Summer Guide to Footcare for the Perfect Pedicure

Here are some helpful tips to care for your feet to avoid dry, cracking calluses.

Calluses on their own aren’t bad, the hardening of your skin is your body’s way of protecting your feet. The more you use them, the more calluses form.

But we’re not barefoot hunter gatherers anymore. Most of us don’t need inches of callused skin to get by in our day-to-day life and prefer the smooth skin for beautiful feet.

Things you can do anytime to prevent calluses before they form:

• Hydrate - Like any part of your body, your skin needs water to be healthy. The heat of the summer dehydrates your body and your skin faster than other times of year. Drink plenty of water and your skin will thank you.
• Wear proper footwear - Whether you’re going on a weeklong camping adventure, dancing at an outdoor restaurant, or going to the beach, making sure you have the right footwear for any occasion will prevent painful blisters and keep your skin from having to harden to protect the tissue underneath.

Things to do to remove or smooth unwanted calluses:

If you’re a foot owner on the go, who doesn’t have time to spend hours getting a pedicure, the easiest way to shape your soles is with the Brio Silkstone Electric Pedicure File.

Just turn it on and press the spinning file against your calluses and feel them get smoother and smaller. In a few pain-free minutes, your heels will have the fresh from the salon feel.

Now, you can turn to your toes! Tame unruly toenails with the Brio Radius Clippers. Trimming across the toe avoids painful ingrown nails. And you’re ready for the beach!

If you have time for a spa day here is how you can treat your feet for silky soles.

• Soak your feet - Skin absorbs water making it easier to work with. When you soak your feet, you can add a few drops of essential oil for scent, or Epsom salts to ease pain. Relax with it, enjoy the soak!
• Exfoliate - After your feet have soaked and softened, dry them with a clean towel and pull out your favorite file. Time to get to work. This will be the biggest step to shaping the calluses.

Pumice stones are popular for this, but if you want to save the elbow grease, the SilkStone is top notch for smoothing your feet.  Much like if you don’t have much time, the SilkStone works on freshly soaked feet just as well.

• Moisturize - Apply your favorite lotion or moisturizing cream to your feet. If you have particularly painful cracking or tough calluses, you can put lotion on your feet and wear socks to bed to get an overnight moisturizing treatment. Talk to your podiatrist for more assistance with painful cracking.