I love a good pedicure...especially if it's free!

It's flip flop time and it happens every year, my feet look a little rough, especially around my heel area.  So, I looked into pedicures and they are out of the question (for a stay at home Mom anyway).  I decided to "treat" myself to a spa day with my girls and we had a lovely morning of feet.  I highly recommend it.  It's not as relaxing or glamorous as the fancy spa down the road but it won't break the bank either! 

1.  Remove all your old polish and clip your nails to the desired length.  File them in one direction and smooth surfaces with a buffer.
2. Using a dry foot file smooth away imperfections like rough patches on the balls of your feet and heels.  This will help leave them smoother.
3. Fill a basin of warm water and add a cup of warm milk which will help slough away dead skin cells (the lactic acid does the trick).  If the thought of a foot milk bath is less than appealing, use a cup of Epsom salt and a few drops of an essential oil, like lavender to do the trick.  Then, exfoliate with a grainy scrub to get more of those dead skin cells removed.  Do the back of your legs as well. 
4.  Gently slide your cuticles back with an orange stick and clean under your toenails.
5.  Pat feet dry and wipe away excess oil
6.  Massage your feet with a moisturizing foot cream such as Peppermint Foot Lotion from the Body Shop
7.  Apply a base coat to your toes and let dry.  Apply two more thin coats of polish for optimum color.

Here are a couple of recipes for your foot soak and scrubs:

Soaks -
  • Milk and honey pedicure: Fill a bowl with warm water, add 2 tsp. honey and 2 tbsp. sugar. Mix in 1 cup milk and a drop of almond oil. Soak feet for 15 minutes
  • Lemon olive oil recipe: Juice a fresh-cut lemon; be sure to keep the rinds. Add lemon juice, lemon rinds and 1 tbsp. olive oil to a bowl filled with warm water, then soak feet for 15 minutes.
  • Cucumber recipe: Peel and slice a cucumber. Fill a bowl ( large enough for feet ) with water. Add cucumber and juice of half a lemon to water. Cut other half of lemon into wedges and add to water. Soak feet for 10 minutes. The cucumber and lemon help whiten yellow toe nails.
Scrubs -
  • Combine ½ cup baby oil with ½ cup coarse sea salt
  • Combine ½ cup honey with ½ cup sugar
  • Combine 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons sugar, 15 fresh mint leaves, chopped and 2-3 drops lemon essential oil. 
If you still would rather pay someone to do the dirty work, hit the spa and enjoy.  For me, this is a great option as well! 

 

 

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