The only pair of shoes I have are a pair of old *very* dirty flip flops, and I barely wear them. Just now, I scrubbed my feet as clean as they can get and they are still stained a bit blackish. Any tips to get this out? I'll post picture
You're talking about the soles of your feet I guess, not the tops. The thing is, as long as you've scrubbed them and you know that they get clean on a regular basis, why do you care that they're still stained a little blackish? There probably are ways to get that out by using solvents or bleach products, but that will do a lot of damage to your skin. Really, I just wouldn't worry about it. Besides, it shows people you're a real barefooter. Nothing to be ashamed of.
One word: exfoliate. If you really want to get the "ground in" dirt from your soles, I've found the best solution is to use a foot file, followed by an exfoliating foot scrub (found in any drug store or bath and body shop). I personally like the Freeman "Bare Foot" line myself. Even though I don't often get my soles dark black...when I do, just a few minutes of scrubbing with this combination gets them looking clean and pink again! Oh and if you can, swap to a new pair of flip flops, as a lot of times those are what really keep your feet dirty.
Personally I kind of prefer the animal paw look. I say keep them a little dirty. It shows you're into being natural, fun and adventurous. Horray!
I always though it was great when my feet get "stained" however I found the fastest way to clean them is to barefoot in slightly wet grass or on a wet dirt trail, the most "dirty" natural surfaces seem to be the most cleansing as well! If you are talking about cleaning your sandles where the dirt gets rubbed in, I am not sure, you can try bleach but I always get a black pair of flipflops so it doesn't show. I can't wait to go out barefoot this spring and summer and get into the trails scattered with berries, my feet bet stained purple for a few days
Also, you might want to get another pair of flip flops. The worn and weathered look is very cool, I also like to keep my old stuff around....but if they tear at the wrong place you might be forced to be barefoot in a non barefoot friendly area (one of those anal stores) you can wear the old one's until they give out, just always keep a backup pair with you.
Danaa, coincidentally I just came back from a walk around my neighborhood. We had a light rain today so the asphalt streets were wet. I always walk in the street because it's rougher than the sidewalks and I like walking on rough surfaces. Anyway, when I got back home I noticed the bottom of my feet were totally black. Not wanting to mess up our carpet, I wiped them as best I could before going in the house. Then went straight into the bathroom to try to clean them some more before walking around much in the house. Actually the wiping on the doormat at the door took practically all the removable dirt off my feet, and continued washing only got a miniscule additonal amount off. They remained pretty black and looked pretty much like yours in the pic you posted. But since nothing else would come off, they were clean as far as I am concerned. What obviously has happened is that something in the asphalt or the slurry seal that was done about a year ago on our streets mixed with the rain water has created a sort of dye, almost like paint, that has absorbed into the skin on the bottom of my feet. I know it will eventually gradually come out, because the same thing happened about a year ago right after they put the new slurry seal on the streets. I could do some of these things that have been recommended by others and probably get all the black out, but, as I said, it's absorbed into the skin. Getting it out by those methods would remove some of the outer layers of skin. So the thing is, do you want perfectly clean-looking, dainty feet with nice smooth soft bottoms, or do you want feet with the tough soles of a barefooter? Frankly, I don't want anything to compromise my tough soles which have taken a long time to build up. Again, my recommendation is to just not worry about your stained feet. Scrub them nightly - or whenever you take a shower or bath - but don't reduce the skin thickness by using something that will unnaturally grind it down.
I met a girl once at the Port Authority bus station in NYC. She was one her way to a Dead concert at the Meadowlands. She was barefoot with filthy feet. She put her foor against mine to see whose was wider. We tied not only for wideness, but also for toughness and filth. She told me she didn't even have any shoes to wear. She worked barefoot in a small clothing store in the Village. I'd just keep them dirty. It's the sign of a true barefooter. Looks great, too!
I would also say that a foot scrub and a pumice stone should do the trick, but like eveyone else I think it looks great and you should enjoy your dirty, happy feet!
