However, we adorn our face, hair and body, feet are highly vulnerable to getting run down and ignored, no matter how leisurely or hectic our schedules are. You either have no time for them or you simply think you will always find the time, but just not now. If only pedicures were simple and easy to perform at home, our tootsies wouldn’t be neglected. But guess what? Your wish has just been granted! Here we have a real simple pedicure at-home routine that you wouldn’t mind following.
Uneven toenails, chipped off nail paint and rough callouses can be a big-time embarrassment. Also, do you know how often do you get judged by your feet? Haters will hate, but your body remains yours forever to love and care for. So let’s get rolling and beautify our plates of meat with some easy steps.
1. Prepping Your Nails
First things first – get rid of that shabby, chipped nail paint of yours. Soak your cotton ball or pad nicely in nail paint remover. We vouch for an acetone-free remover, but the choice is ultimately yours. Press and hold the soaked cotton on your nails, one at a time and then wipe it clean. In case you notice some stains on your nails despite removing the nail colour, that’s okay, because further steps will take care of it. Using a nice and sharp nail clipper, clip your nails carefully, not going too deep into the corners so you avoid painful ingrowths later. Choose a nail shape, be it oval, square, pointed, or whatever suits the shape of your toes. Take your time and shape your toenails with a filer.
2. Set Up A Luxury Bath For Your Feet
Prepare a pleasant foot bath for it is the most relaxing step of a pedicure. Take warm water in a tub, add bath salts, and a few drops of shampoo. Also, add a few petals of roses if they are available. You can adjust the level of luxury by deciding if you want some aroma candles burning next to your foot bath and some relaxing music playing in the background.
If you think your feet need some extra work, you can add half a cap (not cup) of hydrogen peroxide which is easily available at chemists, cosmetics, general stores, and even online. If you want to keep your pedicure organic, you can squeeze in a lemon. You must give your feet a good 20 minutes soak so it’s important you find a comfortable sitting position without straining your back. Sit back and relax, enjoy the warmth of the water, aroma, and imagine a spa in your head.
3. Scrub The Callouse Off Your Feet
Pat dry your feet with a fresh and clean towel. Remove all dead skin and calluses from your heels with a pumice stone or a foot filer. If you notice cracked heels, focus better, so all cracked and hardened skin is removed. Be gentle and kind, you aren’t sanding a wall! Grab a foot scrubber or check out a D-I-Y foot scrubber and give your feet and ankles a nice and gentle scrub. This will remove all the remaining dead skin and exfoliate your skin. Focus on the entire bottom of your feet and not just the heels, the front or top of the feet, and even the sides and ankles.
While your recently soaked feet still have soft cuticles, push the cuticles back gently to expose more of your nails, and promote better nail growth. Do not cut the cuticles, rather, remove them with a cuticle remover if needed. The best part of a simple pedicure at home; especially DIY is the freedom to scrub as per your comfort. Focus not only on areas you feel you need it the most but also the points you enjoy it and find the scrubbing relaxing. By now, you will start noticing a major change in your feet.
4. Moisturize Your Feet
Grab a foot cream, or any body lotion you like, for that matter, and massage your feet gently north and south, east and west! Do not ignore any area, be it between the toes or instep, that is, the arched part at the bottom side of the foot. Hydration of feet is essential and cannot be ignored in a pedicure procedure. This will also make you feel good about the softer skin on your feet and heels and relax you to the core. When it comes to self massages, feet are the most comforting zones, so go ahead and give yourself a great foot massage. Once you are done, feel free to wipe off all the excess lotion with a towel.
5. Time to Prettify Your Nails
Now that your nails have been trimmed, shaped and cuticles removed, it’s time to doll up these little ones. Grab your toe separator if you already have one, or separate your toes with rolled-up cotton pads so your nail paint won’t smudge. Start with a base coat. When that completely dries off, apply 2 or 3 coats of your favourite nail colour and finish with a top coat. If you think base coat and top coat aren’t essential for toes, you aren’t yet serious enough! You’ve done some really good job with your feet with this do-at-home pedicure and you sure wouldn’t want to ruin it at the final stage. So give your toenails a super glossy, long-lasting nail lacquer and make your tootsies look prettier than ever.
You may also like to read: Feet Makeup Tips: Prettify Your Feet So You Can Flaunt And Not Hide Them
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