Summer Foot Care

Happy Summer, Everyone!

I hope that wherever you live, you stay cool from the blistering heat and walk in beauty.

Along the Encinitas coast, we enjoy cool mornings and evenings due to the marine layer that hugs our coastline. As the clouds clear mid-morning, I bask in the bright, warm days of sunshine and soft afternoon breezes, enjoying summer’s outdoor energy.

This is the season I wear sandals and open-toed shoes, allowing my feet to breathe. But my pleasure comes when I kick off my shoes to walk barefoot in the yard and in the sand along the shoreline.

In this blog, I’ll cover tips you can use to care for your summer feet.

Our Feet Our Foundation

“Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle!”    — Martha Graham

Our feet are one of the most important foundations for physical well-being. A quarter of the body’s bones are contained in the feet and ankles.

When we build the temple of our body, we must always start from what is essential and build from the ground up. In the body’s architecture, our feet support the entire body and allow us to move, balance, and determine how stable we are as we age.

Although at the bottom of our body, they support the entire skeleton, provide shock absorption when you walk or run, and give you a spring in your step.

Did you know that the average person will walk the equivalent of twice around the world in a lifetime? That’s a long time on your feet.

But after walking in the heat for any length of time, our feet will most likely become sore and tired.

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art: –Leonardo da Vinci

The human foot is a marvel of biomechanical engineering that most of us take for granted until we injure them or they hurt or swell due to summer heat.

If you have issues with your feet, they can contribute to further problems in the ankle, knee, hip, back, posture, eyes, and inner ear.

Lower body tightness can start in your feet and work its way up from a myriad of sources, such as standing on your feet for many hours, the type of shoes you wear, sitting too long, carrying heavy loads, and even strenuous workouts—including yoga.

Furthermore, the feet are perhaps the most neglected complex structure in the body. So if you’ve noticed your feet need a little TLC, check out these summer foot care tips for beautiful, healthy feet.

Healthy Happy Feet

Often overlooked, summer is an excellent time to give our feet some extra love. Now that hot weather is here, give them the attention they deserve.

After all, a healthy foot is an attractive foot.

Many everyday summer habits, such as wearing the same pair of flip-flops daily or walking barefoot, can be hard on the feet. While they are inevitably exposed to varied environments, a few things for simple, everyday care at home can keep them looking healthy, fresh, and beautiful!

Beautiful Feet begins with Care

During the season’s heat, your feet may need extra care due to the sun and exposure to outdoor conditions.

Here are some tips for summer foot care to ensure your feet are in top condition throughout the season.

Foot Hygiene #1

Bacteria and fungi thrive on sweaty, hot feet. This can result in issues such as foot odor and athlete’s foot. To avoid these foot problems, thoroughly clean your feet with soap and water daily.

1. If you’ve been barefoot during the day or have been exposed to a dusty environment, clean your feet before you go to bed at night. Do not wait until morning.
2. Thoroughly scrub your feet using a washcloth or Fleur Natural Linen Bath Mitt, warm water, and mild soap. When you shower or bathe, pay attention to the spaces between your toes. Unclean feet will not absorb moisturizers and nutrients, harbor microbes, and, over time, lead to cracked and aged-looking feet.
3. Avoid very hot water.
4. Surface heel cracks can be remedied with a foot soak, exfoliating, and moisturizing treatment.

Foot Baths

Foot baths are wonderfully restoring for the feet and promote general well-being. Soaking your feet can improve circulation and reduce discomfort and pain all the way up your legs, calves, hips, and lower back, helping your whole body decompress.

1. Foot soaks are excellent for revitalizing your skin and softening any roughness.
2. A foot soak for 10-20 minutes can help discourage bacteria growth and works to ward off infection caused by problems like ingrown toenails and fungus.
3. Warm or lukewarm water is excellent for relaxation, especially in the evening before bed. Warm water will increase circulation, which helps with cell recovery. Those calf muscles that are knotty or inflamed from exercise or being stationary get some extra blood and oxygen sent their way, which allows them to rebuild.
4. Use a pumice stone on your calluses and an over-the-counter product such as Kerasal to heal and seal heel cracks.
5. A cold water soak is incredibly soothing when you’ve been on your feet all day in the summer sun. This helps constrict your blood vessels and reduce the inflammatory chemical mediators, reducing foot swelling and inflammation. Research shows that putting your feet in cold water can reduce core body temperature and keep your organs toned. It will also help reduce swelling in your ankles and feet.
6. Dry thoroughly and then moisturize your feet.

Epsom Salt Benefits

1. Adding Sea of Life 50/50 mineral blend with Epsom salt to your foot bath can help you detoxify and soften the skin on your feet and leave them less prone to bacteria overgrowth. Magnesium foot benefits include

• Eases pain from foot strain, stiffness, sprains, and bruises‌
• Decreases inflammation
• Boosts nerve and muscle function
• Relieves swollen ankles and feet
• Soothes cracked and dry skin and treats callouses
• Reduces odor and prevents athlete’s foot
• Loosens skin buildup
• Treats toenail fungus
• Eases muscle cramps
• Helps you feel relaxed.

Exfoliate

Weekly exfoliation works wonders for the skin, especially on your feet, where dead skin is tougher to shed.

1. Use Fleur Natural Linen fiber Bath Mitt to gently exfoliate dead skin cells, refine pores, and stimulate blood circulation to help keep skin clean, soft, and smooth.
2. Use a pumice stone for the heels to remove a buildup of callus.
3. Add a tablespoon of Sea of Life Dead Sea Salts onto your bath mitt and massage in a circular motion over wet skin to dissolve, exfoliate, and soften foot skin. Rinse thoroughly.
4. Use as a salt glow treatment: Mix a tablespoon of Sea of Life Dead Sea salt with one pump of CelluCleanse Body Oil onto your bath mitt for added detoxifying and moisturizing benefits.
5. Concentrate on the heel and ball of the foot. Don’t forget to massage the lotion between your toes, onto the tops of your feet, and over your nails before rinsing.
6. Finish with moisturizer, and your feet will look instantly better.

Moisturize

Our feet are exposed to the elements during the summer, and open shoes can cause rapid moisture loss from the skin. Summer heat and sun exposure can cause your feet to burn, dry, and crack.

Like the rest of your body, the skin on your feet must be hydrated to look and feel good. Replacing the moisture using lotions or creams to hydrate the skin regularly is helpful.

Summer feet crave moisture and need daily moisturization more frequently to keep them looking their best. To prevent this, apply a daily foot cream or lotion at least twice a day. 

1. After exfoliating, apply a layer of lotion and massage into your feet, soles, and toenails to keep them looking healthy and hydrated.
2. Apply Fleur ultra-rich Magnesium Lotion to moisturize and help repair, replenish, and improve skin elasticity, especially after sun exposure.
3. Apply nightly throughout the summer to keep your heels looking and feeling soft and beautiful!
4. After moisturizing, cover your feet with cotton socks to help your skin absorb and seal in the healing moisture-retentive properties.

Reflexology Massage

While moisturizing, it is a good time to massage your feet. Your feet will thank you for the extra care and attention.

I love foot rubs. Even more, I love foot reflexology. This is a technique that can be done with your own hands.

Reflexology is the ancient holistic healing treatment, traditionally focusing on the foot’s variable reflex zones to produce a wholesome healing effect on the rest of the body.

With over 7,000 nerves in each foot, our entire body reaps the reward of a foot massage. Your feet have a direct line to your nervous system. A self-administered foot massage is incredibly revitalizing. It can stimulate blood flow, improve the appearance of your feet, reduce stress, and improve sleep.

The Technique

Pressure is applied to different foot zones to help reduce stress, ease tension, improve circulation, and support the body’s immune system.

• The sole of the foot: Take a foot in your hand. Starting from the toes, squeeze down the length of your foot. Stretch the space between the metatarsal bones (the five bones running down your foot). Repeat this 3-5 times.
• Toes: Beginning with your big toe, take each toe in turn and circle it from its joint.
• Upper Foot: Place your foot on the floor with the heel facing down. Starting from your toes, gently massage downward between the metatarsal bones, as before. Spread the bones to give space and open up the muscle. Repeat this 3-5 times.
• Ankle rotations: Holding the foot with one hand, use the other hand to rotate the foot clockwise and then anticlockwise. Repeat this 3-5 times in each direction.
• Outer and inner foot: Supporting the top of the foot with one hand, use the heel of your other hand to apply a deep, firm stroke down the inner curve of the foot. Then, from your little toe to heel, repeat this down the outside edge of your foot.
• Solar plexus point: This is located on the sole of your foot, between the second and third toe, just below the big toe’s joint. According to the ancient principles of reflexology, the solar plexus area is the primary target area for releasing tension. It is a nerve network with connections to all parts of the body and limbs and offers a primary target area for releasing tension. Place your thumb over this point and breathe in. On the exhale, apply pressure to this area, allowing the thumb to sink into the spot. Repeat all on the other foot.
• Or, roll the bottom of your foot, heel to toe and back again, over a golf or tennis ball to stimulate the nerves in your foot.

Aromatherapy Support

Certain essential oils are wonderful for cooling and disinfecting hot, achy summer feet, reinvigorating the entire body. Interestingly, essential oils are absorbed best through the feet.

When used topically, aromatherapy can deodorize, soften, and disinfect your feet. It also eases pain and inflammation and supports overall health. You can obtain its benefits via an aromatherapy foot bath, oil massage, foot scrub, or a warm or cold compress.

Cool & Chill Spray

Fleur Cool & Chill Spray alchemical blend is formulated with a proprietary synergy of flower essences and organic oils of Peppermint (Mentha piperita), Spearmint (Mentha spicata), and Lime (citrus aurantifolia). Their synergy provides a cooling and refreshing sensation on the skin.

The invigorating aroma has the initial sharp, mint top note followed by sweet, fresh, and zesty notes. Most importantly, these oils are easily absorbed to provide deep hydration for dry, hot feet without an oily residue.

Sprayed on swollen summer feet, Cool & Chill Spray is easy to use. It is a soothing natural solution that will instantly cool you down and leave your feet feeling clean, refreshed, and tingly!

The Wonders of Menthol

Menthol is an organic compound, more specifically a monoterpenoid, naturally found in Rosemary, Mint, and Eucalyptus essential oils. All three of these oils have an intense, penetrating scent.

Due to their menthol content, mint oils have more cooling properties than most other essential oils. Applied topically, menthol invites a fresh flow of blood to wherever it is applied more easily, giving the skin a magically cool, refreshing effect.

Menthol helps “flush” toxins out of the area from within. Its anti-inflammatory properties reduce pain and stiffness and soothe any redness or puffiness that may have built up.

Menthol is an analgesic, antispasmodic, decongestant, anti-inflammatory, stimulant, and antioxidant.

Lime Essential Oil

Lime essential oil is cleansing, stimulating, and refreshing. It is a wonderful oil with many healing therapeutic properties, including antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic, disinfectant, and astringent.

It has antifungal and anti-yeast properties, too. The oil has been extensively studied for its antimicrobial effects. When applied topically, lime oil can combat infections of the skin and speed wound healing.

Thus, Lime essential oil effectively improves the skin’s condition, fighting free radicals, reducing inflammation, and killing any bacteria or fungus on your skin or nails. This is because Lime oil cleans infected areas, allowing the skin to restore itself.

Additional Foot Care Tips

Caring for your feet at any time of the year will keep them healthy and beautiful, especially during the summer months when they are exposed to the elements.

1. Wear shoes or flip-flops around the pool, to the beach, in the locker room, and even on the carpeting or in the bathroom of your hotel room to prevent injuries and limit the likelihood of contracting any bacterial infections.
2. Remember to apply sunscreen all over your feet, especially the tops and fronts of your ankles, and don’t forget to reapply after you’ve been in the water.
3. Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Drinking water will not only help with overall health but will also minimize any foot swelling caused by heat.
4. Keep the blood flowing with periodic ankle flexes, toe wiggles, and calf stretches.
5. Keep your feet dry after enjoying the water. Fungus thrives in moisture and dies in aridity.
6. Cut your toenails straight across (rounding the corners can lead to ingrown toenails), and the cuticles are pushed back.
7. Wear breathable footwear, and rotate your shoes, sandals, and flip-flops to prevent injury risk.

Foot Odor

Along with the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet have more sweat glands than any other part of the body. If you have sweaty feet, you’re not alone.

Granted, it’s tough when you’re active and your feet are prone to sweat. For some people, wearing closed shoes and socks daily may increase their feet to sweat and smell.

Since bacteria thrive on hot, sweaty feet in dark, damp shoes, keeping your feet dry is critical. Your choice of footwear plays an essential part in keeping your feet fresh and healthy.

• Invest in well-fitting, breathable footwear, opting for leather or other natural materials when possible. Shoes with mesh fabric allow maximum aeration of your feet.
• Try to rotate your footwear and avoid wearing the same pair of shoes for consecutive days. This allows your shoes to dry out and prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi that can cause foot odor.
• Socks made from synthetic fibers are better at allowing moisture to evaporate than socks made from cotton or wool.
• Wear moisture-wicking socks, and bring a spare pair so you can swap them out midday.

Try my Footpowder Recipe!

A few years back, I developed a solution to keep your feet dry and free from bacteria when wearing socks and shoes.

DIY Aromatic Foot Powder

To a Glass mixing bowl, Add

• 1/4 C cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1/4 C baking soda
• 1 Drop each organic
  • Peppermint oil
  • Eucalyptus oil
  • Clove oil

Mix well. Lightly sprinkle into socks to absorb moisture, dispel foot odor, and prevent bacterial buildup. Store in a sealed glass jar.

Benefits of Barefoot Walking

Earth Energy is blocked off when we wear shoes with rubber or other insulating materials as the sole.

Walking without shoes can help make foot mechanics better by improving the foot arch and strengthening the muscles and ligaments of the feet and leg, which later prevents you from a condition called plantar fasciitis. It also helps to maintain the normal range of motion of the ankle and feet and decreases stress on the ankle, knee, and hip.

By walking barefoot, you can help prevent foot deformities such as bunions caused by ill-fitted shoes or claw feet from habitually wearing larger-sized shoes.

Barefoot walking enhances sensory feedback because many nerve endings on the feet are directly exposed to stimuli when you walk without shoes. This assists in improving body awareness, proprioception, and balance. Walking barefoot on various surfaces such as grass, sand, soil, and hard surfaces like floors can further enhance our sensory-motor development.

Some research suggests that walking barefoot helps improve prehypertension by increasing parasympathetic activity, which balances the autonomic nervous system.

My bare feet also bring me the Earth’s energy, grounding me with each step. My bare feet ground me to the Earth’s loving, healing energy, keeping my body in rhythm.

And my bare feet cause me to slow down and pay attention to my surroundings. I am reminded that I walk in beauty.

The Beauty Way

In beauty I walk
With beauty before me I walk
With beauty behind me I walk
With beauty above me I walk
With beauty around me I walk
It has become beauty again

–Walk in Beauty – Navaho (Dine) Blessing

Conclusion

Your feet greatly support you, so they deserve tender loving care! Applying the tips in this blog, your summer feet will soon feel healthier, softer, and more beautiful.

All my aromatic love,

Vidya