Pamper your feet with this basic footcare routine

Your feet, understandably, are the most neglected part of your body. Located way down there, they don't even complain much - except when pinched harshly by the occasional sneaker. Your feet bear the brunt of your weight, and they are susceptible to everything from calluses to athlete's foot, so why don't you pamper them every once in a while? But hey, before you start panicking and rush to a podiatrist, try incorporating a few basic steps into your footcare routine.

SOLE COMFORT

To remove calluses, soak your feet in warm water for 10-15 minutes to soften the skin. Scrub the rough spots gently with a pumice stone. As rough spots on the soles are caused by concentrated pressure, it may take a few sessions of gentle rubbing before the calluses eventually decide to disappear.

Bye bye, stinky feet

After a shower, pat the spaces between the toenails dry and apply peppermint or eucalyptus lotion. This could keep shoe stink, which creeps up on you during long hours at work, at bay. Alternatively, for sweaty feet, use an anti-fungal powder before slipping on your socks. Exfoliate at least twice a week with a grainy body scrub.

NAIL IT

Women are most likely to notice your hands and fingernails, but that's no reason to neglect the toenails. Clumsy trimming can result in hangnails as well as ingrown toenails. Get yourself a nail nipper with a curved handle and a cutting jaw. Start from the middle and trim the nails in a straight line, leaving thin, white tips. Trimming them into rounded shapes, as you would do for fingernails , is not recommended because it increases chances of ingrown toenails.

File away

Once trimmed, use an emery board to file your toenails - making sure you move the instrument in the same direction.