Foot Self-Massage: How to Do It and What It’s Good For

Self-massages, or self-care treatments, should always be considered an act of care and love for oneself; the foot massage in particular can have truly unexpected positive effects!

Did you know that the feet contain 7,000 nerve endings, which in Chinese medicine are referred to as "energy meridians"?

The sole of the foot is connected to all the other organs of the body.

These are the foundations of reflexology or holistic foot reflexology.

Now, does it make more sense why a good foot massage can "revitalize" you?

Foot Self-Massage: Benefits

By massaging the feet, you can treat or improve problems such as:

• anxiety;
• stress;
• water retention;
• headaches;
• back pain;
• menopause symptoms;
• bladder conditions;
• insomnia or trouble falling asleep;
• poor digestion;
• intestinal problems;
• poor blood circulation.

How to Do a Foot Self-Massage?

In fact, just walking barefoot is a great exercise for massaging the foot.

This natural foot massage, achieved by walking on surfaces with different textures (such as fresh grass, sand…), can stimulate the muscles, improve circulation, and increase sensitivity.

However, it’s not always possible to walk barefoot outdoors, especially in seasons with particularly cold weather, and a targeted massage may prove to be much more effective.

A foot massage is a treatment that can be done at any time, but – if performed in the evening before going to bed – it can help restore well-being and improve sleep.

How to do a foot self-massage depends on the result you want to achieve.

For example, to focus on the spine, the self-massage should start from the medial part of the foot, from the big toe towards the heel.

There is not just one type of foot massage; there are many, but the most well-known are:

• Reflexology, which aims to manipulate the energy meridians.
• Therapeutic massage, performed by professionals.
• Relaxing massage, which is the most suitable for self-massage, to relieve fatigue and a sense of swelling.

Treating Water Retention with Foot Reflexology: Draining Massages and Self-Massages to Stimulate Circulation

Before starting a foot self-massage, it is advisable – though not mandatory – to do a relaxing foot bath.

It’s no coincidence that every lymphatic drainage massage begins with the feet; stimulating the microcirculation is a key element.

Here are some useful tips for performing a foot self-massage:

• Massage around the ankles with the fingertips of both hands, making slow and gentle movements.
• Then alternate with light strokes (as if drawing a “U”) below the ankles.
• Massage the back of the ankle along the Achilles tendon.
• Wrap both hands around the ankle and move upwards, gently squeezing the calf. (You can continue up to the thigh if desired).
• Always perform movements from bottom to top.
• Rhythmically bend the feet forward and backward, flexing and extending the ankles.
• Rotate the ankles as if drawing small circles with your fingertips.
• Don’t forget the toes! Move them in all directions to activate circulation.

If water retention and swelling persist, you may opt for more intense therapies, using specific supplements and cosmetic products.

Let’s take a look at which ones...

When Foot Self-Massage Isn’t Enough: Supplements and Cosmetics to Fight Swelling and Water Retention

Water retention, also known as edema, is a condition in which the body retains an excessive amount of fluids.

This accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues causes sensations of discomfort, such as swelling and a feeling of heaviness.

Water retention can affect various parts of the body, such as legs and ankles, but also the upper limbs and abdomen.

When lymphatic drainage massage isn’t enough and even the good habit of performing periodic self-care treatments and self-massages is insufficient, it’s necessary to seek support and relief from cosmetics and by taking specific dietary supplements.

The best practices from The Unique Form to combat water retention include:

• Applying bandages with draining gel bandages or ultra-slim saline gel bandages.
• Using Dead Sea salts.
• Applying draining body creams.
• Making muds using pure mud or extra draining mud gel.
• Applying cool effect draining gel.

Finally, to optimize and speed up the results, you can also resort to specific draining and detox supplements, such as Drena Slim Day (available in two flavors: peach tea or blueberry) or Aloe Day Più (available in two flavors: green apple, mango and papaya, or peach tea).

Discover all the The Unique Form products to fight water retention and the supplements, and follow our blog for more useful tips for your beauty routine!