Published: April 01, 2009 12:48 am      

Happy feet

Putting a little step in your feet this spring

FAIRMONT — Your poor little tootsies have been hibernating since October, hidden from the world in their own snug little world of thick socks and heavy boots.

And for a while, that was good.

But now that spring is here — and summer is sure to follow — it’s time to wake your feet up and give them the extra TLC they deserve.

Your feet are yearning to be free, craving the bright sunshine and warm breezes that long summer days bring. So, give it to them.

First thing is get a pedicure, says Karen Brusina, local expert in nails and feet.

“You want to exfoliate” callouses and dead skin, she said.

“And get a massage. That’s good for the muscles in your feet and lower legs. That will come in handy when you’re at the beach.

“People tend to not pay as much attention as they should to their feet or take care of them over winter,” she said.

It’s kind of like out of sight, out of mind. Who thinks about making sure your toes and feel look their prettiest when no one’s going to see them?

Foot care doesn’t have to take a lot of time.

“Take an extra minute in the shower,” she said. “Get a scrubber or a pumice stone to scrub your heels to get rid of calluses.”

She uses a piece of lava stone cut just for that purpose, she said.

“It works better than anything I’ve ever used.”

Summer sun can dry out feet just as much as winter cold.

“In summer, your feel are more exposed to sunlight. So put lotion on them before going to bed. Some people even wear socks to bed to keep the lotion on.”

Visit how to do just about everything.com and www.19.5degs.com to find the following footcare tips, and more.

• Soak feet in warm water. First, the skin on your feet must be soft and easy to manage. Soaking your feet with help to loosen calluses and dry skin. Keep your feet in this water for at least five minutes.

Fill your bathtub or a bucket with warm water. Fill the tub with enough water to soak the feet. Add some bath salts or desired amount of foot soak into the tub. Let it dissolve. If you do not have bath salts or foot soak try salt from your kitchen.

• Buff your feet with your pumice stone. Pay special attention to your heels, the outer side of your pinkie toe, and the outer side of your big toe. These tend to be particularly rough and hard areas. While you buff, dip your foot periodically into the water.

Remove dead skin cells by gently scrubbing calluses and heels with a pumice stone. This is an important step to attain soften and touchable feet. This would help to exfoliate your feet, resulting in soft feet.

• Dry your feet for about 10 minutes and soak again. You want to penetrate your skin with the water. The rough areas will be much better at this point, but still rougher than you want for a finished product.

• Scrub your entire foot with a gritty foot scrub. Some scrubs wash with tangerine peels, while others have crystallized beads. This scrub will help remove all the dry skin and rough patches that still remain on your feet.

• Massage you feet. Dry your feet with a clean towel. Massage gently one foot at a time, then do the other. Begin by massaging the cream gently into the whole foot, top and bottom, toes to ankle. End this portion with strokes going from your toes to your ankles.

• Trim toenails, cutting them in a square shape which will prevent ingrown nails. Gently using the orange stick or cuticle stick push back cuticles. This will allow you to paint your entire nail by guiding the supple cuticle out of the way. Never cut your cuticles — they are necessary for keeping bacteria from entering the skin.

• Don’t clip your toenails with a rounded tip like you would your fingernails. Cut them straight across to prevent ingrown toenails.

• Dry your feet and moisturize with your favorite quality moisturizer. Rub and massage the lotion deep into your skin. Pay particular attention to your callus-prone areas.

• Paint your toenails. A good pedicure simply is not complete without beautifully painted toenails. Be sure to paint your toenails a neutral color, or one that will match many outfits in your wardrobe. Subtle colors work best.

• Let your nails dry for at least half an hour, then rub a dab of olive oil into your cuticles and nail beds to moisturize them.

Perform this ritual no more than once a week. Rubbing and scrubbing your feet too often could lead to extra dry skin.

This is a good time of year to start pampering your feet, Brusina said.

“If you start now, they’ll really look nice come June, when you'll want to start wearing flip-flops and sandals.”

E-mail Debra Minor Wilson at dwilson@timeswv.com.