Story and Photographs by Zoë Zellers
Tim Tebow does it. So does Nets’ star – and Kardashian ex – Kris Humphries.
What they do is mani-pedis, something that men are generally averse to, along with the fear of sandals.
“I think that’s the first area that guys need to address and I think it’s been kind of a stumbling block in wearing sandals, because their feet look a mess,” says Brian Boyé, fashion director of Men’s Health magazine.
“It’s really easy and inexpensive to get a pedicure,” he says. “I find when guys have a pedicure for the first time, even if they’ve been resistant to do so in the past, once they see how easy and non-painful it is, they go back for more and more and more, because it’s relaxing and it doesn’t cost a lot of money (about $20).”
Alternatively, if money or self-consciousness is keeping guys out of the pedicure chair, they can get feet summer-ready at home.
“I think if you’re going to give yourself a pedicure, you don’t really need a lot of products. You need a pair of fingernail or toenail scissors, you need an emery board and you need some hand lotion or body lotion.”
Boyé’s go-to moisturizer brands for men include Neutrogena and the Vaseline Men drugstore brand, which he said he likes, because “It’s not quite as fragranced.”
“I also love Anthony Logistics and Jack Black, two men’s lines that have really nice body and hand moisturizers. I would recommend a hand moisturizer, because they tend to be a little thicker. But it doesn’t really matter.”
With guys running around in damp, sweaty socks after a round of tennis, slipping in and out of boat shoes on the docks and walking around the pool shoeless, bacteria-related problems can arise quickly – even with perfectly groomed digits. Prevent that by always keeping a pair of plastic or rubber flip-flops handy in your gym bag, locker or summer bag.
Says Boyé, “We all wear flip-flops at the pool or the beach. I think everybody needs a pair of rubber flip-flops. I love Havaianas.
“There are also some anti-fungal lotions and products that you can buy at the drugstore like Gold Bond and a few others that are good to prevent athlete’s foot,” he adds.
You may be able to avoid problems with perspiration by wearing sandals.
As Boyé puts it, “ They’re comfortable, and your feet can breathe.”
