We rely on our legs and feet to carry us around all day without a thought, but few of us spend any time or effort to maintain their beauty. Most women use cleanser, toner, moisturiser on their face even anti-wrinkle cream morning and evening. But your legs have a much harder life and they need care too, as part of your overall anti-ageing campaign. If they are not cared for all year round, blemishes can appear and the skin becomes rough and thick. These are harder to treat the longer they are left.

After a long day, legs and feet should be massaged with a rub or massage oil containing peppermint or menthol, to soothe and invigorate. Massage also improves blood circulation, soothes muscles and reduces the formation of cellulite. Stroke lightly down the leg and firmly back up again. This helps encourage blood flow to the heart and lymph drainage. Lymph is the channel that carries toxins away from the body, and it needs good muscle contraction to flow properly. Gently lift, squeeze and roll the muscles at the back of the legs and knead the thigh and buttock area. Then stroke the length of each leg down to the foot, work over the whole foot using your thumbs in circular movements, particularly on the soles to relieve pressure. Finally stroke up the legs to the buttocks several times and relax.

Hot weather can be particularly nasty for tired toes because heat causes your feet to swell, tightening your shoes and creating considerable discomfort. In winter, the opposite problem can occur; cold feet suffer from a lack of blood supply and sluggish circulation. Here are some simple steps to make a treat for your feet:

- Fill a bowl with warm water and add a few drops of essential oil (tea tree, rosemary or lavender) and soak your feet for at least five minutes.
- Dry your feet carefully with a clean warm towel making sure to dry between each toe.
- Apply an exfoliating foot scrub and slough away dry, dead epidermal cells on the soles of your feet
- Rinse your feet with clean water and dry thoroughly once more.
- Moisturising cream or lotion should be applied to your feet with great care as the skin on the feet is tougher then elsewhere and needs longer to absorb treatment creams. Concentrate on the pads of skin just below your toes, where your feet do the most work and dead skin can accumulate. Apply a little cream on your toenails to keep them soft and supple.
- Apply cuticle lotion to soften your toenails
- Using a sharp pair of nail scissors trim your toenails straight across, and dont be tempted to create an oval shape (this can lead to ingrown toenails)
- Apply cuticle remover to your nails, then gently push back each cuticle with a clean orange stick.
- Insert a set of two separators and apply a base coat, nail polish and topcoat.

Another simple but effective treatment for beautiful feet is to apply Vaseline over the feet at night and wear heavy cotton socks to bed (not on a night when you want some romance!!) When you wake up, your feet will feel absolutely wonderful!

Regular walking and simple leg and calf muscle exercises are vital to keep the legs well toned! By just taking simple measures at home you can have a perfect pair of legs and feet to show off this summer!