7 Ways to Get Your Feet Ready for Spring Sandals ...

Exfoliating isn’t just for your face. It also sloughs off dead skin cells on your feet, allowing fresh, radiant skin to shine through. My favorite way to exfoliate is to combine equal parts sugar and olive oil and massage it into my feet. I then rinse with warm water and finish with a good moisturizing cream. This is the best of the many ways to get your feet ready for spring sandals and is the ideal one to get started with.

Don’t be tempted to clip those calluses off. That’s just asking for a bacterial or fungal infection, which is much more likely if you have open cuts or lacerations on your feet. Instead, use a pumice stone to buff the calluses off your feet. Get started a few weeks before you plan to debut your spring sandals. I like to use my pumice stone just before I get in the shower because I can do the job, then soften and remove the skin I just buffed off. Never share a pumice stone with anyone else!

It’s so easy to forgo foot maintenance during the cold, winter months when you wear socks all the time. I’m just as guilty as the next person. But, now that you plan to start wearing sandals for spring, it’s a good time to give your toenails some attention. Use a pair of nail clippers and trim your nails in a straight line across. This helps prevent an ingrown toenail. Don’t clip your nails too short or they might be uncomfortable.

My cuticles grow really fast, so I have to push them back often. This keeps your nail bed healthy and allows you to apply nail polish without problem. I use my fingers to push my cuticles back (after washing them, of course), but you can also use any clean, sanitized cuticle pusher. They’re available for cheap at most drugstores.

Skin, even that on your feet, looks better when it’s soft and supple. That makes moisturizing a must step for getting your feet ready for all those fabulous spring sandals. I always apply lotion right after a shower to seal in the moisture, but I also slather it on first thing in the morning before I put my shoes on. You can also put lotion on anytime you notice the skin on your feet looking dry or feeling tight.

You don’t have to shell out big dollars for this. You can massage your own feet. It gets the blood flowing, which makes your feet look healthy and youthful just in time for spring to arrive with its cache of cute sandals. Do this once or twice a week after you shower, or everyday if you want to.

The last step to sandal ready feet is a great pedicure. Again, you can do this right at home to save money. File and buff your toenails to start. Then apply a base coat, two coats of a fabulous spring color, then a top coat. Wait for your polish to dry, slap on your favorite sandals and you’re ready for spring!

How do you care for your feet? What’s your favorite pair of sandals?