Right. So. I tend to wear sandals for comfort and ease of use. With sandals I don’t have to hunt for socks or fiddle with laces or anything like that, it’s just boom–shoe–go. I also have an uncommonly wide toe bed but normal heels, which means my feet have roughly the same shape as a duck’s.
Because they are feet, they get stood on and bashed into things and they kick things and they are exposed to the weather a lot. So my toes are fairly dry and my toenails are far from pretty.
Considering that I seem to be showing them off an awful lot, do you Dopers have any suggestions for getting my feet into better shape and looking less freaking terrifying?
My feet are usually in steel toe shoes, then on the weekends as much as I can get away with I wear sandals.
Mostly my regime for feet is after a shower take a pumice to rub off all the rough spots on my feet (heels, ball of foot) and then rub in foot butter (I love it… bought the travel size initially and now use it lots, it works great).
For my toenails, I trim them after showers or a soak (easier to cut that way) and trim the cuticle if it needs it. I also usually toss on a coat of nail polish, which lasts for a long time before it wears off or I decide to change the color.
Doesn’t take long to do, and my feet look (and feel) much better than they used to.
I go get pedicures monthly. Kinda pricey but they exfoliate and massage my feet and the polish always last way longer than when I do it at home. But before I got into the regular pedicure routine, I’d do it myself. I’d make sure my toes were trimmed (at least weekly, I can’t stand long toenails), clean under them, and paint them every couple of weeks.
I also stretch my toes every evening. I wear heels a lot and I’m trying to prevent hammertoes so I’ll manually work my toes to make sure the joints aren’t freezing up.
I go to Tips n’Toes which is down south in the Westgate shopping center between Central Market and Borders. It’s kinda your standard Vietnamese run nail salon but I’ve been going there for a long time and they do good work. A “spa” pedicure is $24 (and I usually tip $4 or $5). You can get cheaper pedicures if you go over eastside, like Oltorf or Riverside. I like it 'cause the polish stays nice for a really long time (I said monthly but really it’s usually more like 5 or 6 weeks between) and they take care of all the exfoliating stuff (plus you get a leg and foot massage). Alos, I’ve diiscoverd that pedicures have become a female bonding ritual, it’s the ideal thing to do with a couple of friends 'cause you can sit around and chat while you’re getting your toes done.
Blast, if only I still lived southside! Or at least didn’t live way north of this laundromat…
Well, there’s a manicurist in the shopping center by my office. I figure they can’t make my tootsies look any worse than they already do. $24 plus tip isn’t too awful, though monthly…
I’ll have to try out that pumice and foot butter first, see where that gets me!
I have duck feet, too, and have completely given up on shoes that are remotely fashionable. I’m convinced that those hideous super-pointy toed shoes that were popular recently were invented just to taunt me. Nobody could have been wearing those things because they thought they looked good.
If my shoes are okay, my feet pretty stay fine. I use a pumice stone if they start to get rough and keep the nails clipped. Going for the occasional barefoot walk on the beach is good, too, if that’s an option. Keeps them smooth and flexible.
Pumice stone, plus Lamisil cream on heels (it’s the only thing I’ve found that’ll work for my poor dry, cracked heels!). Trim nails when they need it, and polish during summer months. That’s it, other than not wearing torturous shoes.
