One part of the body you may not be giving enough attention to is your foot. You might not be considering your foot as a necessity but a luxury until you start experiencing challenges with them. You can prevent such challenges and fix them together again with a foot salve.
The feet are one of the essential parts of your life. You walk in them every day and they help you in implementing all chores. With each step you take, the bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your feet are hard at work.
The role the feet play often exposes them to harsh weather, heat, cold, dust and dirt. The skin on your foot is thicker if compared to other parts of the body and it tends to get dry quickly. Dry, cracked heels when untreated can start to become uncomfortable and even painful.
If you take care of other parts of the body properly, then why not take care of your feet? Incorporating foot salve to your skincare routine can help heal your skin and reduce the appearance of painful feet. With foot salve being an effective product for your feet, it is necessary that you have one and never run out of reach.
The best foot salve repairs and renews the foot, soften hard skin and help to prevent a variety of foot problems. Foot salve works by moisturizing your feet deeply and creating a barrier to prevent future moisture loss.
There is no harm in pampering your feet; after all, don’t you like to be pampered? With foot salve, the stress of the day can fade away. Use a quality foot salve and your feet will thank you for it.
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Importance of Foot Salve
Are you still in doubt of the need to use a foot salve? Check out these amazing benefits of using foot salve:
a. Foot salve helps to hydrate the feet, eliminating the chances of having dry heels and skin.
b. Regular use of foot salve helps to prevent cuts and sores, and the infections that could occur.
c. Massaging your feet with foot salve when you have blisters can help soothe the pain and discomfort.
d. Using foot salve leaves the skin feeling silky smooth and soft.
e. After prolonged use, foot salves give the feet a more attractive look.
Factors to Consider When Selecting Foot Salve
Almost every foot salve claims to be the best and this can make choosing the ideal one confusing. Do you know what makes a good foot salve and what you should consider before choosing one? If you have not found the best foot salve that works for you, this foot salve buying guide would help you.
Foot Problem
Before selecting a foot salve, you should know the specific foot problem you are trying to cure. The most common foot problems are dry feet and feet pain.
If you have dry feet, choose a foot salve with high moisturizing formula that absorbs quickly and deeply into the skin. If you have extra dry skin on the sole of your foot in addition to cracked heels, choose an exfoliating foot salve. The reason is that exfoliating foot salve moisturizes and removes dead skin from your feet.
If you suffer from pain in your feet, look for a foot salve with pain-relieving ingredients. Diabetic people with foot problems should go with foot salves that contain L-Arginine HCL, ammonium lactate, lidocaine, and Retin-A to treat wounds. Foot salve with such ingredients keep the foot clean as well as free of bacteria that cause infections.
Price
How much are you willing to spend on foot salve? When it comes to selecting the right foot salve, the more you pay the better. The reason the best foot salve are expensive is because of the quality ingredients used that are effective. More expensive foot salves are likely to contain more natural and hypoallergenic ingredients, essential oils to give soothing relief.
But there is a catch. You should compare prices amongst a number of sellers of foot salve before purchasing. To get an idea of the prices of various brands, visit different buying and selling platforms. Doing this would help you see a seller with the least price.
While trying to get a good bargain for your money, do not compromise quality. Quality foot salves prevent infection and relieve inflammation of the foot. Warning: go for quality rather than quantity.
Ingredients
All foot salves product are not the same. The ingredients use in production vary from one product to another. It is important that you know the ingredients of your choice of foot salve.
All foot salve should be hypoallergenic, ideally with no synthetic chemicals and should feel soothing upon application. Some foot salves products use high concentrations of active ingredients like glycerin to moisturize dryness that causes cracked heels. Look out for the following beneficial ingredients: jojoba oil, shea butter, tea tree oil, lanolin, urea, coconut oil.
Warning: Some foot salves contain some ingredients that cause allergies. The worst part is that some ingredients in foot salve are carcinogenic. Take note: avoid alcohol-based foot salve because alcohol can cause drying and be counterproductive.
Brand
Everyone knows that all that glitters is not gold. The glittery, colorful, beautiful packaging of a foot salve does not make it an ideal brand. Such foot salves are usually of poor quality and not advisable to use on your foot.
Skin Type
Most foot salves are manufactured to function on all kinds of skin type but you should read the instructions. Here is why. We all have diverse skin types that ranges from sensitive, oily, dry, normal skin that need specific products.
Your type of skin is a determinant on how a foot salve will function effectively without side effects.
Fragrance Content
Some foot salves have fragrances in them. So avoid them just as you would with an enemy. When buying foot salve, choose those that do not contain fragrance. The reason is that foot salve with fragrances can make your skin dry, which would damage your skin.
Select foot salves that do not contain fragrance to prevent your skin from irritation and getting dry.
Sunscreen Content
Many foot salves contain sunscreen and that is a good thing. Sunscreen offers extra protection against the sun harmful Ultraviolet radiation on your foot.
Check out these interesting skin care product reviews/articles:
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Tips to Get the Most Out of Shopping for Foot Salve
Product testing
When you go to purchase a foot salve, ask if you try a sample before purchase to get a taste. If you are trying a particular foot salve for the first time, buy in small amounts. You do not want to spend a lot of money and find out it did not work for you.
You can also experiment with different brands and types of foot salve to determine which will work best for you.
Don’t Buy Several Cheap Foot Salves Instead of one Pricier Foot Salve
A collection of cheap foot salve that goes unused because of poor results is a waste of money than one expensive foot salve.
Know the Return Policy
This requires you going through the store and website to know about their policies on their products.
Read Reviews
Reading reviews reassures you that you would make a good buying decision. Do not rush in purchasing a foot salve, read reviews on the product. You should surf the internet to get reviews from online stores before buying your preferred choice of foot salve.
If you read the review of your product choice, it will help you know if it actually does what it cliams. Read what those that have used it talk about. Reviews can be informative, some reviews may tell you how best to optimize your foot salve.
That is not all. Do you know that reviews can teach you how to compliment your foot salve?
How to Use a Foot Salve
By now, you should have known what to look out for before buying a foot salve. Some people use foot salve wrongly. One thing is to buy one and it is another to know how to use foot salve for better results.
Follow the steps on how to use a foot salve in this foot salve buying guide to get the desired results. Now you can get smoother and softer feet. Here we go!
Wash Your Feet
Before applying a foot salve, wash your feet to remove dirt and loosen them up for better cleansing. You can use soap and water for cleaning the foot or soak in Epsom salt to relieve the feet. If you choose to soak, soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
Take note: Soak once in a week and not more.
Exfoliate (Twice in a week)
Use a pumice stone and normal scrub of your choice. Be gentle while you scrub. Do not scrub the feet roughly as it can cause the skin to be sensitive.
Apply Foot Salve
Take a small quantity according to your requirement instruction on the foot salve package. Dab few dots on the foot and start to massage in circular motion. While you apply on the ball and heel area, massage along the Achilles especially on the pressure points.
It is important that you apply foot salve on the pressure points for blood circulation.
Post Application
After 5 minutes of massage, next is to lock the moisture. It is advisable that you wear cotton socks before you go to sleep. Cotton is good for your feet, so always use cotton socks.
Wash off the foot salve from your feet when you wake up in the morning.
How to Get the Best from Using Foot Salve
There are certain tips you need to know to get the best from using a foot salve for faster results. Check out these tips:
Moisturize Your Feet After Shower or Bath
Any time you take a shower or have a bath, the next thing to do would be to moisturize your feet. This way, moisture is sealed in. Take note: When you do bathe, keep it short.
The more time you spend in taking your bath, the more moisture you are losing in your feet. Water in the body keeps you hydrated but constant showering would leave your body frequently damp. This, in turn, would take moisture out of your skin and wash away necessary oils.
Use a specially formulated moisturizing foot cream to soothe and nourish the foot regions. You can do this in the morning, although it is recommended that you skip the area between your toes. However, if your feet tend to be scaly and dry, you may want to try an overnight moisturizing routine.
Avoid Scrubbing Your Feet too Hard
Aggressive rubbing of your feet using a sponge or towel to get them dry after your bath will cause more dryness. Preferably, use a soft washcloth and rub as gently as possible. Then, pat them dry.
Trim your nails in a straight manner, not curved
If you cut your toenails in a curved manner, the edges would grow straight into your skin when they start growing back. The result of this can be painful and may cause complications. Maintain straight nails in order not to have this complication.
Warning: Do not keep your nails too long. Long nails are more liable to be a breeding ground for fungi and bacteria. Again, do not cut it too close to the skin. Just leave some millimeters of your toe to be visible after the top of every toenail.
Wear Comfortable Shoes
Comfortable shoes will help improve your foot health in many ways. If shoes are too tight, they can distort the shape of your toes causing foot growths, blisters and worsen existing foot problems. Wear comfortable shoes every day and if you must wear heels, it should be occasionally.
That is not all. Do not wear the same shoes every day. Changing your shoes at intervals will give them time to air out, which will help prevent foot odor and infections.
Leather and cotton shoes are your best options when choosing shoes because they allow your feet to breathe and release moisture.
Don’t Go Barefoot in Public Places
It is a common trend to go barefoot in public places such as beach, swimming pool, gym locker room. This is a habit that you and other people in such places might be used too. You need to have a rethink going barefoot in public spaces because it increase your chances of getting fungal infections.
Go for a Walk
Feet are made up of a complex system of muscles, tendons and bones and need exercise to stay healthy. Walking is a form of foot exercise improving both the strength and flexibility of the feet.
