Step Into Summer

By Shelly Ballestero
Licensed Esthetician

CBN.com – After walking several thousand steps a day, our feet have endured some travel time and need some TLC. It is expected that in our lifetime, we will have circled the globe a couple of times just in walking.

That is a lot of pressure on a foot that has approximately 7,200 nerve endings, 26 bones, 20 muscles, and hundreds of blood vessels – and we’re just talking one foot here!

With all that sole stomping, it’s time to pamper our tootsies and show them off in fabulous sandals.

Foot Therapy

Have you had a pedicure lately? This is a luxury that women deserve, and you can get one at a local cosmetology school for half the price. Students are supervised by an instructor and are just about finished with their nail program, so you can relax while your feet are being pampered.

If your budget is tighter and you don’t like other people touching your feet, have no fear. With a basin near, paradise is on the way!

Fill up a basin with warm water. Put a few drops of essential oil in with two tablespoons of baking soda.
Have a foot file handy (use the file on a dry foot); one to try is by www.microplane.com. This device removes dead skin to reveal baby-soft skin underneath.
After you file, scrub your feet with this homemade recipe below.

Brown Sugar Foot Scrub

Ingredients
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground oatmeal
2 tablespoons aloe vera gel
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond oil (In case you don't have almond oil, use olive oil; it is a great substitute.)

Preparation
Before you start preparing this scrub, grind the oatmeal using a coffee grinder or food processor. It has to be of sandy consistency, flaky, and light - otherwise it will scratch the skin.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix until it resembles a paste.

Use circular motion and massage gently. Rinse off with warm water.

Mighty Massage

Now place your feet in the warm water and soak your soles for ten minutes. Do not soak too long, as soaking can make feet drier.

Use a cuticle pusher and press back the skin around your toenails.
Clip and file toenails squarely, in line with the ends of the toes, so that growth does not head into the surrounding soft tissue.
Rub your feet with orange oil; it helps to release toxins in congested skin and helps cell regeneration. Or rub a cream like Dessert Essence Organics Pistachio foot cream on your feet. You will love the smell. And for $5.39 at www.vitacost.com, you can’t beat it.
Now that your feet are lubricated, start to massage the small joints in the toes with your index finger and thumb. Continue for one to two minutes per toe. Work toward the pad of your foot with your thumb in a caterpillar motion (thumb walking) and massage for a couple of minutes.
Try some foot massage balls from www.purezeal.com for $17.99 and give your hand a rest!
With a wet Q-tip, dab around toenails to take off any excess cream. This will prepare the nail for polish.

You will like this nail polish by www.Anisecosmetics.com ($6). The formula is made without formaldehyde, toluene, and dibutyl phthalate.

Now, nail polish is not natural, but if you must wear it, use formulas such as Honeybees nail polish found at www.bewellstaywell.com for $6.99.

No Sweat!

So now that your feet feel and look great with fabulous sandals on, what’s next? Sweaty soles. Here is one way to prevent that: use summer soles. They are insoles used to absorb sweat. All you do is peel and stick the product onto your shoe, and best of all, no residue is left behind. Check out www.summersoles.com to purchase one pair for $7.95 or five for $30.

Has your heart ever felt like it was going to jump out after slipping around in your sandals? Maybe you need heart stoppers. Place these fun shape stoppers on the soles of your sandals. They are oh so cute and will prevent slipping and sliding on floors.

Our feet endure stress, pressure, and pain from tight shoes, let alone the everyday walking or standing in one place for a long period of time. We must remember to give our soles a break by changing up shoes after wearing them for several hours, keep our feet hydrated, seek out a podiatrist for check ups, and try to have a pedicure once a month.

God gave us these feet to walk with Him, praise Him, and to take care of ourselves and the ones we love. Sit down, relax, put your feet up, and thank God for your soles!

Shelly Ballestero is a licensed esthetician, make-up artist, beauty editor of Lifestyle Magazine, and author. Shelly has studied under Emmy Award winner Eve Pearl, head make-up artist for ABC's The View. In addition, Shelly is one of the make-up experts for Jane Iredale cosmetics and participates in the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa conference. Shelly and her husband, Angelo, a worship pastor, live in Windermere, Florida, with their two children. (Photo of Shelly courtesy of Katie Meehan, www.phfocus.com.)