Generally, due to the dry, cold winter weather, our feet become dry, cracked or callused. This common problem can intensify from red, itchy and blotchy skin to raw cracks and calluses in the heels which in turn can lead to infections.
Unlike the rest of the skin on our body, our feet don't have oil glands which by nature dry our feet out. In order to keep our feet from absolutely drying out on their own, we rely on the sweat glands of our feet to maintain natural skin moisturizing. Most of us, specifically seniors and diabetics require extra care when it comes to foot care.
Just like the remainder of our body, our skin dries out more during the winter because of the cold temperatures and the dry heat of home and office heating systems. Using non-moisturizing soap along with having very hot baths and showers also helps to dry skin. There are also medical circumstances such as diabetes, psoriasis and eczema which will annoy skin that is already dry. Other natural enemies of our feet can be age and spending too much time in the sun or walking on hot, dry surfaces.
As mentioned there are a wide range of severities with different symptoms and remedies for each. Mild symptoms can go from itchiness and red, rough or peeling skin to calluses and cracks or fissures in our heels. Rashes are quite prevalent, usually brought on by scratching due to the itching. When our feet get to the stage of cracking, added complications may arise. Walking can become demanding and spending time on your feet may have to be limited. More serious skin conditions may follow, such as psoriasis or dermatitis which may have to be treated with prescription creams or drugs.
For feet that aren't too far gone, there are lots of natural ways that you can cure the issue of dry, itching feet.
Soaking your feet in a foot bath with organic healing ingredients added is a great way to slough of the old, dead skin to make way for newer, healthy skin.
The acidity of lemons helps to kill off the old, dry skin. After soaking for 15 minutes you can pat your feet dry then exfoliate with foot brush or loofa.
One cup of white vinegar and a cap of baby shampoo added to your foot bath will help soothe feet when soaked for 10 to 15 minutes. The same goes for adding few tablespoons of baking soda or Epsom salts to your foot bath. Or try a cup of milk; it's a marvelous natural moisturizer.
A terrific organic moisturizer can be made by combining olive oil and lemon juice, along with a couple of drops of lavender, or which every type of essential oil you choose. This mixture can be made by the batch and stored in a container for everyday use. Just be sure to shake it before application.
For solace while you sleep, slather on a combo of Vaseline and lemon juice, then don a pair of socks (so you don't dirty your bedding) and leave on overnight.
When you're relaxing in front of the TV, slather on a banana mash and sit with your feet up for half an hour, then wash off.
My favorite treatment involves cocoa butter, Epsom salts and plastic wrap. First bathe your feet in the Epsom salts to draw out the dryness of your skin and then pat dry. Next slather on lots of the cocoa butter (you can use other moisture based lotions but nothing that is alcohol based) and bandage your whole foot in plastic wrap and put on a pair of socks. Go to bed and dream of elegant feet , then rub your feet in the morning. If you do this for three days in a row, I'm sure you'll see a great change.
If your dry feet do not mend after following these recipes for a few weeks, perhaps you should ask advice of your doctor. He/she may direct you to a podiatrist for added medical assistance. It is a podiatrist that you should see and not a dermatologist, as many people believe, since podiatrists are trained for skin conditions specifically for the feet.
Author Resource:-
I hope you liked this story and found the natural remedies beneficial. If you'd like to discover more easy and natural ways to cure prevalent skin conditions, or for loads of natural skincare tips, please check out another of my articles, All About Natural Skincare. Or go to Natural Skincare Secrets Simplified and sign up for the newsletter to have interesting and educational skincare tips and tricks sent to you by email.
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