The best way to treat any kind of problem is by doing everything you can to prevent it from happening in the first place. This approach also applies to taking care of trouble areas like our feet.

Here are five easy foot-care routines to help keep your feet healthy and ready for anything.

1. Keep them clean

Our feet work hard each day, so washing and scrubbing them should be as important to you as washing the rest of your body. When you shower, make sure you’re scrubbing your feet and toes thoroughly and getting rid of the sweat, dirt and grime from the day.

After washing your feet, give them a quick dry and scrape off the dead skin using a stainless steel foot paddle or pumice stone. There’s no immunization for bacteria, but you can make sure to do your best to keep your feet clean and lower the risk of developing issues.
 

2. Cut and trim

Keeping your nails short and trim can drastically reduce your chances of developing unhealthy (and smelly) feet. Under your toenails is prime real estate for dirt and bacteria. Also, keeping them well-cut reduces the discomfort of ingrown nails.

When cutting your nails, always leave a little white, crescent moon shape at the tips. Cutting them shorter may irritate soft tissue, causing discomfort when you walk.
 

3. Stay dry

Did you know the soles of our feet have the most concentrated area of sweat glands on our entire body? So don’t feel too self-conscious if you have trouble keeping them dry. If you’re hanging out at home, be barefoot.

Whether its your work shoes, gym shoes or everyday old faithfuls, always ensure your footwear is aired out to fully dry. Wear a different pair every few days and give yesterday’s pair the chance to dry.

If you’re extra sweaty, carry an extra pair of socks with you and change into a clean pair during the day. A little tip: materials like merino wool and bamboo are excellent for repelling sweat and odour.
 

4. Moisturize with the right formula

Moisturizing helps reduce the occurrence of skin conditions like calluses, corns, and cracked heels. There are many moisturizers out there to choose from, but we recommend Footlogix which contains moisture-locking ingredients like urea. Their line of foot care is a quick drying foam, and they have different formulas to suite different skin conditions. It’s essentially the best line of foot care out there, and even better, they’re a local company from Etobicoke, Ontario. You can get yours at any of our locations.
 

5. Regular pedicures

You should think of a pedicure in the same way you do an oil change for your car; every 7-8 weeks it’s time for a tune-up from an expert. Yes, really! They do the intensive work of scrubbing your feet, scraping down unsightly calluses and corns, trimming your nails and cuticles and moisturizing; all this with a professional eye to spot any issues. If there are any concerns, they will be able to let you know so you can get on the right path to correcting it.

Stay tuned for our upcoming article on what happens when foot health isn’t maintained. Hint: Fungus!