National Foot Health Month: April

Cracks and Calluses Hurt! How to Treat & Prevent Them

If your heels develop “cracks” or your feet develop calluses, your body is trying to tell you something.

Cracks or “heel fissures” occur when the skin gets so dry and thick that it actually splits, which exposes tender inner skin. You can have bleeding, and infection is a possibility.

Calluses are your body’s way of protecting skin from pressure, which can be due to a shoe rubbing, or a repetitive activity. It does protect your skin, but like anything, it can be too much of a good thing.

Both of these are handled by increasing moisturizing, and exfoliating after soaking. Here’s more extensive information about Preventing and Treating Cracked Heels, and a helpful article about Calluses.

Nothing beats 95% Shea Butter Balm for cracked heels in my opinion. You can use it everywhere - but it's super rich - perfect for feet which have fewer oil glands - and you only need a tiny amount. For best results, exfoliate feet every time you shower or bathe, (a Footscrubber works well) and afterward massage Shea Butter Balm into feet. It helps seal moisture in.

Also find a time that's easy to remember for using your Shea Butter. Just before bed is good, or first thing in the morning while you're getting ready.

My sister-in-law applies Shea Butter in the morning, puts on a pair of cotton socks, and wears them while she's getting ready. When she's ready to leave, she takes off the socks, the Shea Balm's absorbed and her feet are already softer!

Find the time now to work on your feet - you’ll be back in Sandals in no time.

National Foot Health Month: April

Diagnosed with Diabetes?
Put Your Best Foot Forward!

Everyone keeps saying Diabetics need to special take are of their feet, but why?

As they age, people with Diabetes have more trouble with their feet. This is for two reasons: Diabetes eventually causes people to lose some sensitivity in their feet, which can mean that they may not feel a cut or scrape. Second, people with Diabetes may heal less quickly, so even a small cut or scrape can become a bigger problem.

But by following a good footcare routine, Diabetics’ feet can remain healthy and soft.

There are some really simple but important steps to follow. Examine your feet every day, using a mirror if necessary, looking for cuts or rough areas so you can treat them. Moisturize your feet regularly. Do not go barefoot, and visit your physician or podiatrist at least once a year.

The American Diabetes Association has a really great Guide to Diabetic Foot Care, that explains these steps in greater detail.

On GildenTree.com, we're very focused on foot care, and every product that's safe for Diabetics to use has a blue button that looks like this:

If you or someone you know is diagnosed with Diabetes, don’t wait to start taking care of your feet. It’s the best investment you can ever make!

National Foot Health Month: April

Healthy Toenails & Cuticles - The Dos and Don’ts

Even if you can only occasionally get in for a professional pedicure, it’s fairly simple to have healthier, prettier toenails and cuticles. Just moisturize regularly, cut nails correctly and be gentle with your cuticles. Read Six Top Tips for Healthier Cuticles for a great summary.

But what is the right way to cut toenails? Diana Rodriguez has some helpful Tips for Cutting Toenails. Find out how good toenail cutting techniques can help your nails to be their best, and how to avoid problems like ingrown toenails.

Already have problems with ingrown toenails? Read Christine Dobrowski’s excellent article on How to Treat and Prevent Ingrown Toenails.

For really superior moisturizing, try our amazing Hand, Nail & Cuticle Salve.

Then just follow the advice from these experts and in no time - your toenails and cuticles will be healthy and beautiful!

National Foot Health Month: April

Shoes: the Highs, the Lows and the Just Rights

There are some shoes which are clearly so bad for your feet you don’t even have to ask.

For a special night out - you may be willing to suffer a bit - but what about for every day?

If you’re tempted to wear high heels every day, check out what Dr. Eric Silvers says are 10 Problems with High Heel Shoes. (There’s an interesting bit on high-heeled shoes for toddlers, too.)

So what should you wear? It turns out that a little heel (about an inch) is fine and may even help keep your feet more comfortable. Susan Aldridge has great advice about choosing good shoes.

What about athletic shoes? They need to be fitted carefully to prevent hurting your feet. Christine Frank has 10 Tips for Choosing Athletic Shoes.

So choose wisely, save the stilettos for special occasions and you’ll save yourself trouble and pain down the road.

Welcome to Gilden Tree!

My husband Kumy and I have owned and run Gilden Tree for over 20 years and it's been an amazing experience.

When we started in 1990, we were among the very first "green" companies in our field. The early 90s were what I call the "granola" days. The eco-movement was in its infancy and grew out of a longing for a simpler, more communally-connected, and nature-based lifestyle.

It wasn't hard to spot the "natural" products back then: they were often brown, often very "simply" packaged and you had to accept a certain amount of compromise in the way a product worked, because hey - it was all natural!

We started with a terra-cotta pumice stone I'd found in Pakistan. I loved how it worked, I loved that it never wore out and that it was a traditional, hand-crafted tool. (Every Foot Scrubber is still hand-crafted, by the way.)

(In the beginning, we packed 10 Footscrubbers in a reusable fruit basket stuffed with excelsior (shredded wood) and then shipped each basket in a box of air-popped popcorn!)

Our next offerings were Natural Cotton terry robes, and then velour robes, made from defoliant-free cotton, in a process that was as chemical-free as possible.

An early customer in Omaha, a shopkeeper in our Old Market district said something that had a profound influence on us.

He said, "I sell a lot of those velour robes because they're beautiful, comfortable and look really great on people. I know that they're made in a very environmentally responsible manner, but I'm so glad that you haven't compromised on quality or appearance."

We were surprised to realize that he was right. We just hadn't thought of it that way.

Going forward we decided that our commitment to environmental and social responsibility would remain the foundation of our company, but that every product must also look great and work well. This was kind of revolutionary at the time, but has since become the norm.

We even created what we called the DNA for our products. Every product we created or introduced must honor these principles:

• Be Simple - things you use every day should have good, clean design and simple, time-honored ingredients proven effective over time. We all deserve these everyday luxuries, and yet products should be easy to use and care for.
  

• Be Serious - products are made to be used, to have a real effect and to offer a true benefit. The world doesn't need another "fluff" product, and we won't sell one.

• Be Human - products are designed to appeal to all the senses, and to make a connection between the maker and the user. Our products should surprise and delight the people who use them.

• Be Genuine/Celebrate what it is - don't hide a terra-cotta product away in a box - celebrate the material: let people see it, touch it and smell it. Use good quality and let it show.
  

• Be Crafted - we use only the highest quality materials, and every product product is clearly thought through. We'd rather charge a little higher price for an excellent, concentrated product than compromise on quality.

• Be Natural/Organic - use materials and ingredients that come from the earth, not a lab. Strive for "wholeness" in ingredients, recognizing that "trace" ingredients may also offer benefits. Use as many Certified Organic Ingredients as possible.

• Be Unisex - in scents, design, packaging and products, we stay away from the flowery and frilly, choosing instead to offer products and scents that appeal to both sexes.

We were and are slow to jump on bandwagons. We still believe that we had the right idea in the first place, and we that the many people who contact us each week think so too.

Try something for yourself. Try a Footscrubber, or Nourishing Foot Cream. Maybe take the plunge and order a waffle weave towel. I know you'll love it and you'll be glad you did.

Ann Thariani
President and Co-Founder