Everyone wants to have beautiful feet, especially during the warmer months, when flip flops and sandals are the go-to footwear. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to keep your feet in tip-top shape because they take a lot of wear and tear. They support your weight and get you around, don’t they? If you want to keep your feet looking their best, you have to take steps to preserve and maintain them. Here are eight ways to keep your feet looking their best all year long:

1. Wear Shoes that Fit

Some people are on their feet more than others — for example, waitresses and those who go on long daily runs — but we should all be wearing comfortable, well-fitting shoes, whenever possible. The wrong shoes will wear your feet down pretty quickly. Shoes that are too small or just rub your feet the wrong way can cause unsightly blisters and corns. You should be especially careful when bringing home a new pair. Most shoes take awhile to break in, so you shouldn’t wear those cute new heels three days in a row.

2. Soak Your Feet Often

From time to time everyone’s feet will have rough or dry skin. To keep them soft and clean, be sure to soak your feet regularly. There is a number of fancy foot baths out there, but you really just need a bucket of warm water for a good soak. You can add some olive oil and few drops of scented essential oil of your choice (rose essential oil will be great) for additional luxury. It’s best to soak your feet for, approximately, ten to fifteen minutes; otherwise, your feet will become pruned, which isn’t very effective, if you’re trying to remove dead skin.

3. Scrub

After you’ve soaked your feet for a while, be sure to give them a good scrub to smooth rough or dry areas. You can use a foot or facial scrub if you’d like or you can take your feet out of the water and use a pumice stone to massage the rough areas. Remember: a pumice stone is more effective when your feet are still damp and you should always go with the grain of your feet.

4. Let Your Feet Breathe

It’s a good habit to take your shoes off after you get home, so that you can let your feet breathe. Otherwise, the sweat and dirt that build up in your shoes during the day — yes, your feet sweat, even if you always wear cotton socks — will continue to wear on your feet after hours. In the winter, you can also put on a fresh pair of cotton socks or slippers, especially, if you wash and lotion your feet beforehand, as the socks help lock in moisture. If you allow dirt and sweat to stay on your feet longer than necessary, you’re creating a breeding ground for athlete’s foot and other diseases.

5. Remove Your Polish

Over time, nail polish can wear down your nails. Before reapplying new polish, be sure to remove all of the old layers. If you can, let your toenails go polish-free for few hours and then, apply a polish that helps strengthen your nails.

6. Trim Your Nails to a Suitable Length

Broken and ingrown toenails aren’t just unsightly — they’re also painful. To prevent these ailments, make a point to regularly trim your toenails. Just be sure not to make the nail too short, as this can also cause discomfort.

7. Moisturizing treatment

If you want your feet to feel baby soft, you need to invest in a good foot cream or use natural oils. In general, your feet need a thicker cream than the rest of your body, as the skin on your feet is also thicker. Choose a cream with Vitamin E and coconut oil to keep your feet at their smoothest. Coconut oil foot massage is another simple way to soothe and hydrate tired feet. If you have some serious dry skin issues on your feet, try an overnight moisturizing treatment: simply massage your feet with cocoa butter and then, put on your favorite pair of cotton socks. Your feet will feel much softer when you wake up in the morning.

8. Wash with Purified Water

Some of us just seem to have feet that are more prone to ailments. My mom’s heals tend to crack no matter how much lotion she applies. She’s even used medicated balms and ointments, though nothing made her feet as soft as she’d like. A few years ago, she realized that her house was in an area with hard water, which can really dry out the skin. It turns out that the tap water was making her cracked heels worse and since then, she’s made a point to only soak her feet in purified water. If your feet dry out easily, you may consider washing them with treated well water or another kind of purified water. Water treatment systems can make a big difference in softening your skin.

BDST: 1559 HRS, FEB-06, 2014