How to Make a Salt Body Scrub

Pamper yourself at home for a fraction of the cost of going to a spa. You’ll trust the ingredients when you make a simple salt body scrub yourself. This is especially helpful if you have specific skin care needs or allergies to fragrance. Feel free to tweak this recipe to suit your likes and needs. Once you’ve mastered your blend, consider giving it away as gifts.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:
1 cup Epsom salt
1 cup course sea salt
½ cup of jojoba oil (see tips)
30 drops of essential oil
Jar with a secure lid
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Mixing spoon (not wooden)

Step 1
Gather all your ingredients and measure out the potions you will need.

Step 2
Incorporate the salts together using a spoon or your hands.

Step 3
Pour in the jojoba oil along with the drops of essential oil. Smell the scrub as you add the essential oil to determine the desired potency of fragrance.

Step 4
Mix all ingredients thoroughly with a spoon to ensure that the essential oil is well distributed throughout the mixture. Spoon the finished product into your airtight containers.

Step 5
Add more oil if the mixture appears to be too dry. Too wet? Then add equal parts of the salts.

Step 6
Store the scrub in an air-tight container to retain moisture.

Step 7
Apply the scrub in the hot shower and allow the scrub to rest on your skin for a few minutes before rinsing. Moisturize with a soothing lotion after the shower.


Tips & Warnings

Use oil that suits your skin care needs. Options include: olive, apricot, grapeseed, jojoba, almond and sunflower. Each possesses different skin healing properties.

Add more, less or none at all of the essential oil.

Consider using multiple essential oils for a potpourri of fragrance.

Save time and double this recipe and store the extra or pass it on to a friend.

Do not use on broken skin or freshly shaven skin as this may cause irritation.

Avoid mixing the scrub in Teflon, copper and aluminum. These can react with the ingredients. Glass and stainless steel are best.

Sleepy-Time Bath

Oils work best for this bath, use 1/2 dram of lavendar, chamomile oils. into the running bath water and then soak in the water for about one half hour. You will get out feeling very relaxed and sleepy.

Along with the sleepy tea above a good nights sleep is close at hand. Pleasant dreams all.

How to Stretch Shoes

Your feet should not hurt! Your foot is a network of 26 bones, 29 joints and many muscles. On average, you take several thousand steps every day. So if the shoe doesn't fit, try stretching it.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Stretcher/ Shoekeepers
Shoe Shining/cleaning Kits
Athletic Shoe Cleaners

Step 1
Purchase a professional quality shoe stretcher from your local shoe repair shop. For ladies' shoes, the stretchers go by shoe size and are designed for both low heel and high heel shoes, with bunion attachments.

Step 2
Get a bottle of liquid shoe stretch to spray on your shoes while using the wooden shoe stretcher. If your shoes are leather, you'll have greater success.

Step 3
Consider taking the shoes to a professional shoe repair shop. They often use a stretching machine to apply specific pressure and heat precisely where the shoe hurts ' including length, toe raise, instep stretching and so on. On occasion, they'll speed up the process with a leather softening agent.

Tips & Warnings

Purchase shoes at the end of the day, or after work or playing sports, for best fit.

Measure both feet, as no two feet are the same size. Purchase shoes for the larger foot.

Walk around the store to ensure a comfortable fit before buying, and always try on shoes with the socks or hosiery with which you will wear them.

Don't plan on shoes stretching with wear. If they aren't comfortable, don't buy them.

How to Paint Ladybugs on Your Nails

Turn a run-of-the-mill manicure into something unique.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Nail Files
Nail Polish Remover
Nail Strengthening Polish
Toothpicks
Toothpicks
red, white and black nail polishes

Step 1
Paint your nails solid red with nail polish.

Step 2
Wait for them to dry completely.

Step 3
Paint the tips of your nails black using nail polish.

Step 4
Allow your nails to dry.

Step 5
Dip a toothpick into black nail polish and paint a thin, straight line down the center of each nail.

Step 6
Dip again and make a few black dots on each side of the lines.

Step 7
Finish your nails off by dipping a toothpick into white nail polish - or another light color - and painting two dots per nail to make eyes for your ladybugs

How to Prevent Hangnails

When your nail cuticles become dry or rough, painful and unsightly hangnails often form. Pamper your nails to keep them healthy and free of hangnails.

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Olive ( not virgin) Oil
Cuticle Creams
Exfoliating Gloves
Hand Lotions
Manicure Kit
Manicure Scissors
Nail Clippers
Nail Files
Nail Strengthening Polish
Manicure Scissors

Step 1
Give yourself regular manicures: Clean and trim your nails, brush your nails with a manicure brush, and push back cuticles with a cuticle stick. This removes excess skin that may later form hangnails.

Step 2
Use a cuticle moisturizer as needed throughout the day to keep your nails and cuticles moisturized and strong. Try an exfoliating lotion if your skin is particularly dry or roughened.

Step 3
Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes or doing housework. Hot water and various cleaning agents can dry out your hands and encourage hangnails. If possible, avoid soaking nails and cuticles in water, as this can weaken them.

Step 4
Put on canvas gloves when gardening or doing other tasks that can roughen and dry out your hands, causing cuticles and nails to crack.

Step 5
Fight the urge to bite fingernails or hangnails. Such habits can aggravate the nail area and cause hangnails to bleed.

Tips & Warnings

If you have extremely dry or rough hands or feet, try applying moisturizer at night, then put on cotton gloves or socks when you sleep.

Cut hangnails as soon as you see them.

How to Make Homemade Wax

Recipe to make homemade wax. It is safe to used for waxing for arms, legs, underarms, upper lips and eyebrows.









Instructions



Things You'll Need:
2 cups brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
and a clean pan



Step 1
Mix sugar, warm water and fresh lemon juice (better if sieved) all together in a saucepan, and heat it over a low flame. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid it sticking on the pan or burning. I prefer using wooden spatula. Stir it until all the sugar has melted and caramelized, and you have a thick brown liquid ready.



Step 2
Let it cool slightly before using it. It can be stored for a long time in a heat proof container for later use.



Step 3
Make sure you store the prepared wax in refrigerator to be used later. Before you use it warm up the wax container in a microwave or you can also warm it up by placing the container in a deep pan filled with boiling water on stove on low heat.


Tips & Warnings

If you are not going to be using the whole container of wax then it's always a good idea to heat only the amount you need in a separate container.

Always warm up the wax on low heat. By doing so you'll prevent wax from burning.

If you don't have brown sugar handy then you can also use white sugar.

Lemon can be substituted with vinegar.

It can get messy and the wax can get stuck to anything. Use newspaper or an old bed sheet on the surface where you are waxing.

You can wipe clean the wax drippings with a damp cloth.

Waxed area can be washed with cold water to soothe the redness.

Use aloe-vera after waxing

How to Wax Toe Hair

A pair of feet can be exceedingly sexy. But you add some toe hair and that sex appeal goes down the drain real fast. While shaving the toe hair is certainly an option, it tends to grow back fairly quickly. If you wax the toe hair, the thickness of the hair is often decreased. Here are some tips on how to wax your toe hair.







1-Wash and dry your toes thoroughly. This will remove lotions, tanning oils, sweat and other things that may stop the wax from sticking to your toes

2-Trim your toe hair. While most hair won't be exceedingly long, you want to make sure they are not longer than 1/2 inch. This will make the process a bit less painful when you wax. Using a pair of pedicure scissors will do the trick.

3-Apply your wax to the little piggies. There are all sorts of wax on the market. Hot wax, spreadable wax, wax that requires paper strips. There's no wrong way to go here as they will all do the trick. The best advice is to stick to a brand you've had luck with before so that you know your skin doesn't react negatively to the product. If this is the first time using the product, try just one toe first to make sure it works for you and you don't have any reaction.

4-Add any paper strips or other layer that is recommended to go over the wax according to your directions and press down firmly. (Again, depending on what kind of wax you buy, this may or may not be necessary; follow the directions.)

5-Pull the skin around the toes taut. There is usually not a lot of excess skin around the toes, but just in case, be sure there is not any additional "slack" in the skin, as the result can be quite painful.

6-Wax your toes by ripping the strip or removing the wax against the direction of your hair. This will remove the hair deeper into the skin giving you a longer lasting wax. Now give yourself a nice pedicure and show off your little piggies.

TIPS & WARNINGS:
Wear loose fitting shoes like flip-flops for a few hours afterward to allow the skin on your toes to breathe.

Marble Foot Massage

Take care of your feet regularly to keep calluses under control. Use a pumice stone or an abrasive foot scrub to remove the dead and rough skin. If this skin is not removed it will become hard and thick and can become cracked and infected making walking difficult.

Give your feet a foot bath. Put a cup of marbles in the bath water and roll your feet around on top of them to stimulate the nerve endings. Pick up the marbles with your toes, flex and contract your feet and toes and then let go off the marbles. This will allow the arches and muscles of the feet to stretch.

Get a foot massage once in a while. Ask a loved one to take time off to give you a foot massage. At the same time you can have a foot massage, which is extremely relaxing. Add a few drops of peppermint essential oil to your lotion for a sensational treat for your feet.

The skin on the soles of your feet does not have any oil glands to soften them. So use a good moisturizer every day. Every night put a generous amount of cream on your feet before you go to bed and then pull on a pair of cotton socks.

Every time you buy shoes ensure that you get your feet measure. Measure your feet standing and not sitting. The shape of your feet changes with age as a result of the daily pressure and pregnancy. Your feet are likely to expand and lengthen with age.

Replace your shoes every 6 months as well-worn shoes lose their ability to support your feet properly. This can lead to feet, leg and back fatigue and problems. If your job requires you to be on your feet all day it is best you change your shoes every 6 months

How-To with Massage Stones

1) Clean the stones with salt water making sure they are clean and free of any foreign objects.

2) Put stones in a pot using very hot tap water for quick usage.

3) The temperature of the stones should never exceed 125 degrees F. Generally if you can handle them comfortably then they are okay to use. Always ask if the temperature is OK. Also check the stones periodically to make sure nothing is getting burned.

4) First diaper drape both legs with a sheet. Make sure the subject is face down and place (1) stone on the upper left leg, (1) middle of hamstrings, (1) on the back of the knee, and also a small stone on the center of the calf. (Just do this to one leg for now)

5) Perform any regular massage techniques on the right leg and then use one of the largest stones to glide up the muscles of the leg toward the heart. Then place stones on right leg and remove the stones from the left leg and perform massage and gliding with a large stone. When finished remove all of the stones and cover the legs. Then drape for the lower back and make a small pile of hot stones on the lower back to warm the muscles while working on the left leg.

6) Then drape for glute work on the buttocks and follow with some massage strokes with a hot stone. The hot stones feel great when applied to both sides of the sacrum. Next cover the buttocks.

7) Drape for working on the back. Place stones on and around the shoulders and traps and (1) on the back of the neck. Remove stones from lower back and perform massage and follow with stone gliding. Each stone has a unique feel and can be used as a massage tool.

8) Remove stones from upper back and neck and perform massage following with stone gliding movements. Then cover the subject and pin one side of the sheet with your body and hold the other side up while the subject turns over face up.

9) Drape for both legs and place stones on the upper, mid, and low thigh of both legs. Place the small or thin stones between the toes of both feet. Let the muscles warm and go to the arms.

10) It is difficult to place stones on the arms so just do regular massage on them and follow with some stone gliding. When finished with the armsplace stones on pectoral muscles and lay a towel across them to help keep them from falling off.

11) Remove stones from left leg and do massage and then remove stones from toes on left foot. Massage foot and follow up with stone gliding on entire leg and bottom of foot. Cover left leg and repeat method on right leg.

12) If you do abdominal massage you may want to use the stones for gliding. Remember all abdominal work needs to be done in a clockwise manner as to go with the intestinal tract.

13) Remove stones from pectoral muscles and perform massage followed with stone gliding. (You can also place a stone on the forehead while doing the pectoral muscles) Then use a stone for neck work.

14) Finish your massage with the scalp and face. Using cooler warn stones on the face or scalp since it can be a sensitive area.

French Manicure Instructions Guide to the Right Design and Polish for a Natural Look Without Paying Big $$$

The French manicure is often considered the most elegant thing you can do with your fingernails, since it combines perfect polish with a natural look that looks smooth and classy. If you're going for a job interview or just want perfect hands to show off a new ring, the French manicure is ideal. The French manicure can easily be done at home, with some patience and the right tools.

Tips for Beginning any Salon Quality Manicure at Home

Any manicure starts with scrubbing your hands, filing your nails and caring for your cuticles. Use a diamond file instead of the cheaper metal ones: it's about a dollar more expensive, but it files much quicker and smoother. For a classic French manicure, your nails shouldn't be dragon-lady long, but should have a smooth, oval shape that's slightly elongated to make the most of the white nail tips. You're going to need:

Instruction Guide to a French Manicure

A base coat in a subtle, neutral color like pale peach, nearly-not-there pink, or beige. The contrast comes with the white nail tips, which point up the hint of color in the base coat.

1. White polish for the tips.
2. Nail tip guide strips
3. A clear top coat.

After filing your nails and tending to your cuticles by softening them and pushing them back away from the half-moons, paint your entire nail with the base coat color and let it dry. If you have chronic problems with getting the nails on your second hand painted cleanly, you may want to start by putting a little petroleum jelly on the skin of your fingers around the nail. The petroleum jelly keeps the polish from sticking to your skin if you should slip up while painting, making for easy clean-up and a neater look overall.

Using French Manicure Stencil or Template Products

Once the base coat of polish is completely dry—never try to rush this step—put the nail tip guides on your fingernails. Apply the strip guide to the area where your actual finger ends. The white tip of your nail shouldn't comprise more than 20% of the overall fingernail when you're done. Make sure to place the guide strips on each finger so that the tips of your nails are the same length for each.

Once the guides are in place, you can brush white polish onto your fingernails. This is a time for especial care, so that you stay with the guides and get no white polish on the lower part of the nail. Don't remove the guides until the white polish is completely dry, or you'll ruin the tips.

Once the white tips are dry, remove the guides. If they leave any sticky residue behind, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball to take it off. Don't forget and use nail polish remover or you'll ruin your whole manicure!

Professional Salon Finish to Any Mani or Pedi

Finish your French manicure by painting the entire nail with the clear top coat of polish. This does two things: it helps your manicure stay fresh longer by protecting it, and it gives a shiny and unified gloss to each nail.
You can buy a manicure in a kit, great for the new DIY nail maven, because they come with designs, color options, style ideas, instructions and all the products you need for a manicure or pedicure. You can try the new manicure polish pen, buy fun stencils and templates or go for a natural look with a brand like Sephora, Opi or Sally Hansen. For professional looking fingers and toes, you don't need a history of salon work: you can get everything you need online or from your local drugstore. And for a quick version of the French look, you can buy a nail whitening pencil. Slide it under the edge of your nail to white the tip, et viola—instant (not as elegant, but very nice) manicure!

How To Make Scented Bath Powder

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/4 teaspoon oil or a few drops of your favorite fragrance


Mix the cornstarch and arrowroot powder in a bowl. Add the oil stir
until well mixed. Sift the powder through a sifter until it's lump free.
Store the powder in a box or covered tin.

How To Make A Dream Pillow

8 parts dried mugwort leaves
4 parts dried rose petals
4 parts dried mint leaves
1 part whole cloves


Combine all ingredients and tie into a cloth bundle or use to stuff a small pillow or sachet.

Place the dream pillow where you can smell it while you sleep. This is said to promote vivid dreams and clear recall.

Make your own essential oils

Health food stores and specialty supermarkets carry essential oil in
small vials. When buying essential oil, it is prudent to check to see
if what you have in your hand is pure essential oil and not one that
is diluted. Sometimes it is hard to find the essential oil you want
and have to special order it. Essential oil is a little pricey to
begin with and if you have to special order it, the price goes even
higher. Essential oils are always mixed with carriers which are oils
that are mild and have no scent. This is because using essential oil
at full strength can irritate your skin.

Making your own essential oil at home is not hard, just have to have
some patience. You can use any herb or flowers to make essential
oils, it just depends on your preference. Let' say for the purpose of
this project, you want to make mint essential oil. ( If you are using
flowers, do not use petals that have been sprayed with pesticides,
i.e., flowers from florists.)

What you need:

Organically grown mint
A clean jar with a lid
Carrier oil: Sweet almond, jojoba, safflower (pick one)

The amount of mint you need will depend on the size of your clean
jar. You will need a fresh batch of leaves everyday for the next
week.

1. Crush the mint leaves with your hands and pack them loosely into
the jar.

2. Pour the oil into the jar and fill it to cover the leaves. Cover
tightly and set aside in a warm place.

3. Next day, strain the oil off the leaves and crush a new batch of
leaves. Pack into the same jar with the strained oil. Top off with
new oil, close the jar and set aside in a warm place for a day.

4. Repeat step three for the next five days.

On the last day, pour into smaller bottles and label them carefully
and refrigerate to extend its shelf life. You can make your own
perfume by adding about 15 drops of essential oil into a half ounce
of Vodka or Everclear. Another thing you can do is to add 30 drops
of essential oil to 8 ounces of your body lotion (unscented).

The Definitive How to do a Pedicure Guide

So you want to know how to do a pedicure at home huh?

Well, a pedicure really doesn’t have to mean an expensive trip to the salon. Neither does it mean a bunch of expensive products to buy. You can do one right at home with stuff you may already have.

Sure salons and spas have those really cool pedicure chairs with all the frills, scented oils, fancy tools, magic moisturizers and a whole list of other goodies but you can recreate much of that allure right at home. Yes, you can transform your bedroom into your own personal spa.

To make it a fun thing, you and some friends can even get together and have a pedicure party, where you can help pamper each other and do little fun pedicure games. These can definitely make the task more enjoyable!

Here’s the definitive guide to giving yourself an at home pedicure. It will be beneficial to browse through the pedicure instructions steps first before going out acquiring the things on the "needed pedicure supplies" list. Reason being, there are little goodies (and precautions) within the steps that aren’t necessary but offer additional information on products to use and tidbits on how to go that extra mile to make your feet sensational!

Needed Pedicure Supplies
Nail Polish Remover
Cotton
Nail file or Emery Board
Epsom Salt (at least a ½ cup)
Cuticle Stick or Pusher (cuticle pushers and sticks can be wooden, plastic or metal)
Foot soak tub (Foot bath, pedicure tub, pedicure bowl, pedicure foot spa or some other large tub)
Towels
Nail Brush (old or new toothbrushes can work or a bath towel if you’re ticklish)
Mechanical Exfoliate (Loofah Sponge, Pumice Stone, Foot File or even a Ped Egg)
Chemical Exfoliate (Foot scrub cream of your choice)
Foot Moisturizer, with emollients
Base Coat, Top Coat (clear nail polish can be substituted, and in many cases base coat can substitute for top coat and vice versa)
Nail Polish (color of your choice)
*Note: Some nail care kits may have a lot of the mechanical pedicure tools needed, although probably not everything.

Procedure Outline:
· Remove Polish
· Groom your nails
· Foot Soak
· Cuticle Treatment
· Scrub/Clean your nails and feet
· Exfoliation
· Moisturize, Insert Foot massage here
· Apply Nail Polish

The pedicure procedure

Be sure to fully clean, disinfect and sterilize all tools and containers used to avoid risk of dangerous, life threatening pedicure infections!

Remove PolishPrecautions:

The chemicals used in nail polish remover are very harsh and will dry out your cuticles and nail bed, making your nails white, dry and brittle. Try to limit prolonged exposure to these areas and to your skin in general. Yeah, I know its hard keeping the polish remover off of your cuticles and other exposed skin, but it really is bad for them so do your best.

Tips:
Use a remover with moisturizers and vitamins. They will leave these behind after the harsh chemicals have evaporated.
When possible use non-acetone/alcohol removers to limit the drying out effect. They aren’t as effective though and may not be able to take off darker colored polishes as well.
Use a lint-free cotton cloth to avoid those fuzzies left behind by cotton balls.

Get your material of choice saturated with polish remover and rub over each toenail. For hard to remove spots, soak the material, press and hold firmly for a few seconds over these areas then wipe away. Repeat until all the trouble spots are removed, making sure to re-soak with remover before each press-and-hold sequence. This ensures a fresh batch of remover to dissolve the hardened polish. Noticed stains or yellowing on your nails? Read this page on how to remove nail stains.

Groom your nails Precautions:

Be careful with anything that has a sharp edge and comes close to your skin. Oh yeah, if you start seeing blood(or feeling pain) – STOP!!

Tips:

Use an emery board as your pedicure nail file instead of metal files that are notorious for ripping nails, unless you’re a pro.
With emery boards, the finer grade side is for smoothing around the edges of the nail while the rougher, coarser side is for shaping and shortening.
Use a safety nail clipper

The object of grooming your nails is to get them to the desired length while reducing the chances of getting foot problems like infamous ingrown toenails. To avoid ingrown toenails, make sure you cut your nails straight across and above the skin so that the nail corners are visible. Cutting too short is like begging your nail to grow into your skin. Once clipped, try to achieve a soft, rounded square shape by filing. With filing though, try to stroke in only one direction. Slightly round the corners but don’t take them lower than the middle portion of nail.

Foot Soak Precautions:

Any unit that circulates water can be a breeding ground for very dangerous bacteria. Bacteria that can lead to amputation or even death! Be sure whenever you use one, or any pedicure vessel for that matter, that it has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to avoid pedicure infections.

If you have any open sores on your feet or legs, don’t soak. Soaking may help dangerous germs get to the wound. Consult your physician first, especially if you are a diabetic, elderly or HIV positive.

Tips:
Add about a quarter cup of milk to the foot soak. The lactic acid helps to cleanse, soften and deodorize the feet. It also helps loosen dead skin cells.
Always use heated water. As hot as you can bear. It soothes and softens much better.
You can add marbles to the bottom of the foot basin to rub your feet over while soaking.
Essential oils can be added to aid in relaxation.
Epsom salt is anti-inflammatory, will help you relax, soothes muscle pain and improves rough patches of skin - it’s also an emollient and exfoliator.
Epsom salt will also help stop that wrinkling effect when you soak your feet for long periods.
Use Epsom Salt in your foot soak!

Pedicure foot spas (foot baths), pedicure tubs and pedicures bowls are not all necessary, but if you already have one you can make use of some of the features if you want.

Fill your chosen tub with water so that you at least cover the tops of your feet. Try to cover as much as possible even past your ankles if you can. The Epsom salt will soothe those areas too. You’ll want to use about a ½ cup to a cup and soak for about 10 minutes (30 minutes is great!).

There is no real strict time or dosage limit on this, just put enough for it be effective (about a ½ cup for a medium to large container). Of course if you are using an extremely large tub, adjust your dosage accordingly. Using too much won’t hurt, neither will soaking too long (unless you're pregnant). So judge it by how much product you have (and how long you want your supply to last) and how much time you have to spare.

Essential oils add to the relaxation effect more so due to their aroma. Lavender and Jasmine oil aromas have been said, by experts, to increase feelings of relaxation and may even help you achieve a better, more restorative slumber when present during sleep. Lemon oil aroma in addition to helping with relaxation has been said to enhance one’s overall mood. Give them a try in your foot soaks.

Cuticle Treatment

Precautions: Be careful not to cut or scrape “live” flesh, instead of your cuticle.

Tip:
A cotton wrapped orangewood stick is an excellent cuticle pusher.
Wooden (eg. orangewood) and plastic cuticle sticks are less abrasive than metal ones
If you are comfortable using them, liquid cuticle removers may be used, but they are dangerous if you use them incorrectly. Want to know how? Confused over where the cuticle actually is?

I recommend after soaking, using a cuticle stick or cuticle pusher to push back the cuticle towards the nail fold. You have to look closely to see where it begins. Usually after soaking (and bathing) excess cells begin to flake up at the edge of where your cuticle starts. As you push back firmly but gently towards the nail fold, more “dead cells” will begin to flake up. This is the excess cuticle skin that we will clip or scrape away.

If you don’t have cuticle nippers you can use your cuticle pusher/stick to scrape the excess off of the nail plate. This all becomes easy because you soaked first. This keeps you from painting over excess cuticle skin that will most likely just flake up in a little while ruining your new coat of polish. It also helps eliminate the white, flaky excess cuticle cells that accumulate on your nails, improving their appearance when unpolished.

Scrub/Clean your nails and Feet

Tips:
Old (or new) toothbrushes can substitute for nail brushes. Just keep in mind some are harder than others. If your skin is more delicate, go for soft to medium bristles. The stiff/hard bristles may scrape your feet.
A cotton wrapped orangewood stick is an excellent, safe way to for clean underneath nails

After the foot soak, any dirt under the nails and other places should have loosened up. Wrap the tip of your cuticle stick or pusher with cotton to gently and carefully remove any dirt you see underneath your nails. Many leave this step out of their how to do a pedicure guides, but cleanliness must be addressed as it is very important.

Get your nail brush and scrub your nails and feet. Underneath nails is an excellent place for bacteria to hide. Be sure to scrub underneath the free edge, the nail plate and around the nail fold. Also scrub your soles, paying special attention to your heels, in between your toes and the tops and sides of your feet.

This part may get very ticklish. If you can’t stand the scrubbing with the brush because you are too ticklish, use a bath towel instead.

Exfoliation

Precautions: Be very careful with anything that has a blade! If you are environmentally conscious, some big brand body scrubs contain tiny particles of a substance called polyethylene. Many marine animals die from ingesting too much of these particles as it clogs their digestive tracts.

Tips:
You can make your own foot scrubs from home ingredients. A few ideas are:
Milk, Baking Soda and Salt
Epsom Salt, (Opened)Peppermint tea bag, Vitamin E Oil

Mix them to a creamy paste

You have a few options of things to use to mechanically exfoliate your feet. The usual choices being foot files, loofah sponges and pumice stones. They all work well. Loofahs usually can't handle really tough skin though.

The Ped egg, a new device, may also work well for you it did not for us!

You can also add a chemical exfoliate, i.e. foot scrub cream to aid in the exfoliation process. As suggested above, these can be homemade or store bought. These scrub creams have tiny abrasive particles in them to aid in the exfoliation which can be applied to the foot directly and/or to the instrument you are using.

Be sure to scrub the heel and balls of the feet, sides of your heels and around your toes; basically anywhere there is rough, hard skin.

The key again is to be firm but gentle. You are trying to grind away slowly, layer by layer to expose the younger, softer skin below. Aim to smooth instead of removing, this should keep you on track because it is very possible to rub too hard and damage your feet.

Don’t try to get your feet super smooth in one sitting. It will most likely take a few pedicure/exfoliation sessions to get your feet as smooth as want them to be. Be patient. If you see a bright red color emerging, it’s time to stop and remember that certain areas of your feet are a bit tougher for a reason.

Moisturize, (Insert Foot massage here if applicable)

Retrieve your moisturizer of choice and massage a generous portion into your feet. Rub deeply to be sure the ingredients are absorbed into the skin. Pay special attention to rough, tough patches. Include the ankles and lower legs as well, keeping this skin soft is a must for beautiful legs and feet. If you want to get your feet softer (or any skin), the following are some natural ingredients that do just that, so be on the lookout for them in your creams. Ingredients that soften the skin are called emollients.

Shea Butter
Grape Seed Oil
Cocoa Butter
Aloe
Avocado
Jojoba oil
Vitamin A,C & E (although chemicals are sometimes used to add these)

For dry, cracked feet read our page on Dry Feet. If you are giving someone else a pedicure, you could insert a foot massage here.

If the weather is cold, slipping on a nice, warm pair of pedicure socks before you paint your nails might be a good idea right now since the next step is, you guessed it, nail polish application.

Apply Nail Polish

Dry your feet thoroughly and ensure your nail plates are free from any oil or residue moisturizer. If they do have some moisturizer or other chemicals left on them, dab a piece of cotton (or cotton cloth) in some polish remover and run it over your nails. Any residue material will seriously affect the base and top coats/polish ability to adhere.

Now get your base coat, nail polish and top coat ready (or clear nail polish/enamel). If you have allergies to certain types you should use either formaldehyde free nail polish or water based polishes. I always recommend using a base coat as it protects your nail plate from the yellowing, staining effect of deeper shades, especially red. The base coat also provides a nice, smooth surface for your polish to be applied to. The top coat will add a gloss shine and protective cover to your nails, much like as in automobiles.

Try to master the art of how to apply nail polish . After applying the polish, you can use a pair of disposable pedicure slippers or disposable pedicure sandals to maneuver around in. These are great because if you do happen to get polish on them, it doesn’t matter because you’ll toss them any way.

Post Pedicure Maintenance Tips

To keep up with feet softening treatments, you can generously moisturize your feet at night before going to bed with a moisturizer that contains one or more of the emollients we detailed above. Then put on a thick pair of cotton socks to ensure that most of moisturizer is absorbed into the skin instead of being rubbed off on your sheets. These emollients work best over time through repeat exposure!

You can also reapply some top coat every few days to keep it intact over the polish color and to renew the shine making your nails look fresh all over again.

Foot soaking isn’t something restricted to a pedicure. Doing regular foot soaks can be beneficial.

You have now been enlightened on how to do a pedicure in the comfort of your own home. Now, go forth into the world, showing off the beauty of your feet!