Summer Foot Care: How to Keep Feet Comfortable in the Heat

Summer brings fresh air, open shoes, and long days spent outdoors. But if you’ve ever noticed your feet feeling hot, puffy, or just a little more uncomfortable during warmer months, you’re not imagining it. Rising temperatures, more activity, and the shift to lighter footwear can all leave them feeling a bit overworked. In this guide, we’re exploring how heat affects your feet - and more importantly, how a little summer foot care can keep them feeling cool, comfortable, and refreshed, no matter what adventures the season has in store.

Did You Know? Five Facts About Summer Feet

Feet are fascinating, and they do a lot more than just carry you from place to place. Here are some surprising facts about our feet in summer:

1. Your feet can grow an entire shoe size from morning to evening: Standing, walking, and warm weather can lead to temporary size changes.

2. Air travel can affect feet: If you arrive to your holiday in tighter shoes than you left with, it could be cabin pressure making your feet swell.

3. Your feet release up to half a pint of sweat per day: This natural cooling process is your body trying to keep you more comfortable in the heat.

4. Summer spreads aren’t just for picnics: Wearing thin-soled shoes through summer is thought to contribute to feet flattening out and getting wider through the season.

5. You can sun burn the soles of your feet: The sun is powerful and each year, many people forget to protect the soles of their feet with SPF, then fall asleep at the beach.

New Season: How Heat Affects Your Feet

Warmer weather invites us to move more - long walks, weekend adventures, and everyday time outdoors. But as the temperature rises, it’s natural for feet to feel a little different. The shift to lighter footwear, time on your feet, and heat can all leave them needing extra care. But what exactly is going on?

• Heat can take its toll: Warm weather causes your body to work harder to stay cool, and that can mean your feet feel warmer, heavier, or more tired by the end of the day.

• More movement = more foot time: Summer often means people are out and about, and with that comes the need to give your feet a bit of a reset.

• Humidity adds to the mix: In humid conditions, it’s harder for your body to regulate moisture, and your feet might feel warmer or more uncomfortable than usual.

Why Summer Foot Care Matters

Slipping out of your work shoes on a hot day; cooling toasted toes off in the local river - bliss. When life feels hot and bothered, your feet can help you to stay chilled. Just a little attention can help you feel more comfortable - whether you’re heading out or staying in.

• Shoes feel better: Comfortable feet make for a better fit and feel in your favourite summer footwear.

• Movement feels lighter: When your feet are cared for, walking, standing, or exploring can feel that much easier.

• Rest comes easier: Taking time to relax your feet can help you wind down more easily at the end of the day.

• Small rituals make a big difference: Summer foot care doesn’t need to be complicated - just consistent.

Simple Summer Foot Care: Your Essential Guide

Keeping your feet comfortable in the heat comes down to a few small rituals that can make a real difference. Think of these as moments of pause in your day - a chance to reset and refresh.

1. Try A Foot Bath

A cooling foot soak is a quick way to give your feet some relief. It can help soothe tired summer toes and help you beat the heat.

How to do it: Fill a basin with cool (not ice-cold) water, and add four spoons of our Relaxing Bath Salts. Let the salts dissolve, and soak feet for at least 20 minutes.

Designed for: A moment of pause while your tired feet chill out.

2. Smooth with Exfoliating Foot Scrub

All that dry air and extra activity in open-toed shoes could be a catalyst for dry skin, so once your feet are clean and cool, make time to remove dead skin cells.

How to do it: Gently massage onto feet and lower legs in a circular motion to improve your blood circulation.

Designed for: Ongoing summer foot care and soft, smooth feet.

3. Apply Relief Lotion Tired Leg & Foot

This smooth and lightweight cream develops into a cooling sensation to reawaken tired legs and feet, leaving no residue behind.

How to do it: Massage in upward strokes from the arches of the feet up to the lower legs to stimulate blood circulation. Reapply as needed.

Designed for: Reactivation and refreshment for tired legs and feet*.
*For 100% of testers, tired legs and feet are reactivated. For 97% of testers, the legs feel refreshed after application. Find more information here.

4. Care with Comforting Dry Oil

Great for summer, this lightweight and silky oil glides delicately over skin, absorbing quickly and leaving no trace behind.

How to do it: Warm up the oil in the palms of your hands and gently massage onto feet and body, focusing on very dry areas. Add this product to our Nourishing Foot Balm for an enhanced care effect.

Designed for: Long-lasting and intensive nourishment.

Our Signature Foot Massage

Our Signature Foot Massage blends the principles of reflexology with traditional massage techniques, developed exclusively for us by expert reflexologist Lucie Blondel. A chance to sit and focus on self-care, this simple routine can provide a few minutes of relaxation on a summer’s day. Use a few drops of Comforting Dry Oil and try these simple steps on each foot to see how you feel.

1. Between the Toes: Using your index finger, press and slide from the base of each toe towards the ankle.

Designed to: Target the small muscles between the toes.

2. Around the Ankles: Using both hands, with your index, middle, and ring fingers, slide in a circular motion around the bony bump on either side of the ankle.

Designed to: Relieve the ligaments of the ankle joints from daily stresses.

3. Foot Arch Massage: Place your thumbs in the center of the foot’s arch. Take three slow breaths, and with each exhalation, gently apply pressure with both thumbs.

Designed to: Help reduce stress and restore emotional balance.

When is the Best Time of Day for Summer Foot Care?

Summer foot care isn’t about setting aside large chunks of time - it’s about weaving small, restorative rituals into your day when your feet need it most. Paying attention to how they feel at different moments can help you stay comfortable, balanced, and refreshed, whatever the day brings.

• In the evening: After a day spent walking, standing, or moving about, your feet may feel warm or tired. A chill-out foot soak or light massage can offer a moment of calm and help you reset for the evening ahead.

• After exercise: Your feet work hard during workouts. Taking a few minutes to stretch or gently massage them can help ease tension and bring a sense of lightness back.

• Before bed: A relaxing foot massage can help signal that it’s time to wind down. Try our Signature Foot Massage or Relief Lotion Tired Leg & Foot as part of a calming evening routine.

• After travel or long periods on your feet: Whether you’ve been exploring new places or standing for hours, a brief pause to stretch and refresh your feet can make a real difference in how you feel.

Cool Feet: Your Ultimate Summer Refreshment

Summer is a season of movement - longer days, lighter moments, and more time spent outdoors. Amidst it all, your feet carry you without pause. Taking just a little time to care for them can bring comfort, balance, and a sense of ease to your everyday. Whether it’s a refreshing soak at sunset, a mindful massage before bed, or simply a moment to pause and reset, small rituals can have a lasting impact. Let your summer routine reflect the season itself - light, refreshing, and full of energy. For more tips and inspiration, find us @BIRKENSTOCKCareEssentials, and show us how you and your feet beat the heat!

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