Foot care begins with nutrients, removal of toxins, and an infusion of moisture. If you are eating good, organic food and drinking plenty of water, doing regular foot massages will increase circulation which will increase the nutrients to you skin cells and will and aids in the removal of toxins.
Increased internal moisture is also a great benefit that your skin will get through a healthy diet, fluid intake, and regular foot massage.
You can examine and change your diet and fluid intake, and see a manicurist regularly to achieve these benefits or you can learn to pamper your feet at home. I do have to tell you that the good side to home massage is that you spend less money, but the bad side is that you do not receive the same relaxation that you would by visiting a manicurist. If you want beautiful feet from home, check out our sections on diet to learn more about what you should be eating to achieve healthy skin, drink your water, and do the following massage at least once per week.
In order to do a proper foot massage, you will want a lotion or oil that can be warmed. Many times, you will find that warming in the microwave will work, but you should be very careful using this method. The emollient (lotion or oil) can get very hot very quickly in the microwave. It is better to find a product that is packaged in individual packets which are designed to be placed in a bowl of hot water to warm them. You can often find these for hair care and they are fine to use for your foot massage.
You will need a mild cleanser, a footbath full of warm water, a hand towel (you will get oil or lotion on this so do not choose that hand-embroidered towel that has been passed through generations), and the above-mentioned emollient that you can warm. The water in your footbath should be fairly warm but not hot. You want to help soften your skin to prepare it for the massage, but you do not want to strip natural oils from your skin. Make sure that you are wearing older, shorts or pants that you can roll (or otherwise fix) your sleeves up to your elbow.
First, rest both feet in the footbath, and let them soak until they begin to feel relaxed. You may choose to do the massage as part of a bath, which makes it easier to soak your feet and legs comfortably.
Second, smooth the warm oil (or warm lotion) all over both of your lower legs and feet from the knee to the tips of your nails, getting between each toe and along each nail.
Begin to massage by using your thumb and fingertips to gently rub small circles along the lower leg, starting at the knee and working all the way to the ankle. If you thumb cannot comfortably massage a portion of the leg, use the fingertips.
Once you have massaged the entire leg, you should be at your ankle. Ankles tend to swell throughout the day due to various triggers. This inflammation can slow the circulation to your feet, which is why you want to spend some extra massage time here. Massage both the inner and outer wrist in tiny circles.
Resting the back of your foot on the fingers of your hand, place your thumb on the sole. You will feel plenty of muscle in this area and will probably feel quite a bit of tension in these muscles. Massage tiny circles over each muscle, relieving the tension in them. If a muscle feels particularly tight, massage it until it begins to loosen. Once your palm muscles are fairly limber, you are ready to move to the toes.
Begin at the base of your pinky (smallest) toe with your massaging fingertips on the back and your massaging thumb on the palm side of the finger. Rub small circles with both your thumb and fingers at the same time; work from the base to the tip. Repeat this finger massage two times on each finger and on your thumb.
Turn your foot over and rub tiny circles around each nail, making sure to massage all the way around each nail.
Repeat the process on the other leg and foot, wiping excess oil from both legs and feet using the hand towel. |
