The Ultimate Grooming Guide For Your Feet

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A EUROPEAN summer to meet your daily 10K step count. Or even NYC during Fall. Don’t come at me with your ‘my favourite city is better’ bit— this isn’t about that. It’s about that one time I walked during that one specific summer sojourn in Italy with a ‘friend’ who shall remain nameless. We had just sat down after a long day of walking around Rome in weather that can best be described as balmy. It was a good sweat sesh, if you may, and we couldn’t feel our feet... until my friend took off their shoes, and safe to say, I felt every bit of everything I never wanted to feel.

They say, before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. Sure, but when you take your feet out of those shoes, ensure they’re looking and smelling like they should. If it’s not asking for too much, why are guys still getting away with it? At the risk of sounding both pretentious and pedantic, while I’m all for people doing all kinds of things to and with their feet, itchy, smelly, dry and unkempt is where one should draw the line. Let these be the four things you’d never let your feet be.

It needs to be said (though it shouldn’t be) that washing your feet every day is an absolute must. Use a loofah if needed or a foot scrub while you’re there and give your feet some gentle scrubbing with a foot file as well. Especially if you’re prone to too much sweating through the day. It’s great to remove dead skin cells from your feet and germs and bacteria that might have made their home there. Obviously, moisturise after. Grab a foot cream and go to town with it. Anything with shea butter is usually my go-to—its high fatty acids really go deep with nourishment.

Another one of those should-not-have-to-be-said things would be to clip your toenails. Seriously, what is up with so many men just walking around with nails that are unruly? It’s not the most time-consuming things to sit down with a nail clipper, is it? Take a look at your feet right now. Are those toenails peeking out more than usual? Stop reading this and go deal with them. I hope you’re coming back though—I’m not done with my spiel!

I’d also suggest doing a little DIY pedicure once a week. All you need is a tiny bucket or bowl filled with warm water. Soak some lavender oil, bath salts and rose water and let your feet live their best life in it for the next 20 minutes. Those of you who aren’t getting regular pedicures—you’re still stuck in archaic notions of masculinity, my friend. This home routine should be an absolute must. For those of you who’d like to do more, there’s that classic sock trick—lather your feet in petroleum jelly or a deeply nourishing thick foot cream and wear your socks on top before going to bed. You could even use ghee, yes. You’ll wake up with feet softer than your cheeks!

If that sounds too much, just stick to cleaning, exfoliating and moisturising. What works for your face, will also work for your feet. At a time when feet pictures are all the rage online, you’d certainly want yours to be ready for a closeup, isn’t it?

Build Your Feet

Xiaomi Seemagic Electric Nail Cutter Clipper Trimmer

It comes with an LED light and a waste bin to make it even more convenient, any time and anywhere.

The Body Shop File A Foot

It comes with two sides – gentle and firm–so you choose the kind of exfoliation you’re in the mood for or need.

Sol de Janeiro Samba Foot Fetish Cream

That perfect cream to provide instant moisture and nourishment and leave your feet smelling insane as well.

Aquaphor Healing Ointment

Nothing, absolutely nothing treats cracked feet better. You can use it everywhere else, too.

Juicy Chemistry Lemon & Lavender Bath Salt/Foot Soak

It’ll relax your feet and give relief from soreness – what more could you want?

To read more such stories from Esquire India's July 2025 issue, pick up a copy of the magazine from your nearest newspaper stand or bookstore. Or click here to subscribe to the magazine.