Sandals Giant Article Archives

Vegetarian Shoes

Finally, you can extend your vegetarian lifestyle to your shoes. It's hard to find good shoes that aren't ugly, and that are comfortable and good for your feet and made from cruelty-free, earth friendly products.

Prompted by a desire to avoid using animal-based materials such as leather or snakeskin, many vegetarians and vegans choose footwear that is often referred to as "vegetarian". Vegetarian shoes are usually made from non-leather materials such as canvas, hemp, polyurethane, rubber, Spandex or cotton. Many shoe companies now use a blend of cotton and polyurethane to create an animal friendly leather substitute.

The debate of whether leather shoes are acceptable to the vegetarian community at large has been raging for years and until the invention of leather look-alikes, there were no good alternatives for sharp looking shoes that were also animal friendly.

Many vegetarian shoes are not only animal-friendly and cruelty free, they are also earth friendly and are made from recycled rubber tires and plastics. There are a good number of shoes made form hemp as well. A great example of an earth friendly pair of sandals are the Earth Sandals Miami line of shoes. These good-looking sandals are made from solid rubber with a nylon strap. Best of all, they are airport friendly as they do not have a metal bar that goes up the middle of the sandals as many styles of sandals do.

If you're looking to extend your animal and earth friendly lifestyle to your feet, get a great looking pair of sandals and feel good about your choice!
 posted by Sandals Giant   

Pretty Feet for Pretty Sandals

If you're going to put your feet in a new pair of sandals, make sure they look their very best. Giving yourself a pedicure is easy as can be and once you make it a regular part of your self-care routine, you'll be rewarded with feet you want to show off!

First of all, schedule an hour or so that you won't be disturbed. Turn off your cell phone and don't answer the door. Then get down to business. First of all, fill a small tub or shallow pan with very warm water. Set aside. Then remove any old polish on your toenails. After removing, give your nails one more rub with a cotton ball with remover to make sure you removed it all.

The water in your tub should have cooled to lukewarm and should be very comfortable. Soak your feet for ten to fifteen minutes. Add Epsom salts if you want extra softening. After soaking, clip your toenails straight across using a toenail clipper or scissors. Clipping straight across will help prevent ingrown toenails. Then file your toenails smooth.

Check your cuticles and push back any that have grown upwards on the nail. Use a good exfoliating lotion, most contain peppermint and will not only remove the dry skin; they will leave your feet feeling fantastic. After exfoliating, use lotion liberally.

Separate your toes using a toe separator or cotton balls and paint each toenail with the polish color of your choice. Use two coats letting each dry in between applications and then apply a clear coat top.

You will then be ready to slip your pretty piggies into the sexy sandals of your choice and really show off your gorgeous feet!
 posted by Sandals Giant   

Sandals - Pregnant Feet's Best Friend

Pregnancy will cause great changes to a woman's body and one of the key most common complaints during pregnancy is due to aching and swollen feet. The hormones released during pregnancy soften the bones of the foot and many women experience over-pronation or flat feet. This condition can make walking painful and even cause inflammation of the tissues in the foot. This happens to accommodate the weight gain associated with a healthy pregnancy. Over-pronation tends to happen more in woman who already have a propensity for flat footedness and are obese.

The other common complaint many women suffer is swollen feet or edema. It normally occurs in the latter part of pregnancy. Edema results from the extra blood accumulated during pregnancy. The enlarging uterus puts pressure on the blood vessels in the pelvis and legs causing circulation to slow down and blood to pool in the lower extremities. The total water fluid in the body remains the same as before pregnancy, however it is now centralized in the feet and legs of the pregnant woman. If there is swelling in the face or hands, a doctor should be contacted immediately as those are classic warning signs of pre-eclampsia.

There are effective ways to treat both over-pronation and edema during pregnancy. Properly fitting footwear is very important in the treatment of both of these conditions. Choose comfortable footwear that does not bind the foot and gives good arch support. You can fight edema by keeping your feet elevated as much as possible when they are swelling and also by wearing properly fitting footwear. If your doctor gives the okay, light walking is great exercise.
 posted by Sandals Giant   

Avoid Corns by Wearing Sandals

Corns are found on the skin as formations that happen when skin is the victim of repeated friction, such as happens when ill-fitting shoes are worn and the skin reacts by building layer upon layer of protection. A corn is formed. There are two types of corns called hard corns and soft corns.

Hard corns are most often caused by wearing ill fitting shoes. Infrequently, they are caused by a physical defect such as a structural malformation of the foot. Soft corns are generally caused by the toe bones being too wide. They normally occur between the toes.

Hard corns are generally easier to treat than soft corns. Most doctors suggest switching to wider and more comfortable shoes and also if you must wear closed toed shoes, pad the area around the corn with something soft such as a lamb's wool pad. In some cases, a podiatrist can remove corns by cutting them out or burning them off with acid preparations. Never attempt to remove a corn yourself.

Physicians may also opt for surgery to remove corns by correcting malformations of the toes. Toes that do not bend well, sometimes called hammer toes, can cause corns to form. Professional ballerinas are frequent sufferers of this type of corn. Surgery can correct this condition and cause less corns to form in the future.

There are over the counter medications can occasionally remove corns - most work by slowly dissolving the corn by using a preparation of salicylic acid. If you have a corn on your foot, switch to a pair of shoes such as soft cushy sandals that are unbinding and consult with your doctor about the best way to remove the corn.
 posted by Sandals Giant   

The Beautiful Thing About Sandals

An unfortunate occurrence for anyone that wears shoes are foot blisters. The creation of a foot blister comes from three main factors: friction between a shoe and the foot, body heat and sweat. There are a good number of things you can do to avoid blisters.

If you find you get foot blisters on a regular basis, you need to look closely at the shoes you wear. If your shoes do not fit your feet your feet correctly, you will find yourself a frequent sufferer of foot blisters. One of the beautiful things about sandals is since they are open toed and frequently backless, they lessen the chances of foot blisters occurring.

Sandals allow your foot to breath as well and keep your feet cool and dry throughout the hottest months. You can also avoid the occurrence of foot blisters in the colder months by wearing sandals around the house. Keeping your feet out of cotton socks as much as possible will help keep them from suffering the effects of winter dryness. The socks you wear should not be too tight or too loose. A good cotton and polyester blend will keep most feet comfortable.

Some people even find they have feet that perspire even in sandals. A wonderful way to help your feet stay dry is to lightly powder your feet with a good absorbent talcum or cornstarch based powder. Just dust your feet lightly and you will find your feet will stay much drier for longer periods of activity.

If you happen to have a blister, first of all, leave it alone and your body will reabsorb the liquid that has collected within the blister. Popping a blister can leave you open for an opportunistic infection in the area of the blister. You can also use a professional corn cushion that attaches by adhesive backing and will sit on the blister, and there is a hole in the middle which protects the blister from both breaking and further friction.

Blisters on your feet are a widely accepted part of breaking in a new pair of shoes. That doesn't have to be the case, wear simple thong sandal with cushioned foot beds or go for sandals with adjustable strapping systems so you can ensure your shoes fit your feet from the first wearing.
 posted by Sandals Giant