GarnettRose
TMF Poster
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2024
- Messages
- 125
- Points
- 28
I am a nerd about quite a few things. Skincare is, fortunately for my sensitive skin, one of those things. I live in an area that likes to seesaw between weather that is super dry, leaving my skin itching and cracked, and weather that is more humid than Satan's ballsack. Taking care of one's skin is an excellent self-care activity and a wonderful addition to any bathing routine. I could go on for several pages about all sorts of ingredients and their effects on skin concerns and different parts of the body, but seeing as this is a tickling forum, today I thought I would share my footcare routine.
When done well, a good routine can not only leave the skin of your soles feeling and looking great, but dramatically increase their sensitivity (at least in my case lol). I know what you're thinking. Why not just get a pedicure Garnet, and to that I say...one, I don't generally enjoy strangers touching my feet, and two...the nail techs aren't too fond of a screaming customer. I swear, even putting a pumice stone to my own arches verges on overwhelming, but another person? It's absolute madness.
This routine is best done directly out of the shower but can be done dry at the end of your day if you really feel the need. I do this a couple times per week, but you can do it every day if that's what gets you going. I support regular skincare routines in any form.
Starting with a shower serves two purposes. The warm water will generally soften the skin making it easier to exfoliate, and putting lotion on directly after a shower is just best practice no matter what part of your body you are wanting to moisturize.
I generally exfoliate with a pumice stone or foot file on the areas that accumulate the most tough skin on the heels and sides of my feet. There are companies that make exfoliating peels that will remove the top layer of skin on your feet, but I am not that brave, and like I said...my skin is sensitive and easily irritated. I am not saying the products are bad...just use at your own risk.
Moisturizers generally work in three ways. They are comprised of humectants, emollients, and occlusive ingredients which each serve different purposes in the treatment of the skin. A humectant such as hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate, or glycerin work by attracting water into the skin and providing hydration. Humectant molecules are able to hold several times their weight in water. These ingredients are fantastic for people with dry or aging skin. As a side note, I practically live off of hydrating serums in the winter months. Throughout the day, especially if you have dry skin or live in an arid environment, our skin is constantly leeching water into the air around us on a cellular level through a process called trans-epidermal water loss. Using a humectant, especially on skin that is already wet will provide the first step in replenishing hydration to dry skin.
Emollient ingredients such as shea butter, jojoba oil, and ceramides work to soften and moisturize by sinking into the skin, mimicking the natural oils, fatty acids, and lipids that make up the skin barrier and filling in the spaces between skin cells
Finally, a good heavy moisturizer should have at least one occlusive in it in my opinion, and if it doesn't, it's a good step to add after (slugging ftw). Occlusives such as petrolatum, lanolin, and squalane work by sitting on top of the skin and keeping everything that has been added in the skin in place. Occlusives prevent water from escaping the skin, so if you know that your skin is extremely dry, a small amount of an occlusive such as aquaphor can do wonders to keep the skin soft and hydrated. I will note that occlusives do not hydrate the skin, so if your skin is extremely dry, you will see the best results if you pair it with a moisturizer.
As far as products go, you can go as cheap or as expensive as your heart desires with anything skincare. My personal kit contains
You don't have to buy expensive body cream, though I happen to like it a lot. If you want something cheap, Aveeno body lotion is formulated with Colloidal oatmeal which is a fantastic ingredient to nourish and soothe sensitive or dry skin. Neutrogena's hydroboost body lotion is another fantastic option that is formulated with hyaluronic acid.
Now that I have geeked out about skincare for several paragraphs, and I do hope you forgive me for the transgressions. Here is my routine.
When you get out of the shower or bath, the first thing you are going to do is go over the bottoms of your feet with your exfoliator of choice. If you are doing footcare every night, I would only do this step a few times a week or else you are liable to irritate the skin. Exfoliation of any kind whether it be the face, feet, or body, should only be done one to three times per week.
Lightly run the file over the entirety of the soles, paying special attention to areas that are more prone to calluses. These spots can vary depending on how you tend to walk on your feet. My right foot turns in for example, so I have to pay more attention to the outer edges of my right foot than the average person may.
When you have removed enough rough skin to your liking, wipe down your now smoother soles with a damp washcloth, ensuring that they are free of debris.
Once the feet are clean and damp, using about a dime-sized amount for each foot, rub your lotion of choice all over the tops, bottoms, toes, and ankles of your feet. This is a great time to massage your soles if they are tired or sore. I generally add just enough moisturizer to let it sink in the skin. If your skin feels super greasy, you may have added too much.
After I have applied lotion to my feet and the rest of my body, I begin the slugging step. Slugging is a skincare term that means adding a layer of vaseline or aquaphor to the face at the end of a skincare routine to lock in all of the previously added ingredients and prevent water loss. It can be done on any dry part of the body and is fantastic for making the thicker parts of the feet as soft as possible. When slugging my feet I like to squeeze out aquaphor in the size of a dime to apply all over the tops, bottoms, and ankles of my feet just like I did the moisturizer.
Because aquaphor does not sink into the skin, it will feel greasy, which is why I wouldn't use too much as it can feel unpleasant. You should only be using enough to cover your feet in a thin layer of product. If you find the amount overwhelming, it is perfectly alright to use less or skip the step completely.
At the end of my routine, because I have wood floors, and don't enjoy falling to my death, I put on a pair of my comfiest socks and go to sleep. The socks serve the dual purpose of keeping me from slipping and keeping all of the product from wiping off in the night. When you wake up, your feet will be ridiculously soft, and hopefully your ler will (or won't) keep their hands to themselves.
This was a long post, but I hope that you enjoyed it and found it helpful.
When done well, a good routine can not only leave the skin of your soles feeling and looking great, but dramatically increase their sensitivity (at least in my case lol). I know what you're thinking. Why not just get a pedicure Garnet, and to that I say...one, I don't generally enjoy strangers touching my feet, and two...the nail techs aren't too fond of a screaming customer. I swear, even putting a pumice stone to my own arches verges on overwhelming, but another person? It's absolute madness.
This routine is best done directly out of the shower but can be done dry at the end of your day if you really feel the need. I do this a couple times per week, but you can do it every day if that's what gets you going. I support regular skincare routines in any form.
Starting with a shower serves two purposes. The warm water will generally soften the skin making it easier to exfoliate, and putting lotion on directly after a shower is just best practice no matter what part of your body you are wanting to moisturize.
I generally exfoliate with a pumice stone or foot file on the areas that accumulate the most tough skin on the heels and sides of my feet. There are companies that make exfoliating peels that will remove the top layer of skin on your feet, but I am not that brave, and like I said...my skin is sensitive and easily irritated. I am not saying the products are bad...just use at your own risk.
Moisturizers generally work in three ways. They are comprised of humectants, emollients, and occlusive ingredients which each serve different purposes in the treatment of the skin. A humectant such as hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate, or glycerin work by attracting water into the skin and providing hydration. Humectant molecules are able to hold several times their weight in water. These ingredients are fantastic for people with dry or aging skin. As a side note, I practically live off of hydrating serums in the winter months. Throughout the day, especially if you have dry skin or live in an arid environment, our skin is constantly leeching water into the air around us on a cellular level through a process called trans-epidermal water loss. Using a humectant, especially on skin that is already wet will provide the first step in replenishing hydration to dry skin.
Emollient ingredients such as shea butter, jojoba oil, and ceramides work to soften and moisturize by sinking into the skin, mimicking the natural oils, fatty acids, and lipids that make up the skin barrier and filling in the spaces between skin cells
Finally, a good heavy moisturizer should have at least one occlusive in it in my opinion, and if it doesn't, it's a good step to add after (slugging ftw). Occlusives such as petrolatum, lanolin, and squalane work by sitting on top of the skin and keeping everything that has been added in the skin in place. Occlusives prevent water from escaping the skin, so if you know that your skin is extremely dry, a small amount of an occlusive such as aquaphor can do wonders to keep the skin soft and hydrated. I will note that occlusives do not hydrate the skin, so if your skin is extremely dry, you will see the best results if you pair it with a moisturizer.
As far as products go, you can go as cheap or as expensive as your heart desires with anything skincare. My personal kit contains
- A Ped Egg (Though any foot file or pumice will do)
- Ouai Body Cream in the scent Melrose Place (It smells delightfully of fresh roses and I love it all over the body)
- Aquaphor Healing Ointment in a tube (Tubes are generally more hygienic than a tub)
- Cozy socks for sleeping in.
You don't have to buy expensive body cream, though I happen to like it a lot. If you want something cheap, Aveeno body lotion is formulated with Colloidal oatmeal which is a fantastic ingredient to nourish and soothe sensitive or dry skin. Neutrogena's hydroboost body lotion is another fantastic option that is formulated with hyaluronic acid.
Now that I have geeked out about skincare for several paragraphs, and I do hope you forgive me for the transgressions. Here is my routine.
When you get out of the shower or bath, the first thing you are going to do is go over the bottoms of your feet with your exfoliator of choice. If you are doing footcare every night, I would only do this step a few times a week or else you are liable to irritate the skin. Exfoliation of any kind whether it be the face, feet, or body, should only be done one to three times per week.
Lightly run the file over the entirety of the soles, paying special attention to areas that are more prone to calluses. These spots can vary depending on how you tend to walk on your feet. My right foot turns in for example, so I have to pay more attention to the outer edges of my right foot than the average person may.
When you have removed enough rough skin to your liking, wipe down your now smoother soles with a damp washcloth, ensuring that they are free of debris.
Once the feet are clean and damp, using about a dime-sized amount for each foot, rub your lotion of choice all over the tops, bottoms, toes, and ankles of your feet. This is a great time to massage your soles if they are tired or sore. I generally add just enough moisturizer to let it sink in the skin. If your skin feels super greasy, you may have added too much.
After I have applied lotion to my feet and the rest of my body, I begin the slugging step. Slugging is a skincare term that means adding a layer of vaseline or aquaphor to the face at the end of a skincare routine to lock in all of the previously added ingredients and prevent water loss. It can be done on any dry part of the body and is fantastic for making the thicker parts of the feet as soft as possible. When slugging my feet I like to squeeze out aquaphor in the size of a dime to apply all over the tops, bottoms, and ankles of my feet just like I did the moisturizer.
Because aquaphor does not sink into the skin, it will feel greasy, which is why I wouldn't use too much as it can feel unpleasant. You should only be using enough to cover your feet in a thin layer of product. If you find the amount overwhelming, it is perfectly alright to use less or skip the step completely.
At the end of my routine, because I have wood floors, and don't enjoy falling to my death, I put on a pair of my comfiest socks and go to sleep. The socks serve the dual purpose of keeping me from slipping and keeping all of the product from wiping off in the night. When you wake up, your feet will be ridiculously soft, and hopefully your ler will (or won't) keep their hands to themselves.
This was a long post, but I hope that you enjoyed it and found it helpful.
