Virtual Salon

There’s hardly a woman in the world who doesn’t dream of silky heels with tender pink skin, resembling the skin of a new born baby. But in most cases these dreams of pretty heels don’t represent the facts and when summer, the long-awaited season, comes and you pull out your favorite open-toe sandals or sabots there’s a moment of sadness. You look at your heels and find out that they are far from perfection.

But don’t despair and drop the thoughts about the way to hide the prettiest part of a female’s foot in lace-up shoes. The problem you have is a solvable one; it’s up to you to make your heels well-groomed and beautiful. But you are expected to pet them with a variety of pleasant cosmetic procedures: energetic massage, footbaths, masks and special cosmetic facilities. But you have to bear in mind: the most slap-up cosmetic can be useless if you use it irregularly!

Obligatory and in fact the most effective procedure to make the skin of your heels tender and smooth is taking the footbaths: soap and household soda, sea and table salt, herbs are the appropriate materials for baths. You are expected to take them at least 3 times a month. You can choose any mask to your liking taking into consideration the type of skin of your feet. Just plunge your feet into the bath for 30-40min.

But the application of footbaths only won’t bring you the expected result. In addition to baths you should purify the skin of your feet regularly. When the feet are steamed well in the footbath and the skin gets a pink shade you need to remove the horny upper layer of your heels very carefully with the help of small-grained pumice or special pedicure brush with hard bristle.

If to remove the hardened small parts of skin regularly and in small amounts it will be much more effective, than merciless treatment of it with iron brushes and blades. These methods can be very harmful for skin.

Once a week you can clean your heels with special scrub for feet. You need to apply some scrub on the flat pumice or the oval polishing file and with slight circular motions rub the skin of heels, then rinse with water and perform the ‘polishing’ once again. It’s better to clean the skin of heels with the help of scrub for 2-3min. Polish for the longer time can injure the internal layers of skin, because the agents that scrub holds are capable of peeling the parts of skin. And you have to keep in your mind that scrub is to fit the type of skin on your feet. After this procedure the skin of heels should be softened and moisturized. You’d better smear your heels with calendula or chamomile extract or other cream for feet, which you use daily.

If you found out that your skin lost its elastic quality and became fragile (it usually happens after swimming and long stands in the sun), lost its upper layers and revealed the new ones it’s time for you to apply lotions with marsh mallow roots. To prepare the extract in the enamel ware you need to pour 2 spoons of ground marsh mallow roots with 0,5 liters of water of room temperature, then put the cover on it hermetically and stirring it permanently you should warm it on water hothouse for 30 min. Then it’s up to you to cool the extract till the room temperature, moisten the gauze napkins in it and apply to the heels for 30min. Do not be lazy to make the procedure twice a day – in the morning and evening.

You can try another, also very productive way: mix up a yolk with one teaspoonful of lemon juice and add half a teaspoon of starch. You are supposed to apply the obtained mass on your steamed heels and leave it till it’s dried completely and resembles a firm crust. Then you should wash off the yolk mask with warm water and smear your heels with moisturizing emulsion.
You can make the skin on your heels tender and smooth if every day after a warm bath you rub the pulp of olives and a bit of warm olive oil into the skin of your heels. If you want the problem of demolition of the upper layers of skin not to bother you any more before taking sun and hygienic baths you have to smear the skin of your feet with special moisturizing creams.

If the skin on your heels became extremely harsh and reminded you of emery (it means that the upper layer dies out), you’d better apply the compress composed of fresh onion on your heels right after the foot soap and soda or herbal bath. You are to scald a bulb of onion with fiercely boiling water, cut it into halves, lay them on your heels, cover them with polyethylene film, then bandage the heels and leave so for all the night. In the morning it will be necessary to remove the odds and ends of the onion, thoroughly rub the heels with pumice and smear with grease cream applying it with circular motions. It’s enough to make 2-3 procedures like this and the skin on your heels is tender and smooth.

The ugly defect of ‘emery-paper’ is able to be corrected. It’s time for you to hold your feet in warm starch bath and after that purify your heels with limp brush. As a rule this bath promotes the separation of died off cells of upper layer of skin, skin is getting softer and smoother.

If you want the skin on the heels to be tender and silky you can use the following recipe: before going to bed you have to apply any grease cream and corn oil on your heels, lay the polyethylene film on them and fasten with a bandage. In the morning you have to take a footbath, which is usually taken by you during a pedicure procedure, then steam your feet for 20 min. and scrub the skin of your feet with pumice. If you perform the procedure regularly the result will be beyond your best expectations: the skin will be satin and delicate.

If you made up your mind to pamper your face with fruit or vegetable mask you shouldn’t forget about your heels. The harsh skin on heels can be softened if you apply the mask of fresh squashes on the heels. Squashes are cut into small particles, applied on gauze and put to the heels for 30min. After that they are washed off with warm water and smeared with grease nourishing cream. You can make the mask once a week and the effect of tender rose petals is guaranteed to your heels.

Your feet are sure to enjoy the mask of fresh apricots. They will express the pleasure they derive in their pretty looks – they’ll become tender and silky. The main quality of the mask is its simplicity. You need to knead the apricots without the clingstones in the plate. Do it by means of a plastic fork or knife, then add 1-2 drops of vegetable or olive oil, stir the mass very regularly and let it stand for 3 min. on faint fire. Then you need to apply the warm mask on your heels, cover it with small piece of polyethylene and bind up. You are expected to lie for 20min., then wash it away with cool water. If you are willing you can smear the heels with nourishing cream.

No doubt you’re aware of unique curative qualities of green tea. To make your heels look in a worthy manner in several days, make them smooth and tender you are to compose the mask of the universal cream with green tea. You should pour one spoon of green tea with 100gr. of fiercely boiling water beforehand, then pour off the liquid and leave the tea-leaves. After you took a warm foot bath you need to apply a thick layer of cream on the skin of your heels. The cream should be the one you use daily (moisturizing, nourishing). And at last you are to lay the tea-leaves on the surface of cream. In 40min. you need to wash the mask off with water and massage the feet with the tips of your fingers and besides you can roll a pencil or a tennis ball with feet.

You can also do the following procedure once a month: warm a glass of white wine in the pan (till blebs appear on the surface), put one spoon of lime-blossom, boil under the hermetic cover for several minutes, take off from fire and pour the hot wine into the wash-basin. As soon as the liquid gets warm you need to put your heels in keeping the toes in upward position. It’ll take 10min, and then you need to scrub your heels with a soft bast whisp and again put them down. You have to repeat the procedure for 3-4 times. The horny layer will disappear very soon and you’ll see that your heels are changing: they acquire a tender rosy shade with satin tender skin. When you wear too tight footwear there can appear rubbed sections which are accompanied with uncomfortable feelings when you are walking. You need to lay cool lotions made up of dry chamomile flowers or peppermint on your heels and smear the skin with light cream.

Rubbed sections on the skin of your heels can come to naught if you follow these recommendations: you need to prepare 1/2 litres of cornflower extract, pour it in halves in 2 wash-basins; one half of the extract should be warm (keep the basin on water-hothouse), and the other cooled off. Then it’s up to you to moisten tampons of absorbent cotton and gauze in warm extract and put on your heels. In several minutes replace these tampons with the ones sodden with cool extract and leave them for some more minutes. This procedure should be repeated for 5-6 times and finished with cool compress. Then you are to smear the rubbed sections with nourishing cream. The next day you are sure to feel noticeable ‘improvement’ and if you do the procedure several times you will say good-bye to rubbed sections on the skin of your heels.

Herbal hot compresses are very useful for your heels. You ought to prepare the extract of any of enumerated herbs: watery cudweed, chamomile or bur-marigold. Then you wet small parts of cotton cloth in the hot extract and apply them to your heels. After that you put cellophane packets on your feet having fastened them at the ankles with a bandage and on the packets you need to dress warm woolen socks. The compress is to be taken off in an hour and at last you have to smear the skin of your heels with any nourishing cream.

At times we recommend you a strong massage with grease cream. You have to warm up some grease cream in hands and massage the heels with slack stretching motions. This kind of massage is able to strengthen the blood circulation in your heels and moreover, make you feel better.

You can massage the heels with warm bath towel. Before the massage hang the towel on the radiator or iron it in hot temperature and at last rub your heels, soles and toes by means of the warmed up towel.

Chaps on the heels
If you feel a kind of discomfort when walking and the soles started ‘burning’ as if you are pacing on the red-hot coals and every step causes an unbearable pain it means that you have chaps on your heels. You need to examine your soles thoroughly and if you catch a sight of little thin cuts or deep chaps on your heels it’s time for you to start the treatment.

But before the treatment let’s figure out the reasons of appearance of chaps. The physicians consider this defect to be evidence of extreme dryness of skin. Under the impact of environment the upper layer of skin is getting broken and thus the access to the internal layers of skin for microbes is open; first thin cuts appear which develop into the deeper chaps.

When you see the chaps on heels you should know that their appearance may be connected with irregular tension of skin. In summer the upper layer of skin is stretching out because of water and in winter skin loses the natural moisture, dries out and as a result the chaps.

People who suffer from dermal diseases like eczema, for example, can also have chaps.

It’s extremely difficult to treat chaps, but if you follow the way of regular curative procedures and moisturizing products you can get rid of this nuisance forever.

The major cosmetic facilities for treating the chaps are the preparations based on Vaseline, which can be purchased in any drugstore. But you should remember to consult the pharmacist or physician beforehand.

Pure Vaseline is capable of softening the chaps and it promotes the moisturizing of skin. You ought to steam your feet in hot water with little amount of boric acid (1 teaspoonful to a glass of water) and apply the layer of Vaseline on chaps. After that put the plaster on to hold Vaseline on skin and keep for a night. The next day you need to reiterate the procedure and try to make it till the chaps vanish away.

If your chaps are deep you are recommended to soften them with ointment containing antibiotics; rub it with circular motions. It’s not obligatory to apply the plaster. Steroid ointments create the barrier and prevent the microbes from getting into the internal layers of skin. But bear in mind you may use these ointments only with a dermatologist’s permission.

You have to disinfect the painful chaps you can apply some disinfectant. Before going to bed you wash your feet in warm water with soap and make a footbath, then dry the skin of your feet (don’t forget about skin between the toes) and smear the ill sections with a disinfectant.

There are cases when the chaps appear between the toes – not the most pleasant feeling. And if you didn’t start the treatment in time you can get fungous diseases, one more trouble. You have to take the fungicide therapy like anti-fungus ointments; smear the chaps between toes with it. To avoid these chaps after you washed your feet try to rub the sections between the toes with a towel very thoroughly.

As well as cosmetic facilities we recommend your using the vegetable ones. Curative components and microelements that plants hold have a treating influence and the usage of medical properties of herbs in the complex with ointments and creams will promote the recovery of the chaps.

To get rid of small cuts on the heels is possible to do in some days, if to apply a grated apple to them. You need to grate a juice apple, lay the apple sauce on a part of firm cloth and apply to the heels, having fixed the compress with the help of a bandage.

To moisturize the deep chaps you need to rub your heels with a juice of fresh tomato often. If you run out of tomatoes you may use tomato juice (but not ketchup). The grass elecampane is well known. The medical properties of this plant were known to the ancient Greeks; elecampane was successfully cultivated and used to cure many illnesses. The precious agents of this plant are the part of loads of cosmetic products and are widely used by dermatologists. If you make the lotions or hot compresses composed of elecampane roots daily the champs on your heels will recover in a short period of time.

The cabbage leave is also very productive when you’re treating the chaps. You’re supposed to apply a fresh cabbage leave to chaps and smear them with moisturizing cream in the morning.

If you want to get rid of deep chaps you may use potatoes. You should boil potatoes in the peels till it gets crumbly; then add some water in which it was boiled and knead with a fork. You have to hold your feet for 30-40 min. in warm potato extract, then rinse your feet with warm water and smear the chaps with castor oil or any greasy cream. When you do the procedures before bedtime do not forget to put cotton socks on.

If all the recipes listed above don’t help you try to experience an old well-known method. You need to take a glass of milk, boil it and add 2 spoons of finely cut leaves of coltsfoot. You need to cook the gruel on the water hothouse during an hour. Then it’s up to you to cool it, lay it thinly on the gauze and apply to chaps for 20-30 min. The chaps will gradually enclose and at last disappear.

You are sure to be aware of the unique properties of honey. But few people know that it’s used to cure the deepest chaps on your heels. But when you use it you need to know that you are not allergic to honey. You have to apply some honey on a piece of a cotton cloth and put it on the chaps. You can leave the honey compress for the night, having bound it up with a bandage. When you wake up you need to wash the heels with warm water, smear with moisturizing cream for kids and apply a normal plaster to it to save the moisture on skin.

If you take the methods of folk medicine on trust we suggest your using the following method.

You need to take the raw egg in a shell, put it into a small glass can, pour it with vinegar essence (it should cover it up) and let it stand for 2-3 days. The shell has to dissolve and the egg will stay in a thin covering. Then you pull the egg out of the can with caution to prevent it from spreading, put into the plate, smear and add 100-150 gr. of softened butter and half of vinegar essence from the can; then stir the components up, put the mixture into the cellophane packet, apply to the heels, wrap them with warm material (it would be better to use woolen cloth) and leave it for the night. In the morning you need to make up a warm soda footbath, steam your feet in water and using pumice or special pedicure file peel the skin off from your heels. You’d better reiterate the procedure every day till the chaps vanish away. But it’s normally after the 2nd procedure the chaps are enclosing and disappear completely.

There are people who use lard. You have to smear the chaps thickly with lard, wrap them with polyethylene film and put the cotton socks. This procedure is to be reiterated during 2 weeks. If the chaps stayed after this you’d rather repeat the procedure in a month. The folk healers assert that this treatment leads to full recovery.

In alternative medicine curdled milk with butter is used to cure the chaps. It’s necessary to shake up 30gr. of butter in the plate, add ½ of glass of curdled milk and stir the mass thoroughly. The prepared mixture is applied after the footbath and rubbed into the chaps with circular motions.

The other method (not for the squeamish patients) is the compresses of urine. The forthcoming effect is guaranteed.

But if autotherapy doesn’t help you at all, the chaps don’t vanish, and besides you suffer from pustules, reddenings and swells that appeared next to chaps and you have a high temperature it’s time to stop it and consult the specialist.

There are special precautions: don’t take the bath longer than it’s necessary, especially if the skin on your feet is dry, and wash your feet with soft soap, non alkaline. It would be nice if you add oil with lanoline into the bath and use special foam for baths with moisturizing components.

And you need to be careful with acquiring the tan; the influence of ultraviolet rays dries your skin and the chaps are getting deeper and cause much more pain. If you have even the little chaps it’s not proper to walk barefoot. Different microbes can get into the internal layers of skin through the chaps and cause deep inflammations.

Chaps on your feet are a significant trouble which can be the reason of many serious diseases. That’s why if you found out the chaps on your heels you should consult the dermatologist immediately and start the treatment of your skin under his guidance. It will be really nice if you’ll find the necessary and most productive methods to treat the cosmetic defects of the skin of your feet in our article.