OK, so we know that summer is around the corner and if you haven't already then it really is time to start thinking about getting your feet looking somewhere half decent. I put my sandals on this week for the school run and was rather embarassed by the cracked heels and chipped toe nail polish going on. Too bad that I didn't notice until I got out of the car at the School (there was no going back)!!
No time to go to the beauticians so I tried this home pedicure below that I found on the internet:
What do you need?
- Bowl of warm water that has a fragranced foot soak or Epsom Salts added Pumice stone – to remove any hard, dry or flaky skin from your feet
- Towel to dry your feet
- Nail varnish remover and cotton wool (if you need to remove existing polish)
- A good quality moisturiser
- Nail cutter
- Nail file
- Nail brush
- Cuticle Pusher
- Cuticle Cream
- Clear Nail polish & Coloured Nail Polish products, if desired.
- If your toe nails are dirty then first clean them using the nail brush, and then use nail varnish remover and cotton wool to clean the nails of polish.
- Trim the nails with the nail cutter and file so that the edges are smooth.
- Now place your feet in the foot soak bath and allow your feet to relax for 10 minutes. If you have particularly hard edges on your heels allowing your feet to soak for 20 minutes will enable the outer layer of skin to soften considerably.
- To remove all the hard, dead skin cells, rub the skin with the pumice stone.
- Towel dry your feet, ensuring you dry thoroughly between the toes.
- Apply cuticle cream to your toe nails and using the cuticle pusher gently push back the cuticles of each toe nail.
- Rinse off your feet in a fresh bowl of clean lukewarm water, and repeat the drying process.
- Moisturise your feet, paying particular attention to any areas that are prone to dryness or flaking. You can use relaxing massage strokes as you apply the cream.
- Carefully apply a clear nail basecoat. Using a basecoat will stop your toe nails from becoming discoloured, and will also ensure the nail varnish becomes more hard-wearing and requires fewer touch-ups.
- Once the basecoat is dry, apply two layers of your preferred nail varnish. Allow sufficient drying time between each coat, and then add a thin final layer of topcoat.
- After applying nail varnish always allow a few hours before wearing closed-toe shoes. To keep your nail varnish looking the best it can, applying a second layer of topcoat, a few days later, will help stop the nail varnish from chipping.
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