, they will thank you for it.