We love open shoes that show our feet off at their best, especially at this time of the year. So it can be really irritating if you suffer from dry, cracked feet that look anything but beautiful. Yet unfortunately this is a common problem, and one that we want to explore in a little more detail here. And we know all about what you can do about it – so you can enjoy wearing your sandals, flip flops and co. again in no time ?
What it means to suffer from dry feet
If you suffer from dry feet, it means that you have rough, chapped, scaly skin on your feet. It also leads to a sensation of tightness and your skin can become itchy. In extreme cases, cracks may even form in the skin, which can lead to inflammation. The skin’s damaged natural protective barrier makes it easier for fungal infections to develop, for example.
The root causes – Why you get dry feet
One cause of dry feet could be all the sunshine we get in the summer, but it can also be caused by washing our feet too often. After all, soap and shower gel can dry out our skin if we use them too much. That’s why many people find themselves suffering from dry feet, especially after taking a shower. If our feet sweat a lot in the summer, it can make our skin swell up, which in turn damages the skin’s protective barrier. This can increase the risk of getting dry feet too. Nevertheless, dry, cracked feet don’t just affect us in the summer. Since we often wear close shoes in the winter that don’t allow our feet to breathe, we can get dry feet then too. What’s more, dry feet can also be caused by either of the following:
- Dry feet during pregnancy: Not only do women gain weight during pregnancy, but their hormonal balance also changes. Unfortunately, this can also result in foot problems, including dry feet.
- Dry feet with diabetes and neurodermatitis: Diabetics and those suffering from neurodermatitis often have problems with dry feet. Generally speaking, people with these conditions suffer from dry skin, which often affects their feet as well.
What you can do about dry feet
Sadly, even the most beautiful sandals, flip flops, and the like only look half as attractive if our feet look dry and cracked in them. That’s why we have put together a few tips for you on how to avoid dry feet in the future:
- Excessively hot water: It is important to clean your feet regularly, but you need to be careful about the water temperature. Excessively hot water will dry your feet out too much. So you should use lukewarm water for this.
- Dry your feet properly: This may sound trivial, but sometimes we aren’t all that careful with drying, especially when it comes to our feet. So make sure you dry your feet well, including between your toes. Ideally using a separate towel.
- Apply cream regularly: Our feet are often neglected in our everyday grooming routine. But it’s important to look after them too. Ideally, you should apply a moisturizing cream twice a day. During the winter, it can even be worth applying cream three times a day. The best creams to use are ones that don’t contain alcohol or perfume.
- Wear the right socks: Now this does not apply so much in summer, when we hopefully only need to wear socks occasionally, but in winter it’s best to go for woolen socks. These are much better at absorbing the sweat that your feet produce in snug winter shoes compared with socks made from other materials.
- Walk around barefoot every now and then: You should leave your shoes off altogether more often, especially when it is warm. This usually isn’t a big problem when you’re at home or in your own garden and it will do your feet good!
- Drink lots of water, and go easy on the alcohol and nicotine: What’s good for the rest of your skin is good for the skin on your feet as well. So drink plenty of water and try to avoid alcohol and nicotine.
How to nourish your feet
Along with the tips above, good foot care is particularly important to prevent dry, cracked feet. The following suggestions can be helpful with this:
Foot bath with olive oil
Mix together warm water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 250ml of milk, 1 tablespoon of honey and a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and soak your feet in the mixture for about 15 minutes. Then rinse thoroughly and dry.
Coconut oil treatment
You can use coconut oil after washing your feet as normal. Simply rub it into your feet and then slip on a pair of cotton socks. This will allow your feet to absorb the coconut oil as much as possible.
Exfoliating scrub with salt and lemon
Using an exfoliating scrub helps to remove flakes of dead skin from your feet. Simply mix 5 tablespoons of coarsely ground salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of half a lemon to form a paste and gently massage it into your feet. Then rinse it off. A scrub like this should be included in your foot care routine once a week.
Vinegar foot bath
Yes, we know vinegar wouldn’t be the first choice for foot care if it were all about smell. But if you mix two parts water with one part vinegar and soak your feet in it for 15 minutes, it prepares your feet perfectly for the next stage in your foot care. This is because it allows your feet to absorb the exfoliating scrubs and creams etc. much more effectively.
pjuractive mySKIN
It may not be the most conventional grooming tip, but we still want to give our pjuractive mySKIN a quick mention here. Many women tend to develop blisters and sore, chafed patches on their feet, especially in summer shoes – which of course makes the skin on your feet even more sensitive. If you want to help prevent this, use our mySKIN. The anti-blister gel forms an invisible, protective film as soon as it is applied, which protects your skin from chafing. It also contains nourishing argan oil and natural vitamin E to condition the skin on your feet at the same time.
Dry feet are a common problem and since we like to showcase our feet in our summer shoes, we hope that these tips will help you avoid dry, rough, and cracked feet so that you can just enjoy the summer ?