Peter: Hey everybody, I'm Peter for Shoetopia.
Laura: And I'm Laura from Align Pedorthics.
Peter: And it's another version of Feel Good Feet. So we had a question from Debbie, and she wanted us to talk today a little bit about foot hygiene and foot health.
Laura: So, what we want to start with is just proper washing of your feet. So, warm water, soap, actually getting in between the toes, making sure that they're nice and clean. And then when you go to dry, make sure that you're either fully air drying before going into socks or shoes, or making sure that everything's nice and dry between your toes. That can stop you from getting any soft corns or any blistering in there because of moisture.
Second thing is for those women that are wearing toenail polish, if you're wearing it all year-round, your toenail beds actually aren't getting that, they don't have that ability to breathe. So think about that. Maybe you want to go couple weeks on, couple weeks off, and just allow those toenails to breathe a little bit better.
Peter: The type of material that you're using on your feet is a big thing too. We sell a lot of natural product here at the store, so a lot of Merino wool blends, bamboo blends, natural products wick away the moisture, so they're more natural for you. They are anti-microbial. They're taking the moisture of your foot and taking it out and into the lining of the boot or the shoe, just naturally, and that's the beauty of it.
Just think of the Merino wool on a lamb in the summer that's taking their body heat out into it, and that's the same thing that's happening with your foot. It's taking it out and wicking it into the shoe.
Laura: So if you are having any kind of more complicated issues like plantars warts or athlete's foot, or some maybe fungus in your toenail beds that you've noticed, you want to see the right person. So, I always recommend seeing either a foot care nurse that's specialized in that sort of area, or a chiropodist as well. And so, most can be covered under benefits plans, but that gives you a good option to go get that help that you need.
Peter: Yeah, the thing that we like to tell people too, and that's why I actually picked a work boot here is, people, especially people that are working every day, tend to get in that same pair of shoes day after day after day, because that's their work shoes. But the real thing is that you really want to have two pair at least to alternate back-and-forth. And the idea there is that you're going to let that shoe dry or the boot dry. Take out the insole. Let the insides of it actually breathe, and bacteria doesn't grow where there's dry.
Laura: Yes.
Peter: There's no mold, there's no bacteria when things are dry. So you want to keep all of this stuff as dry as possible. Wear your other one this day, let this one breathe for a day, pop into this one and just alternate back-and-forth, whether it's a work boot, your regular daily shoe-
Laura: Yeah.
Peter: Whatever the case is, do your best not to wear the same shoe day after day. It's a lot healthier-
Laura: Yes.
Peter: For your feet.
Laura: Yes it is.
Peter: So, I think that's about it. Hopefully we've covered a couple things of interest here for you today on foot care, healthy hygiene and what you can do with some of your regular shoes. I'm Peter from Shoetopia. You can find us at shoetopia.ca, Shoetopia Footwear on Instagram, and on Facebook.
Laura: And I'm Laura from Align Pedorthics, and you can find me at AlignPedorthics.com.
Peter: Have a great day. Bye for now.
Laura:Bye.
Peter: Hope to see you soon.