You know what’s worse than taking off your shoes and seeing your cracked heels? It’s the fact that others can see the horrible sight whenever you wear slippers. If you ever want to avoid the embarrassment of having to hide your feet whenever you go to a place where you need to wear slippers, it’s time to start taking care of your feet.

If your feet are unhealthy, you also need to deal with corns, bunions and blisters besides the cracked heels. For professional models, feet are the most important tools of their trade. Even if you’re not a model, you know that you cannot go on with these feet disorders. Besides being unsightly, you risk more diseases and more stress after a long day at work if you come home with foot sores and smelly feet.

A lot of foot problems are because of our inability to take care of our feet. Wearing the proper foot wear is one way to alleviate the pain. Proper scrubbing is also necessary, especially when you have foot sores. You should never break your blisters, but if they do break, you should try to avoid inflammation by immediately rinsing in water.

Use exfoliates to deal with corns. Also, treat your feet like you would treat your face. Use the gentlest ingredients, preferably products with moisturizers. If you can, soak your feet in a good soap solution at least twice a week to soften the tissues and make them more receptive to foot lotions and balms.

Air out your feet if they smell. If you use band-aid on foot sores, you should remove them to air out the wound when you get home. You should also avoid wearing restrictive foot gear when you’re home so that your feet can breathe.

Bunions can be healed by wearing shoes that have a wide toe box. Consult your podiatrist for more information on products you can use to heal your wounds. Diabetes patients also need to consult health practitioners for proper foot care.

Some women claim that good shoes cost a fortune. It cannot be denied that the most comfortable shoes are the expensive ones. Look for shoes that are comfortable and fashionable at the same time, even if they’re a bit pricey. Those inexpensive pointy toe shoes are cute and in-style but your feet might suffer greatly if you insist on wearing them.

Ensure that your feet are dry and clean before putting on your shoes. Remember, you will be wearing shoes the whole day, so you only have the mornings and the evenings to care for your bare feet. Putting on your shoes and socks when your feet are wet will make you prone to bacterial and fungal infections. Choose a hypoallergenic foot powder to keep your feet dry during the day.

If you have athlete’s foot, it is advisable to change your towel daily. Bacteria may stay on garments (especially those that are often wet) for up to four weeks. Medication and care for your feet will amount to nothing if the bacteria keep coming back. Also, never use someone else’s towel, as you may be spreading infection or you may be contracting another strain of bacteria that could cause foot sores.

If you choose to have your pedicure at home, always make sure you soak your feet in sea salt or water first so that you can soften your feet before treatment. Remove all traces of your old polish before you put on a new coat. Get a foot massage regularly so that the circulation of blood in your legs reach your feet properly.

By now, everyone knows that the succulent plant aloe vera has tons of medicinal properties. The benefits of using aloe vera for skin care are well known, and even in olden times, people have been using the pulp of aloe vera to create homemade skin products. It’s an herb that grows wild in Madagascar and in parts of Africa, but other varieties grow well in countries such as the United States. There are more than 300 varieties of Aloe Vera plant, and each contain wondrous minerals that can rejuvenate hair and skin.

The pulp has extremely high water content. When ground to a paste, the pulp looks like a gel that one can apply on the skin. You can call it a natural moisturizer, with extra features. It may even help with wound healing and scar removal.

Tons of products have already been made out of this plant, and there are more coming. This is because research on the therapeutic properties of aloe vera is continuous, and scientists won’t stop discovering many more uses for this plant. Lotions, shampoos and even shaving creams are boosting their sales just by adding aloe vera extracts in their products. It has been used to shrink warts, encourage hair growth and treat scars.

Aloe vera has also been used in therapeutic drinks. Some ethnobotanists have claimed that Aloe Vera helps relieve symptoms of insomnia, heartburn, congestion, arthritis, asthma and diabetes. A drink of this has been said to lower blood sugar level.

Perhaps the most popular use of aloe vera has something to do with anti-aging. It is said that washing with aloe vera daily will make skin more elastic and receptive to moisturizers. Skin becomes supple after aloe vera treatment. In many households, aloe vera is used as a first aid to burns and scratches. This is why a lot of sunburn creams also have aloe vera components as ingredients.

If your skin is itchy, aloe vera may just relieve you if applied directly as macerated pulp or as an ointment. Infection due to bacteria will heal faster if aloe vera is used after thorough washing with the usual antibacterial soaps. Minor wounds and bruises on kids are often remedied with aloe vera. In a sense, if you have an aloe vera plant in your backyard, you can save the money you normally have to expend to buy bandages and ointments.

It helps in reducing swelling and relieving pain. The plant gel has been known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties to help you from most of your problems. As the gel enters your skin very easily it becomes one of the biggest sources of anti-aging products.