Foot care for winter
There’s a reason why Rajkumar’s dialogue — Aap ke paon dekhey, bahut haseen hain, inhen zameen par mat utariyega, mailey ho jayengey — has become immemorable. Imagine someone who is perfectly put together, right from hair and makeup to clothes and accessories. Shift focus to their feet and horror of horrors! The feet don’t seem to belong to the same person.
Your feet endure the most while carrying your weight around, being cramped in fancy, high-heeled footwear and the changing weather. Winter is the time when they take a beating. Dry skin eventually leads to cracked heels. Not only are cracked heels an eyesore but they are painful, too. And, ignoring the cracks will only worsen the situation. One must care for their skin and moisturise it, no matter what the season. But in winter, additional care is needed.
REMOVING ROUGH SKIN
Rough, dry, chaffed skin looks grayish and dull. Removing it is the first step towards good skin because moisturising dead skin does not serve any purpose.
Warm bath for soft skin: Soak your feet in a small tub filled with warm water. Remember you must use warm water and not hot water. Extreme temperatures aid in drying skin more. Add a little shower gel to cleanse your feet while they are soaking. Don’t have time for a luxurious soak? Do this while you are bathing. Soaking your feet in warm water for ten minutes softens the skin and the rough patches. Towel dry your feet. Don’t rub them roughly.
Removing dead skin: While your feet are still damp, rub the heels with a soft pumice stone. Do not use the metal foot scrubbers that are available in the market. Don’t get frenzied while rubbing. The key is to be gentle. Rub until you see some of the rough skin sloughed off.
Foot scrub: Mix a little sugar with olive oil. You can also add a few drops of mint or tea tree essential oil. Start scrubbing your feet with the mixture in circular motions. The granular sugar will exfoliate your feet ridding it off the dead skin. Olive oil will soften the skin and moisturise it in the process. And the massage will do your tired feet a world of good. Just make sure you are not too hard while scrubbing your feet or it will defeat the purpose of the scrub.
FOOT MASKS
After getting rid of the dead skin, it is very important that your feet be wrapped in a nourishing mask. You will need an overripe banana. The blacker the skin, the better. Mash the banana along with the juice of one lemon. Apply a thick layer of the mask all over your feet and wrap with kitchen foil paper. Keep it on for ten minutes and wash off with lukewarm water. Since this mask can be quite messy, it would be better to do this in the bathroom or spread a newspaper on the floor before you start doing this.
MOISTURISING SKIN Before you turn in for the day, make sure you slather a thick coat of petroleum jelly or olive oil or a thick cream on your feet and wear a pair of old socks. If your heels are riddled with deep cracks, you should follow this tip religiously. You can also wrap your feet with gauze tape after moisturising it. Another way of getting rid of cracked heels is mixing glycerine, lemon juice and a little sugar together. Apply this concoction on your feet, cover them with socks and leave it on overnight. This will also help lighten ugly scars left by shoe bites.
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