Beautiful, dainty feet are sensuously feminine. It’s important to pamper your feet and take proper care. It’s also important to choose the right footwear for yourself. A lady knows how to select the befitting footwear for the occasion and accessorise it deftly. It’s also important to know how to take care of your costly footwears. Bollywood cine actor, Nyra, gives invaluable tips on the subject, in the regular column, exclusively for Different Truths.
Pampering your feet should be one of the most important care regimes as feet take all the weight of the body and are soiled by dust.
A regular foot massage is healthy as it pumps blood and rejuvenates the whole body instantly. It is important to keep your feet up while sitting for long periods. Acupressure massages are very relaxing.
Dip feet in warm water with Epsom salts to relieve tiredness and aches and pains. Can also add sea salt, aroma oils, lemon to the water. Lemon or vinegar helps the de-tan process.
Mustard oil is best for cracked heels.
Keep toenails free of nail paint at times to help the nails breathe.
For good sleep, wash feet and apply Vicks on the soles.
Walk on green wet grass early morning to be grounded – experience peace and being in the present.
Add some powdered camphor to oil while massaging feet for cooling and relaxing. In case of colds, add fried garlic to mustard oil and rub on feet.
Just the way, cleaning your face before sleep is important, having clean feet before sleeping is equally important as they damage and age the soonest.
I recall a hauntingly beautiful Bollywood song by Lata Mangeshkar, Aaj kal paon zameen par (These days my feet do not touch the ground), from the movie, Ghar (1978).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqCzyGLxQeQ
The Right Footwear
Wearing correct size footwear reduces the chances of back aches, and weakening of eye sight. Wrong size or uncomfortable footwear can affect your gait, causing wear and tear in the body, leading to health problems in the long run, affecting knee and hip joints. Wrong muscles are developed which affects the overall body posture. Your shoes speak about your personality. Very comfortable pair of shoes enhances your confidence.
I have about fifty pairs of footwear, consisting of boots, wedges, platforms, stilettoes, pumps, gladiators, sandals, Kolhapuries, and dancing shoes. I have about every colour of boots in leather and suede.
English colours look really good on me and I pair them with my jackets of the same colour while travelling abroad.
Maroon suede boots and tanned leather boots go with everything.
I have some greyish silver shoes which can be used formally as well for parties.
Stilettoes give you touch of elegance – preferably wear with gowns. Platforms and wedges add to the funk for casual wears.
Gladiators go hep with body hugging mini dresses.
Tips to Care for Shoes
To protect them from peeling, apply talcum powder and brush them properly. They peel due to moisture or keeping in plastic bags.
If you polish your shoes to retain colour and lustre or use leather conditions/water repellent creams, then weekly aeration and sunlight is required. If it’s not possible then after the said cream/conditioner or the polish is absorbed, you can use talcum powder.
For real leathers, you can use baby oil for a natural sheen. Also regular use of real leathers will only get the colour better and stronger as they never get spoilt.
It is very important to once in a while dry all boots under the sunlight as all sweat of your feet get stored and the sole becomes coarse. You can also throw in a pinch of talcum powder to restore its freshness as you cannot wash them.
For parties, if you do not have great looking stilettoes, golden or silver body tattoos can do wonders for your feet. Also if you have a long slit on your gown on one leg, nice body tattoo can be exposed on the leg.
©Nyra Banerjee
Picture by the author.
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