In case you've been in a coma and missed the five million "Strappy Sandal Roundup!" articles in the March issue of everything, it's toe time again.

And while you'll see tons of advice about pedicures, the glaring omission in all of these shopping guides is the very important -- medically necessary, if you ask me -- precaution: Foot lube.

We've all experienced the initial new shoe euphoria, rapidly followed by a wincing band-aid application session in the ladies' room. It's that much worse with strappy sandals because those itsy-bitsy, pretty straps have wicked, bloodthirsty, serrated teeth.

Sometimes it only takes one wearing to have so many band-aids plastered across your toes that you might as well wrap an ace bandage around your foot, pull out your Ugg slippers and call it a night.

This pain and suffering can be prevented with a simple trip down the foot aisle of your local drugstore.

Just below the Dr. Scholl gel inserts and to the right of the Gold Bond foot spray, you'll find a selection of what looks like mini-deodorants for your feet. It's the space age invention of foot lubricant.

Rub any one of these clear sticks on all the parts of your feet that come in contact with the straps and you will be protected from blisters. It's really that simple.

There are a bunch of different brands, like Band-Aid and Body Glide. You can check out a whole range on drugstore.com. I'm partial to Slik Stik, on sale for $5.19, because I saw it road tested by that 4'9" gal in the office who only wears heels that are 4" or higher. She's been an expert on unforgiving shoe survival since she was 14, and that's the kind of first hand knowledge you can count on.