DIY Pedi for Pretty Summer Feet!
I have this weird habit that I’m a little embarrassed to admit. I guess you could say it’s kinda judgmental of me, but I tend to notice little things about other people that I think they could do better in their appearance. As in, “Her hair’s doing a funny flippy thing there- it would look so cute if she pinned that back with a pretty clip!” or “Wow, that girl really needs new shoes- those chunky grandma clogs ain’t doing a thing for her!”
I really don’t mean to be critical. I mean, it’s not like I think less of them as a person because they don’t have perfect hair or cute shoes. And heaven knows I don’t have any room to be judging anybody! What’s that saying about “Girls who live with crazy curly hair shouldn’t throw stones” or something like that. Although you won’t catch me dead in a pair of ugly shoes. Just sayin’.
I think part of my, ahem, “critique” is that I’m a firm believer in doing the best you can with what you’ve got. So you’re not a perfect size six (or whatever is considered “perfect” these days), take what you’ve got, dress it up and work it like a supermodel owning the catwalk. Confidence is truly the best kept beauty secret.
Speaking of doing the best with what you’ve got, last week we talked about how to grab some gorgeous glowing skin by dry skin brushing. Not only does your outer glow get the benefit, your insides get some love as well by helping to move toxins through your system so you can flush them out.
So I thought this month we’d continue our theme of summer skin beauty tips plus scraping your body with semi-painful items in an effort to look better. Let’s talk DIY Pedi!!
During the summer, pedis are a MUST if you don’t want to be silently judged by other women who notice your minor flaws and mentally lecture you on how you can do better. Nothing ruins a cute pair of sandals faster than gross toenails or heels that are so dry and cracked they look like the surface of the moon through a telescope.
Of course, you can head to your nearest beauty salon and shell out big bucks for someone to rub toxic lotions and scrubs all over your feet. If you’re into that sort of thing. My preference? Do some DIY foot care. Sure, it’s not as fun as sitting in a chair being pampered, but I do think there are some advantages. No $40 price tag, no driving across town for an appointment and no toxic lotions and potions being slathered on my body, just to name a few.
Here’s my quick guide to your very own DIY Pedi that will leave others envious of your tootsies!
DIY Pedi
- Gather up all your supplies before you get started. Nothing like having to jump out of your foot soak and leave wet footprints all through the house because you forgot to grab your towel before you began! Here’s a list of what you’ll need.
Foot bath foot file or pumice stone nail cleaner thick lotion
Towel nail clippers foot scrub socks
- Grab a foot bath and fill it with very warm water.
- Add in some fun foot-soaking goodies.
Epsom salts- the magnesium in the salts will help you relax!
Essential Oils- I love lavender for a relaxing feel. Peppermint is another great choice to soothe tired feet!
- Place your feet into the footbath and allow them to soak for 10 minutes. Sit back and relax while your feet soak. Sip some tea or enjoy a few minutes of a good book.
- After 10 minutes, dry your right foot off with the towel (you can leave the left soaking). Start with the nail clippers and trim any nails that need it.
- Next take the nail cleaner (it’s that flat little tool in your manicure kit that’s slightly hooked on the end) and use it to gently clean under the nail and around the nail bed.
- This is the best part! Grab your foot file or pumice stone and start at the heel, rubbing back and forth across the skin to remove any callouses or dry skin. This doesn’t have to be perfect. You may not get all the dry skin off, but by getting the worst of it off and applying lotion, your heels will look amazing! Move onto the balls of the feet and toes next.
- At this point, you can grab your foot scrub if you’re using one and give your foot a good (but gentle) scrub to help remove dry skin.
- Place the right foot back in the footbath to continue soaking. Repeat steps 5 through 8 with the left foot.
- Once both feet have been pedi’ed, dry them off with the towel and apply a nice thick layer of lotion to the feet, concentrating on the heels. Slip on a pair of socks and enjoy the feel of beautiful feet!
Quick Tip- remove any toenail polish before you begin your pedicure. I like to wait until the next day to paint my toenails. The oils in your lotion can interfere with the polish’s ability to stick to your toes!
I especially love to do my DIY pedi right before bed so I can hop into bed as soon as I’m done and let my feet soak up the moisture from the lotion all night long. I’m always amazed at how soft my feet feel when I wake up in the morning!
Got any tips on keeping your feet beautiful for summer! Share away!
