Top 5 Winter Foot Care Tips

Every season brings unique challenges for your foot health. Since your foot health is an essential part of your overall health, you need to protect your feet all year long and winter is no exception. Whether you’re facing extreme cold and dampness or slogging through deep snow, your feet need to be properly cared for. Here are five winter foot care tips that will keep your feet healthy all winter long and ensure that they are ready for action when spring arrives.

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1. Stick to a Regular Foot Care Regime: Having a regular foot care regime is the easiest way to ensure foot health and prevent problems. To begin with, give your feet a relaxing bath after a tiring day. Keep your feet clean and dry and your nails neatly cut and filed. You may use a pumice stone from time to time to avoid buildup of hard skin. However, it’s advisable to soften the stone at first with water and then use it on your heels. Since your skin tends to get dry in winter, make sure you apply a good moisturizer on your feet.

2. Plan to Combat Dry and Cracked Heels: Dry and cracked heels are a common problem in winter. A simple solution is to rub Vaseline on your heels after bathing or showering as it works as a seal locking the moisture in. For utmost effectiveness, you could wear socks or use plastic wrap to cover your feet overnight.

3. Opt for a Nail Polish Vacation: You may be tempted to use nail polish to make your nails look pretty but give it a miss from time to time this winter. Since nail polish can trap bacteria inside your nails, it can trigger discoloration, cause infection, weaken your nails, etc. As winter season means your feet will be spending more time in closed shoes and socks than they do in the summer, your toenails will have lesser access to air this season. By not using nail-related beauty products, you can let your nails counteract this, thus ensuring that they stay healthy.

4. Make Sure Your Shoes Are Dry and Fit Well: Spending a lot of time outdoors in the damp weather or snow could make your shoes wet. Wearing wet shoes will not only make your feet feel colder but will also give bacteria an ideal place to thrive. So, you should remove your wet shoes as soon as you get home and put them somewhere warm (say, by the radiator) to ensure that they get dry. It would be wise to have more than one pair of shoes so that you can rotate them daily. It’s also important to use footwear that offers you a snug fit. Wearing properly fitted skates and boots would help prevent chafing, blisters, and foot or ankle injuries.

5. Choose Your Socks Wisely: Since your feet are likely to stay in closed shoes for a long time this season, invest in socks with moisture-wicking properties (such as breathable bamboo socks). Though you may be tempted to use cotton socks, you should remember that despite cotton being a natural fiber, it absorbs sweat in socks rather than wicking the moisture away. You should ensure that you change your socks daily and wash them regularly so as to prevent the spread of bacteria. If you prefer wearing two pairs of socks to offer your feet more protection and double the effects, remember to avoid tight socks as they would adversely affect the blood circulation in your feet.

This winter, keep these foot care tips in mind to ensure healthy and active feet.