In the Know: B-Line Beauty
Many of my clients seem to forget to look after their feet in between treatments. What advice can I give them about good foot care?
The foot is an intricate and delicate structure, yet so many women and men neglect this vital part of the anatomy. Each foot contains 26 bones – almost a quarter of the body’s total – and on average we take around 18,000 steps every day.
Each foot absorbs three to four times our body weight each time it hits the floor and much more if you're a gym bunny. It therefore makes sense to take good care of our feet, so they continue to take care of us.
Suggest a simple hygiene routine to your clients, together with some easy exercises that can be carried out at home. Let them know that they can, for example:
- Relieve tired, aching feet by soaking them in warm water infused with a few drops of essential oil: lavender or rosemary work wonders
- Use a homemade salt scrub and a foot file to reduce build-up of hard skin
- Apply a dollop of their favourite foot cream and massage firmly from the ankle downwards, to ease the stress away
- Walk barefoot where possible, to strengthen muscles and improve posture
- Get into the habit of rotating each ankle first clockwise and then anti-clockwise every day – about 10 times each way
- While seated, use a plastic bottle or soft rubber ball, rolling the feet back and forth over it to relieve tension, stretch the muscles and improve circulation
Recommend your clients not to wear the same pair of shoes two days running and to vary heel height to keep calf and foot muscles flexible.
Using an antiseptic spray inside the shoes is good hygiene. This is especially important for trainers where perspiration build-up can cause fungal infections such as athlete’s foot.
People often feel embarrassed about the state of their feet but I firmly believe that looking after our feet should be something we do everyday – an investment in our overall health and wellbeing.
Annette Foley-Craigen is the founder of B-Line Beauty, a British company that produces plant-based products for the hands, feet and body. B-Line's products and treatments are designed to be as great for therapist to apply and carry out as for clients to use and receive
