Healing foot care ...

Our poor feet. Since man began trekking upright, these simple body parts have taken a beating. That wear and tear is most evident on the heels of our feet, where dead skin begins to dry, crack and harden into embarrassing ugliness.

You may have overlooked foot care and maintenance this winter (or, possibly for years.) But, it’s spring and sandal season is here. Getting those feet in shape isn’t difficult or even time consuming. It’s much more about developing a simple treatment plan and sticking to it.

It’s easy to make foot care part of your regular bath or shower routine. But, for now, it’s out with the old and in with the new. Let’s get rid of the unsightly mess on our heels first.

Soak. Fill a small plastic basin or tub with warm water. Add a tablespoon of Epson Salt and your favorite essential oil (lavender is a good choice for relaxing or mint for rejuvenating ). Soak your feet for 20-30 minutes.  Pat dry.

Exfoliate. Follow your foot soak by scrubbing your heels with a clean pumice stone to grind away dry, dead skin. (Do keep that stone clean. I take an old toothbrush with a dab of shampoo to get rid of my pumice yuck.)

Scrub. Here’s my secret weapon. I follow the pumice stone step with a really good, natural body scrub. I suggest you use an all-natural, exfoliating sugar or salt scrub loaded with moisturizing oils to gently polish, smooth and hydrate skin. (I use ACEQUIA BodyScrub in Sugarcream formula and keep it in the shower, using it on my heels a couple times a week to maintain happy, healthy feet.) Note: Any scrub with oils will make a tub or shower slick, so be careful not to slip!)

Hydrate. Your initial heel treatment (if in bad shape) should include a good slather of chemical-free moisturizer following the scrub. Then, pull on some nice cotton socks to lock in the hydrating oils while you sleep.

After several nights of this healing routine, you should see and feel a noticeable difference. Then, your maintenance becomes even easier. Twice weekly exfoliation and scrub with moisturizing oils should keep your feet in great shape. You may want to try my favorite scrub noted above or ACEQUIA BodyScrub in Mineral Salt formula with Dead Sea Salts in a Coconut Mango fragrance.