Five Steps to an Easy Pedicure

Ensuring your feet are healthy, attractive and pain free does not mean you have to regularly pay salon prices to maintain a simple footcare regime. A home pedicure, you do yourself, can be just as pleasurable and beneficial as a salon service. Before you begin, however, it is important to make sure you have all the necessary tools at your disposal.

Step One

Preparation is just as important as any other procedure, when it comes to a pedicure. After ensuring you have everything you require to hand – a bowl of warm water, towels, nail clippers, pumice stone, lotions, creams and oils etc – it is essential that you lavish care and attention on your feet as you work through the pedicure process.

Step Two

Begin by soaking your feet in a warm foot bath. You may wish to use mineral salts, essential oils, herbs or a combination of these in your foot bath. The use of these preparations are beneficial to the skin on your feet and help improve circulation and foot relaxation. Soak your tired feet for around 20 minutes and apply gentle circular massaging pressure with a pumice stone. This gentle scrubbing motion removes dead skin cells. If using a scrub gel or cream make sure you work this into any particularly stubborn hard skin areas of your feet.

Step Three

Careful, thorough drying of your cleansed feet is important. Feet must be dry and free of any flaky or dry skin patches before you continue with your home pedicure. Taking care over drying between toes will ensure your feet are perfectly prepared to the next stage in your pampering pedicure treatment.

Step Four

Once your feet are dry it is time to take some care over trimming toenails and improving the condition of your cuticles. Trim nails straight across and use a nail file to smooth nail edge. Cuticles should be gently eased back – you may use a cosmetic orange stick for this – and massaged using a cuticle oil or cream. Rinse your feet in warm water again to ensure your feet are completely clean and free of any skin and nail repair residue. Ensure you dry feet thoroughly with a soft towel.

Step Five

Besides improving the health and appearance of the skin on your feet, a salon pedicure focuses on the pampering aspect of this relaxing and revitalising foot treatment. The final step in your cost effective home pedicure should therefore be as pleasurable as possible, as your feet will thank you for the care and attention you lavish on them.

Gently massage your clean, dry feet using your favourite cream, lotion or oil. You may use scented homemade products or shop bought preparations that pamper and soften your skin. Work the product into your skin in gentle circular massaging motions that help improve blood circulation, invigorates internal organs and eases tiredness. Smooth on a generous amount of skincare product and wrap your feet in a plastic bag for 10-15 minutes. The heat generated, by wrapping your feet in this manner, will increase absorption of the softening product and will leave feet and skin feeling smooth and supple.

To complete your pedicure treatment remove any excess cream, oil or lotion after 15 minutes and ensure your feet are moisture-free.