Shoes caught in the rain? Tips to fix them

Summer is a time of hot weather and short shorts and high heels. Some summer days can include rain clouds and thunder. Now, what to do when you get caught in the rain unprepared?  Take cover and run towards the nearest awning. After you've run and frolicked in the rain, your shoes are most likely soaked. It happens to the best of us. Instead of taking the lost for a “ruined” pair of shoes, whether suede or not, lets learn how to dry them properly. Keeping them as fabulous as the say the day you bought them.

First thing is to take out the insole of the shoe. If dirty give it a spin in the washing machine, let them hang them until dry. NO DRYER! No part of your shoe needs to meet the dryer

Water damage leather shoes-

Wash away any dirt or mud off the shoe by hand. Take a stiff brush and clean everything off of them. If it's mud, you might have to dab and then wipe them down with a rag first, and then really use the brush to get inside of the nooks and crannies

Now this next tip may surprise you. Newspaper is a great absorbent.

Get a newspaper wad it up into smaller pieces and then stuff it into your shoes. The newspaper will draw out any moisture in your shoes and attempt to save them.

PLEASE leave the dryer alone on this whole process it will not speed anything up. Not even putting it next to the vent while the heat is one will help. You will just ruin a good pair of shoes. If all else fails when cleaning your sneakers, the washing machine is great for a quick spin.

For heavy stains on suede footwear, use a suede eraser/ cleaning block. Rub them across the surface of the shoe; it is great for deep stains.

Now you can run in the rain as much as you want. Be sure to let us know any other ways you quick fixed your water damage shoes. Please leave comments and questions; we would love to hear from you. If you found any better ways to dry your shoes let us know!

Pamper yourself, Feet first!

Ladies, You go through so much everyday, staying beautiful and positive is a HARDDD thing to do. You deserve to treat yourself every so often. If no one is going to do it then do it for yourself.

Let’s start off with you feet since they literally keep you standing day in and day out. They know how hard you work and its warm outside you might want to show them off.

            We can start off with some simple ways to treat your feet.

Tip 1: A nice treat on a summer day could be dipping your feet in water. Find a beach, river, fountain, or even a bowl of water, and enjoy that lovely fresh feeling. It’s refreshing and relaxing to sit and think while your feet are cool and comforted.

Tip 2: Later that night you could smother them with moisturizer before you go to bed pull on a pair of socks, and leave overnight. Wonderfully soft feet when you wake up the next day!

Tip 3: If you ladies leaving scratch marks when you rub your feet on yourself, it is long overdue for a pedicure … So take care of yourself and get rid of that rough skin and get your feet beautified. If no time for a pedicure you could try a home spa.

Tip 4: Soak you feet in warm water and use grainy exfoliates to slough off rough spots on your feet. For an inexpensive alternative, you can add some granulated sugar to your favorite thick moisturizer and use that a scrub. Wash off your feet and pat dry.

Here are some wonderful recipes for homemade foot scrubs, made of easy to find household items.

Peppermint Foot Scrub

YOU WILL NEED

·       2 cups white granulated sugar

·       1/3 cup oil (try olive, coconut, or almond)

·       3-4 drops peppermint oil

·       Red food-grade edible food coloring

·       Glass jar (that can hold at least 16 oz.)

Mix sugar and oils in a large bowl until well blended and free of any clumps. Separate half the mixture into a second bowl and add a few drops of red food coloring and stir until you get a subtle red. Then layer red and white: Spoon some of the white sugar scrub into the glass jar and pat down with a wooden spoon. Add the same amount of the red scrub into the jar and repeat, alternating red and white until it’s all in the jar. For more of a swirl appearance, pull a knife clockwise through the jar once or twice.

Whipped Peppermint Foot Lotion

YOU WILL NEED

·       3/4 cup shea butter

·       1/4 cup oil (try olive, coconut, or almond)

·       3-4 drops peppermint oil (for scent)

·       Glass jar (that can hold at least 8 oz.)

In a saucepan, melt shea butter over low heat until liquefied, then stir in the oils. Allow the mixture to cool. Once cooled, whip with a mixer to give it a fluffy consistency, and spoon into glass jar.

Also Superb Couture Footwear offers some amazing home spa products for you, you should really check them out.

Tip 5: Switching footwear often is a great way to keep you feet feeling and looking wonderful. You can begin rationing heels and swapping them out for flats, sandals, or even a smaller heel.

Even going barefoot every once in a while is great for your feet to go free. Walk around the house, on the beach, or on grass is a great way to relax your feet. Give your shoes a break and if your feet get dirty clean them.

If you all have any at home treats let us know we want to know what works and what doesn’t. Did you ladies have any foot problems before that the foot scrubs cured or eased any pains? Help us out leave some comments and let us know.

What if I have Hammertoe?

Welcome, Welcome… Thanks for checking in or just checking back! Today we shall uncover the mysterious HAMMERTOE. We are going to find out the whys, what’s, where, and how’s of the hammertoe. Do they buckle or curl? Is it genetic or preventable? I know. There are so many questions this is what Superb Footwear is here to do, answer your questions and give you practical solutions.

           

What is a hammertoe: bending of one or both joints of the toes

Why do you get hammertoe: Some people have inherited the tendency to develop hammertoes simply from bad foot structure creating an unstable stance concerning pressure. While some have arthritis, which directly affects the joints. Others cause it by ill-fitting shoes.

See what happens when ignore mamma when she told you those shoes were too small, you get hammertoe. Better watch out with those tights pants too.

Where is the pain: All in the toes, especially the top of the toes. The joints become very sensitive to touch the more rigid they get. The toes become harder to move, joints begin to swell. All in all it is not a pretty sight. Consistent corns are a warning signs to the possibility of hammertoe.

Listen And Pay Attention To Your Body.

How do you get rid of it? There are two stages of hammertoe. A flexibility stage where you can intervene and fix the problem without surgery usually with banding it up to flatten out the joint. The other stage is rigid; the tendons become tough pressing the joint of alignment. Once the tendons become rigid the toe can no longer be moved meaning surgery is the only option. 

Hammertoes are progressive – they don’t go away by themselves and usually they will get worse over time. However, not all cases are alike – some hammertoes progress more rapidly than other. To find out what is really going on talk to your doctor and find out. Afterwards, come back and tell us how it went if you are in the flexibility stage or the dreaded rigid stage. How did you fix it? Did insurance cover the cost of surgery if needed? How many of you all have had hammertoe? The people want to know, help us inform them. Stay in touch for our next article for How to Spot…

What if I have a BUNION?

Hello All! Welcome back to What if I have... series. Our treat for today is the wonderful world of BUNIONS. Rhymes with the delicious oniony chip called funions, although a lot less fun. 1 IN 3 women will have a bunion or encounter someone with a bunion either man or women (mostly women). They are quite unsightly and painful and yes they can be completely avoidable so listen up/read closely.

           

What exactly is a bunion?

Medical Term: Hallux Valgus aka Bunion is an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe. The base pushes outward on the first metatarsal bone, which is the bone directly behind the big toe.

If this occurs on the little toe it is called a bunionette.

How do you get a bunion or better yet, what not to do to get a bunion?

            Years of wearing tight, poorly fitting shoes -- especially high-heeled, pointed shoes -- can bring on bunions. Such shoes gradually push the foot bones into an unnatural shape.

Some people are sadly doomed from birth. Bunions can run in the family, poor foot structure. Also people with arthritis and leg length differences are more likely to get a bunion.

How do you know if you have an official bunion and not a bad corn?

            Well bunions are on the sides of the foot and are a more internal issue meaning the actual bone of the foot is abnormal, while a corn is on top of the skin. Eventually bunions become a shinier and a warmer area on the foot. There's often swelling, redness, unusual tenderness, and/or pain at the base of the big toe.

I’m sure many of you all have encountered with someone with a bunion and someone who has had bunion removal surgery. That is the most consistent way to relive your pain caused by a bunion, if you have any. Bunion surgeries are very common it has great results and reasonable risk of infection in the soft tissue or bone of the foot. Also side effects from anesthetic medicines or other medicines used to control pain and swelling nothing more than any other common surgery. The weighing factor in bunion surgery is the healing process. It can take to over a year for your foot to be completely healed and fully functional again. Also surgery does not prevent a bunion from returning, only proper footwear does that.

There are several different types of bunion surgery, some removing tendons, some cutting into the bone, other fuse joints together it all depends on the severity of the bunion. The best way to find out is to talk to your doctor and of course check in with us to let us know how it went. Tell us what we missed and what we need to expand on. How many of you all have had bunions? Did you have surgery or change footwear? Let us know! Make sure to check back with our next topic of the mysterious HAMMERTOE.