How to take care of your feet

1 | Soft feet

Start by removing calluses. Calluses are common under the ball of your feet but can also occur under the toes or at the bottom of the heel. Soak the feet daily in a lavender foot bath or use a foot scrub. Use a plume stone or a callus file if the callus is more persistent. Dry the feet with a rough towel.

2 | Nourishing care 

Use a hydrating foot cream on both your feet. This makes them wonderfully soft again. Special nourishing creams are also available, these often smell wonderful and they’re great to use for a foot massage. A tip is to massage your feet with petroleum jelly such as Vaseline before going to sleep. When you wear thin cotton socks, the petroleum jelly makes your feet even softer due to the heat.

3 | Relaxing foot massage

Squeeze some cream or massage oil into your hands and warm it up by rubbing your hands together. Shake your feet for a moment and sit cross-legged or in an easy chair so that you can reach your feet. Start kneading gently in the sole and then work more vigorously. Make circular movements with your fingertips. Place the thumb under the tip of each toe and massage it. When the sole is relaxed, make the same movements on the rest of your foot. Slowly move down to your leg and massage your knee. When you are done, rub the remaining cream on your legs and knees. Do you want to enjoy a foot massage to the fullest? Let someone else do the work! Ask a friend, your partner, or make it even more professional and plan a foot relaxation massage with a masseur.

4 | Help! I have fungi nails

Less pleasant is a (contagious) fungal nail. This is a heavily thickened nail with discoloration. Consider a pedicure to make the nail thinner and smoother or use anti-fungal medications. Nowadays there are good resources available that work from “within.” These generally give good results. The sooner the treatment is started, the faster the nail will heal.

5 | Pretty nails

Regularly lubricate your cuticles with nourishing oil and gently push them back with a cuticle pusher. File your nails nicely in shape and file them in one direction. Take the time to paint your nails. Nail polish doesn’t work well if your nails are oily. Therefore, it’s important to wash your hands with some soap and to clean your nails with nail polish remover. Apply a transparent nail polish base. This will protect your nails against discoloration. When the base coat is completely dry, you can apply colorful nail polish. Apply the nail polish in one smooth movement and work from the top of your nail to the bottom. Start with a stripe in the middle and work your way to the sides. Apply the nail polish in at least two layers and let your nails dry well. With a cotton swab and some nail polish remover, you can touch up the areas where you messed up. Proceed with caution and wait a while before you clean the ‘sloppy areas’ until the nail polish is completely dry. Finally, you apply a topcoat. This topcoat is mainly intended to protect your nail polish against damage.