I know you like your boots and all, but spring is here and it’s time, chicas. It’s sandal weather. So are your feet ready?

If you’re like me and suffer from discoloration, dry patches, and an extra-long toe the same size as your big toe, then you have some work to do. Throwing on some polish isn’t gonna do it. You’ll need to exfoliate, moisturize, polish, and moisturize some more. The ashiness on my ankles is horrendous.

Exfoliate: Mechanical or Chemical?

Manual exfoliation is the most common tactic to rid your feet from eons of dead skin. No need to buy some expensive stuff–mix some kosher salt and oil in a bowl and create your own scrub. If you’re fancy, get a Nutra Sonic and hook up the body brush while you’re in the shower. Even if you’re using a chemical exfoliator with fruit acids, it’s best to shed as much as the top layer as you can to enhance the effectiveness of the treatments. Combined with mechanical exfoliation and a lotion I use from IS CLINICAL called Body Complex, the dark patches have disappeared and I have an even skin tone.

But that STILL doesn’t cure the recurring ashiness problem.

TIP: Slather some thick body lotion on your feet at night and cover with cotton socks. You’ll wake up in the morning with baby-soft feet.

Make your own: Coconut and Orangeflower Body Lotion

–2 oz coconut oil

–4 tbsp sunflower oil

–2 tsp wheatgerm oil

–10 drops orangeflower essence or 5 dops neroli essential oil

Melt the coconut oil, then mix the remaining ingredients, and then put in a cool place and wait for it to solidify. Enjoy!

Color Theme for Spring: COLOR!

This season it’s color, color and more color. AND finally! I found a nail polish that had not harsh chemicals AND smell good. I discovered Keeki Pure and Simple, at the Natural Products Expo. The formulations are biodegradable and non-toxic, which is great for little ladies who want to be all grown up, but I don’t see why big girls can’t join in the fun.

Keeki Pure & Simple Spring Colors

The color goes on well, stays for a couples days, and the brush is decent, but if I have one complaint, it’s that the polish is extremely hard to remove. You have to literally scrub the remover to get it off, and even after, it still doesn’t come off easily.

If you don’t care about the general stink of nail polish, another really hot color palette this year comes from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. It gives a rich first coat, has a great brush that distributes on the nail really well, and was designed to quick-dry so that make up artists could get the models out of the chair faster.

Feel-Good Flip Flops

Now that you’ve done all that work, it’s time to show it off. Of course there’s always sandals, but if you hang out in your pajamas as much as I do, flip flops are the way to go.”If you wear them all the time, they aren’t good for you,” says Dr. Kathya Zinszer, associate professor of podiatric medicine and director of community outreach at Temple’s School of Podiatric Medicine. “They are terrible for the arches. They give you no support and they don’t protect your feet.” (source, CNN) But there’s a few shoe makers who have designed flip flops for comfort along with some arch support.

Two I like a lot:

The Zori Orthotic Sandal has stabilizing insoles for enhanced foot support. That means less fatigue for your feet, legs, hips and back.

Zori sandals

These great looking slip-ons provide proven orthotic benefits, including support for metatarsal, arch and heel. But warning: when you first put them on, the feel…weird, like they won’t be comfortable. You’ll have to wear them around for a while a let your feet get used to them. I recently wore a pair to Disneyland, and while my feet still hurt at the end of the day, it wasn’t horrendous. Aside from sneakers, they probably were the most comfortable shoes in my closet.

Speaking of sneakers, my favorite is Aetrex, and they also have comfy support thongs that are a bit more fashionable. The cork sole helps to cushion the feet, too.

Aetrex sandals

Aetrex shoes help combat the aches and pains by featuring built-in orthotics and soft memory foam to relieve pressure, offer maximum support, and keep feet healthy. You can snag a pair from their site or at local retailers.