How to make your feet stilleto-worthy?

Dear Rissa,

I’m a young working woman with a nine-to-five job. Although we have an office, I’m hardly there because I’m all over Makati meeting up with clients. But because my meetings are often never very far from the office, I often find myself walking all day to other offices. My main concern right now are my feet. They’re quite abused and will even be more abused when I start my Christmas shopping! We’ll be having our office party in a week or so. I’d really love to be party-ready in a nice pair of strappy stilettos! But before I slip my feet into a pair, I’d like my feet to be stiletto-worthy! How do I care for my feet? It’s been a while since my feet got any pampering. Please suggest something I can do at home since I doubt if I have time to go to a parlor. Thanks so much! — Irene

I know exactly how you feel. There are times when my feet have cried from walking in mile-high stilettos down a long, long ramp. And there are times my feet have complained from trudging booth to booth in yet another flea market. But when I get home, my feet are sure to get the first attention — even before I open those shopping bags to adore the latest loot I got.

Personally, I love pampering my hands and feet at the Nail Spa (fifth floor of the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, call them at 687-4991). They give the best manicures and pedicures in town. They’ve got endless choices of nail polish with the very best brands. Whenever I’m there, I’m absolutely worry-free. I’m honestly quite picky on how my nails are done — even to details on how to swipe that white line on a French manicure! But at Nail Spa, I just sink in to their extremely comfy couches, close my eyes, and let the nail technician pamper away! Now that’s my kikay moment.

This holiday season, nothing best matches a pair of sexy stilettos than a pair of pretty feet. With all the hard work your feet have been getting, I suggest you reward yourself with a heavenly trip to Nail Spa when you have the time. But in the meantime, you can regularly keep your footsies in tiptop shape at home. Read on for some simple steps to foot care.

1. Nothing is more soothing and relaxing than a foot bath! Fill a foot tub with warm water and pour some foot soak granules into the water. Sea salts or lavender oil are great alternatives too! Soak your feet for around five minutes to soften the skin.

2. After removing your feet from the water, treat your feet to a foot scrub! Apply a foot scrub like Mint Energy Alpha Hydroxy Foot Scrub by St. Ive’s to exfoliate the skin then rinse off. An oatmeal scrub can work wonders as well!

3. While the skin of your feet is still damp, use a pumice stone to slightly scrub thick areas like the heels, the soles of the foot, and the bottom of the toes. This might tickle a little but bear the laughter because you’re already a few steps closer to happy and healthy feet!

4. Dry your feet well with a towel then trim your toenails if necessary. Always cut straight across and never down the sides. Sharp corners which dig into the toe can cause ingrown toenails or stab wounds to neighboring toes. File your toenails horizontally with an emery board.

5. After some primping and pampering, it’s time to make your feet really pretty! Put on some polish! Starting with a clear base coat, paint one stripe in the middle then on each side. Follow up with two coats of nail color. Be sure to allow some drying time in between each coat. Finish off with a clear top coat!

6. Lastly, when your polish is dry, slather on a moisturizing cream like Bare Foot Wild Mint and Lemon Balm Foot lotion by Freeman. You can also try slathering on some petroleum jelly — just as supermodel Tyra Banks does to keep her feet in top form!

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Hi Rissa!

I honestly enjoy reading your column. I especially found most helpful Dr. Clare Palabyab who you always refer to when it comes to skin problems. My kabarkada was having problems with her skin and I told her to try Dr. Palabyab. I showed her the contact number in your column and she was really satisfied after her first visit. I’m really keeping Dr. Palabyab in mind when I encounter skin problems in the future. Right now, I’m concerned with my hair. It’s been very dry but thankfully no flakes on my scalp or anything. But I do have split ends! It’s been quite a while since I last saw split ends on my hair! Nakakainis! I’m tyring to grow my hair long. Is there a way to treat split ends without cutting off the ends? I’d appreciate your advice. — Tricia R.

First of all, hair is dry as a result of lack of sebum on the hair. Dehydration makes the hair less elastic so it’s more susceptible to breakage and damage. It will actually only stretch half as far as normal hair. Thus, dry hair needs more protection than normal hair from the drying effects of the sun, sea water, and stress from brushing and styling.

The first step in solving split ends is to have your hair trimmed. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice a few inches. After all, it’s for the sake of healthier hair! If you don’t go for a trim, your problem may worsen.

Next, to prevent further damage, start using leave-in conditioners or treatments before your daily routine of blow-drying and hair styling. This way, your mane stays healthy and at the same time stylish! Try St. Ive’s Split Mender. It’s a leave-in conditioning treatment that contains a special micro protein serum that is instantly absorbed into the cuticle helping reconstruct damaged split ends. Another product to try is L’Oreal Kerastase nutri-instant serum for damaged ends. It not only treats dry split ends but leaves hair super shiny.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to shampoo your hair as often as you want. Contrary to common belief, doing so won’t really make your hair drier. In fact, the cleaner the scalp, the more sebum will be able to move along the hair shaft. Just make sure you use the right kind of shampoo too. Opt for creamy shampoos with built-in conditioners and those that are specifically for dry hair.

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Email your questions and comments to rissa_ms@hotmail.com