It's been a hard day and your feet are tired. How about giving them a pedicure? We all want healthy happy feet and to get them we need to start by giving ourselves a professional pedicure but in the comforted of your home. Your feet will feel good and so will you.
Start off by filling a large basin with warm water for a long foot soak. Add some rosewater or essential oils for a true deep relaxation as well as soften calluses and corns. The more cracked & calloused your feet, the longer they need to stay in.
Remove the any old polish from your toe nails. Clean under the toenail and then clip. It's best to use high quality clippers made for clipping toenails. To avoid ingrown nails, cut nail straight across, leaving about 1/8" of length. Make sure your nail doesn't extend over the tip of your toe.
To get a soft square shape, file nail around the corners slightly using a emery board in one direction. Don't use metal files, they'll rip your nails if you're not really careful. Basic emery boards are best for smoothing away any tears or breaks.
Emory boards usually come with two sides, the fine-grade surface is for smoothing the nail edge, while the coarser surface is for shortening and shaping nails.
Rub cuticle remover to the base of each nail & rub it in. Leave on for a minute, then use an orangewood stick to gently push with a circular motion everywhere where skin meets the nail (including the sides). If you want to trim cuticles, do so carefully and sparingly with special cuticles trimmers. It is just safer for your toes.
Using a skin file or loofah, remove dead skin from soles of feet, zeroing in on heels and balls of feet. Pumice stone also can remove calluses and dry spots. You'll want to scrub the balls, bottoms & sides of your heels & around the toes.
Massage an exfoliating cream into the skin, rubbing it all the way up the calves. Rinse off, and dry feet thoroughly including between the toes and then apply a moisturizing lotion especially made for feet. Try a lotion with peppermint because there is something in peppermint that is wonderful for feet.
Re-hydrate cuticles by rubbing in a dab of cuticle oil. Wait two to three minutes.
If you are going to polish your toes then use acetone-free remover to get rid of any excess oils on the nails (including the cuticle oil you just applied). This is just to make sure that the polish will stay on.
Apply a base coat to fortify and protect the nails using three strokes, one down the middle, then one on each side. Try not to get paint on the cuticle. Wait a minute before adding two coats of your favorite polish, then finish with a clear protective top coat. Clean up any errors with an orangewood stick wrapped in cotton & dipped in acetone-free remover.
Let nails dry for at least forty minutes.
You have now just gave yourself a professional pedicure at home and think of all that money you just saved! If you get real good and comfortable with doing it then why not get your girlfriends together and have a girl party doing each other toes and nails? If you need supplies then check out your favorite website for all of your nail/toe needs.
Have fun and be more experimental with the colors you can painted on your toes.Try a little nail art in bright and unusual colors not brave enough to have on your fingernails, can be real fun to have on your toes!
Just remember one thing, if you don't time for a pedicure at least remove the old polish completely rather than walk around with chipped polish,it just looks better.
Copyright 2005 Kim Snyder Owner Overallbeauty.com where the ideal is that there is beauty in everything. In the use of
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