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Winter Foot Care Tips

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen the weather dramatically shift from a beautiful, calm summer to temperate, dramatic storms. With the temperature and the rain falling, our bodies will experience harsher weather conditions. One of the worst affected parts of our bodies will be our feet. In this blog, we’re going to lay out several tips to taking care of your feet throughout the winter.

 

Proper Footwear

Of course, one of the most important aspects of taking care of your feet is ensuring that you have the proper footwear. For winter, you will particularly benefit from thick, waterproof shoes that help keep your feet warm and dry. This is especially important, as people are more likely to keep their shoes on throughout the day and night in winter. Furthermore, it is crucial to pick the right socks too.

 

Wool or cotton socks are better for winter than synthetic fabrics, as they are more absorbent. This will help keep your feet warm and dry, as well as prevent the spread of bacteria. Ensuring that you change socks daily and wash your socks regularly is also important to prevent the spread of bacteria. Wearing two pairs of socks can double the effects, offering your feet more protection, but it is important not to wear socks that are too tight, as doing so could cut off circulation to your feet.

 

Dry/Change Your Shoes

Wet shoes will not only make your feet feel colder, they also serve as an ideal place for bacteria to grow. If you own enough shoes to rotate them daily, this is the best approach. But if you have a few specific pairs that you tend to use for winter, the first thing you should do when you get home is take them off and put them somewhere warm, such as by the radiator. Shoes that are even slightly damp can act as a bacterial breeding ground, so ensuring the shoes you wear are bone-dry at all times is essential.

 

Avoid Pedicures

While you may think that treating your feet is part of taking care of them for the winter, the opposite is actually true. Nail polish and varnish can trap bacteria inside your nails, which can lead to infection, discolouration, weak nails, and more. As your feet will be spending more time in socks and shoes than they would in the summer, your toenails have far less access to air in the winter. Giving yourself at least a week with no nail-related beauty products can help counteract this and keep your nails healthy for next year.

 

Take Care of Your Skin

Just because you should avoid nail polish doesn’t mean you should neglect your feet altogether. Giving your feet a thorough wash in the shower will help keep them clean and free of bacteria. Moisturizing them once a week will prevent the skin from hardening and cracking, while using a pumice stone or similar can help remove dead skin. Just remember that pumice stones should be used on dry skin, not wet, or it may pull off healthy skin as well.

 

Winter can be a tough few months on the feet, so take care to pay special attention to them and look after them during this time. Doing so can help prevent the likes of pain and infection, as well as have your feet ready and healthy for the following summer.

 

Here are some more tips to keep your feet warm this winter.