I get asked a lot ‘what winter foot care tips will get me through the winter season?’. As we head closer to Christmas and the temperature starts to drop, our thoughts turn to wooly hats and warm mittens, and mugs of mulled wine or hot chocolates.
It’s also important to think about our feet, as some of the very common problems can occur during the winter. Here are 4 top foot care tips to keep your feet healthy throughout winter.
Keep your feet warm by wearing natural fibre socks such as wool or moisture wicking blends.
If your feet do get sweaty, it’s important that they don’t stay constantly damp as cold temperatures cannot only lead to hypothermia and frostbite, but it may also lead to bacterial skin infections or fungal infections such as athlete’s foot or fungal toenails.
Ensure that your footwear is totally enclosed and waterproof to stop the snow and rain getting in.
Remove all nail polish from your toenails during the winter.
So that you can nourish and revitalise your toenails. Many people continue to wear nail polish and let it grow throughout the winter. Please don’t!
You should remove all nail polish and file and shape your nails to keep them healthy. During the winter months you will benefit from using a good quality cuticle oil to keep your nails and surrounding skin hydrated and healthy. We particularly love this one.
To prevent chilblains and frostbite use Akilhiver cream.
This is our product of the month which is full of natural ingredients that keep your skin nice and warm to prevent the signs of chilblains and frostbite.
This natural cream should be applied twice a day to hands and feet, and ears and nose to prevent vascular changes to the skin. This is an amazing cream for anyone who, if you are like me, suffers with Raynaud’s disease. I have been using this for 2 years now during the winter and wouldn’t be without it.
You can purchase this amazing cream here.
Keep the skin on your feet hydrated.
Apply a nutrient enriched foot cream to your feet daily, or if you use Foot Mender, (SO Podiatry’s best selling foot cream) make sure to keep to the weekly application.
Unfortunately, central heating can wreak havoc on your skin, drying it out and causing the skin to become dehydrated.
If the skin dehydrates, it can split, allowing pathogens to enter the blood stream thus reducing the preventative barrier.
I hope you’ve found benefit in these hints and tips to keep your feet healthy through the winter.
If you haven’t already, I’d love to land in your inbox once a month to share clinic updates, tips and advice, and feature our product of the month. Subscribe to my monthly newsletter here