Get Your Feet Summer Ready! (Aka Thongs Season Calls For Non-Grotty Feet)

Fish Spa

© Rob Sheridan

Okay, I know I scared you with the pictures of gnarly skin last week so even though I’m still going to be talking about grotty skin today (instead, show you some random dude’s feet 😛 ), I’ll spare your eyes and not show you my feet. If you think that bit of dry skin on my hands are bad, you really don’t want to even look at my feet. On a more positive note, the cracked heels are looking better now but still … I’ll keep those pictures to myself, thank you very much! 😛

Right, back to the topic at hand.

Holiday season in Australia is summer time and it’s usually quite warm (or stinking hot) so you’re more likely to wear thongs (also known as flip flops in Australia. Oh the confusion when I first moved here was epic) or sandals than something that would cover your entire feet. It’s heels on display, baby!

I have just about the driest and most grotesque-looking heels ever. Seriously, even rubbing my feet on Tim and he complains about how “scratchy” my feet is. Dude has the smoothest and softest heels I’ve ever seen; he rarely wears home slippers and never, ever apply any foot cream. Unfair much? 😛

Get Your Feet Summer Ready

Anyway, since it’s getting a lot warmer now, this means that it’s time to whip out the thongs and sandals. This also means I have to sort my dry and cracked heels out because they look mighty unsightly. I’ve been working on them using the tools and products below and with some perseverance, they work. Key word is perseverance. I do tend to fall off the wagon sometimes but when I don’t, it’s very effective.

1. File those feet and file ’em good.

I have a trusty old foot file from Ecotools that I’ve used for over 2 years (I even bring it with me when I’m travelling). While it’s effective, sometimes it can get pretty tiring filing away especially when you have to do it standing and when you have that much dead skin to get rid of.

Scholl Velvet Smooth Express Pedi Electronic Foot File

I recently had the opportunity to try out the Scholl Express Smooth Pedi Express* and that thing is a foot saver. Shaves off (nudge nudge) so much filing time. This is a permanent tool in my bathroom now and I do this weekly. It’s battery operated and works a treat on filing dead skin off. Don’t use this on the same spot for more than 4 seconds and definitely don’t use this on broken skin.

2. Scrub-a-dub-dub

If you’ve been for pedicures, you’ll know that the step after all that foot filing is when your feet and lower legs will get a good scrubbing with a body scrub. I do the same too. As I’m scrubbing my body, I give my feet a good old scrub as well. I’m currently loving the Lingurian Honey Kangaroo Island Exfoliating Body Polish by Maine Beach Organic*. Smells deliciously of blood oranges and you know how I am with orange scented products.

Lingurian Honey Kangaroo Island Exfoliating Body Polish by Maine Beach Organic and Scholl Eulactol Heel Balm Gold

3. Slather ’em up!

Next I use a heavy duty foot cream. A lot of brands do foot creams but if you’re looking for a good, heavy duty one, you’ve got to get it from brands that just do shoes because they seem to have the best ones, in my opinion. My favourite is Scholl’s Eulactol Heel Balm Gold. I’ve lost count how many tubes of this I’ve purchased and used. They also sell the regular Heel Balms but if you want a fast-acting one, I recommend you go for the Gold.

4. Now cover and let ’em soak in the juices

I always apply heel balm before bed and what better way to seal in the “juices” than wear a pair of socks to bed. I know what you’re thinking: geez, it’s blazing hot in summer, how on earth can you even suggest wearing fluffy socks to bed?! I know what you mean and for the longest time, I couldn’t even entertain the thought of wearing bloody fluffy socks to bed in SUMMER. That was until I stumbled upon Ecotools’ Sustainable Moisture Socks.

Ecotools Sustainable Moisture Socks

It’s a very light and breathable pair of socks that you wear to bed. It’s so light that I often forget I have it on! The next morning, hello smooth and soft heels! The only problem I have with these socks is that because they’re so thin and light, they don’t last long. I’ve only worn a pair a few times and I already spotted a tiny hole. But they work so well that I repurchased another pair as backup. Another problem is, this pair of socks is very difficult to find at Priceline stores. I’ve not been to any stores that stock Ecotools that have this. I purchased mine from The Beauty Office.

There you have it, my tips for keeping your feet summer and sandals-ready! I’ll practically be living in my Ipanemas and Crocs (thongs, not clogs. Give me some credit, please 😛 ) all summer so I’ll have to keep my heels in tip top shape. Or else that man in the house will whinge about ’em scratchy feet again. Jerk.

How do you keep your heels in tip-top condition?

Note: Products marked with * were sent for editorial consideration.

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13 comments… add one
  1. Shamim de Varax

    haha I had the exact same thing about thongs on my first day at college in Melbourne- they want us to what now???

    1. Tine

      Hahahaha I know right? What do you mean all Aussie men wear thongs? NO WAY!

      😛

  2. Hilary

    I keep trying to get the Scholl foot file thing, but am a tight wallet and refuse to spend $50 when it keeps being on offer places. Unfortunately, its always sold out, entirely, for the length of the promotion when its on offer, so I might just have to bite the bullet. Sooooooo need it with my feet of foulness! lol

    On a side note – the cover piccy for this story – the fish. Please please please don’t anyone go and have that done. They’ve proven its SO unhealthy and bad, full of nasty bacteria and infections you don’t want to get (they are microscopic so not something you can tell from the water looking dirty or not). If you really want to experience this, go to Karijini up in West Australia, they have gorg. freshwater pools at the bottom of the gorges, stuffed with wild fish that love a nibble. (but it’s not very nice so don’t know why you would want it done anyway).
    Hilary recently posted..Another teaching updateMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Wait for sale. Priceline does it often. 😉

      I actually had the fish spa done once in Bangkok. I can’t even describe the experience. I didn’t want to do it but my cousin did and it made me curious so I thought okay I’ll try it out. It was supposed to be a 1 hour thing but I wasted 30 minutes trying to dip one TOE in. It was so damn ticklish. When I got up and left, it did nothing to my feet except for more peeled off skin.

      To be honest, I was more caught up in the moment of the holiday because in hindsight, there were so many fishes in one tank and the water was probably filthy as hell. Clean or not, it’s not something I’d ever want to do again.

  3. Victoria

    I do not have cracked heels but I recently experienced that when I was packing and clearing files and boxes for 1.5 months as my office was moving to a new place. I used the Scholl cream for cracked heels (a different one from yours) that promised to cure this problem within 3 days. My heels did not completely heal in 3 days but it was a lot more smoother and the crack was not really visible. Of course I wore socks to maximise the effectiveness of the cream and it did work.

    The downside of using foot creams at night for me is that they leave visible footprints on my tiled bedroom floor. So being fussy, I would end up wearing a slipper when I wake up, run to my bathroom and wash my feet with body wash before I do anything else. Hahahaha. I am really that anal.

    1. Tine

      OMG I know what you mean! I absolutely hate leaving oily footprints after I’ve applied foot cream. What I’d do is attempt some sort of tip-toeing ballet movement from the room to the bathroom and back. The Ecotools socks helped a great deal. Don’t have to worry about that any more 😛

  4. MissCarole

    My feet crack and bleed and are getting worse here because I am barefoot A LOT! So I will be buying the Gold version of the heel balm if it’s so good.
    MissCarole recently posted..The Sunday Picture #1My Profile

    1. Tine

      I’ve repurchased the Gold Heel Balm so many times. It’s definitely very good 🙂
      I have to wear bedroom slippers at home because the cold floor exacerbates my cracked heels. Being Chinese, we don’t wear shoes at home but I cannot NOT wear bedroom slippers.

  5. Norlin

    I was wondering about that Scholl Express Pedi Express thing when I saw it on TV. Ok, I think I’ll give that a try. Normally I would scrub it with the POD’s feet scrub and also this feet filing thingie I bought ages ago. Not great, but does the job.
    Norlin recently posted..Fashion Day: Melodie Dress from PopbasicMy Profile

    1. Tine

      It’s actually pretty good. Don’t have to keep filing, just let the Pedi Express do the work. I’ve seen it go on sale before at Priceline. Helps to wait. Or get it at Chemist Warehouse as it’s cheaper than RRP.

  6. Marie Taylor

    I hope those fishes doing their work are enjoying the feast. 😛
    I usually just scrub my heels to totally remove the dirt, no cracked heels. When I am at the beach, I never forget to scrub my feet with the fine sand for minutes.
    Marie Taylor recently posted..8 Clothing Tips That Can Make Your Bum Look BiggerMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Euuuuwwww 😛 I had it done once, that fish spa thing. NEVER AGAIN.

      I love rubbing my feet in fine sand whenever I’m at the beach. Free exfoliation 😛

  7. IJelli

    hi……………..where can you buy/sample Exfoliating Body Polish by Maine Beach Organic? The packaging looks so nice! Would love to give them a try.

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