Getting ready for summer - Five Steps to the Perfect Home Pedicure Treatment

Pedicure Treatment
Five Steps to the Perfect Home Pedicure Treatment

Give your tootsies the home pedicure treatment for tip-top condition. Follow these easy steps:

Step 1: To achieve the perfect home pedicure, it¡¯s really important that you soften your nails and skin, so the first step is to soak your feet. There are a variety of ways in which you can do this easily: either have a good old soak in the bath, or rub in foot lotion to loosen hard skin and submerge feet in a hot-as-you-can-bare-it-foot bath with Epsom salts to purify.

Step 2: Apply cuticle cream to all around the nail area and leave to nourish, then, using an orange stick, gently push back cuticles in tiny circular movements all around the nail plate.

Step 3: File your toes using clippers or other pedicure tools, cutting the nails straight across and file from the side to the middle, rounding the edges to help prevent in-growing toenails.

Step 4: Buff your nails to get rid of ridges. Apply cuticle oil to rid you of cracked cuticles.

Step 5: Using a cotton bud dipped in nail polish remover, gently wipe excess oil from the nail plate, under the nail and across the tip. Before applying polish use a high quality base coat, the most important ingredient for a perfect home pedicure. When applying nail polish, remember that lighter colours, pastels and iridescent shades will flatter bronzed skin. Dark colours can appear harsh and are more high maintenance, since every chip shows up.

Home Pedicure tools you should have:

An electric bubbling foot bath (optional).
A toenail brush to clean both the tops and undersides of the nails, as well as the feet.
An abrasive pedicure file (wand exfoliator) or pumice stone to get rid of dry, flaky skin.
A metal cuticle pusher or wooden "orange" stick, a round stick about four inches long with a slanted tip for cleaning under the nails and around the cuticles.
A massaging foot roller (optional).
Toenail clippers made to cut thick, hard nails without tearing them.
Fine-grained nail files or emery boards for shaping and smoothing nails.
Foam toe dividers (or cotton balls) to separate toes when applying base, polish and top coats to prevent smudging.
A nail buffer to shine the tops of nails before you polish them or to give bare ones a natural, healthy look.

Once you have the right pedicure tools, set aside about an hour to get your feet and toes worthy of being in the limelight.