Clean and well-maintained feet are extremely essential to look presentable and they are indeed a must to make a good impression on someone. Don’t have the time to go a salon? Try pedicure at home with these simple steps:-
 
1. TRIMMING AND SHAPING:
Remove your old nail polish with some cotton dipped in nail polish remover. Trim your nails. Make sure you cut straight across and don’t cut the corners too much as this can lead to painful ingrown nails. Use an emery board or nail file to give them the desired shape. Some people may prefer to cut nails after soaking as they will be softer and easy to shape. You should do this first as my nails get too soft for shaping once they are soaked.
2. FOOT SOAK
A good foot soak goes a long way in beating the stress after a long day. In a basin fill warm water enough to cover up to your ankles and add:
Epsom salt ½ cup. This is an emollient and will soothe inflammations, reduce roughness and reduce muscle pain. Also helps with exfoliation.  However if you do not have this you can use any other bath salts you may have on hand.
Juice of 1 lemon
A few drops of a Foot Wash of your choice. You can substitute this with liquid hand wash or shampoo if you like.
Essential oils of your choice. (10-12 drops). I use lavender and eucalyptus. Lavender soothes and rejuvenates the skin and helps calm the nerves while eucalyptus provides excellent relief to aching feet. It is also a very good antiseptic and disinfectant.
Add a few smooth pebbles to the water. These will provide a gentle massage as you place your feet on them.
Sit in a comfortable position, soak your feet and relax for 15-20 minutes. Dry them with a towel.
 
3. EXFOLIATE
Once you towel your feet, rub in some cuticle cream on the base of each toe nail and leave it on for a few minutes. In the meantime, use a good foot file or pumice stone to remove the dry and rough and dead skin cells. If this skin is not removed it will become hard and thick and will be infected or cracked. 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. Do not scrape too hard. Be firm but gentle.
If you do not have too much dry, rough skin just use a loofah for some gentle scrubbing. Next, wipe off the cuticle cream and push back cuticles gently with a cuticle pusher. Use an old toothbrush to scrub your toes and underneath the nails. Wipe your feet dry.
Use a good foot scrub and gently massage your feet. Scrub your soles, paying special attention to your heels, in between your toes and the tops and sides of your feet. Scrub your ankles as well.
Just make sure your feet are dry before you use this. It contains a highly effective combination of natural pumice and fruit AHA’s for an intensive exfoliating action and leaves your feet soft, smooth and conditioned. It  instantly removes rough hard skin and it does. You can actually see the dead skin falling off! You could also use any leftover face or body scrub you found too abrasives.
4. MOISTURIZE:
Once you are done scrubbing, wash your feet clean and moisturize them. For this I love Scholl Foot Mousse. This works wonders for dry feet. Softens, hydrates and protects from cracking. Moreover it is instantly absorbed, so u can wear socks immediately after.
Pedicure :
Again, if you do not have this, use any other moisturizer of your choice. A face cream you found to be too heavy for the face can do the trick!! I always use products that don’t work out for the face on the feet. This way I don’t feel guilty about my impulsive purchases!!
Almond oil and olive oil (1tsp each) with 10-12 drops of your favorite essential oil also makes a good home made massage oil for feet.
Rub a generous portion into your feet and massage well, better still if you can get someone else to do the massage for you. Ask your hubby or a friend! Sit back and relax! Regular foot massages help keep nerve endings stimulated, improve blood circulation, nourish the skin and foot muscles.
If you have cracks, follow up with a cream formulated especially for that. You can also use Vaseline mixed with lime juice, wrap with plastic for 15 minutes. Wear loose cotton socks and tuck yourself in.
Do this religiously twice a week and follow up with once a week along with daily cleansing and moisturizing and pave way to gorgeous feet!
-MISBAAH MANSURI
44 Comments