Are your feet not ready for the sandal season? We’ll show you step by step how you can easily do a pedicure yourself at home.
We loved the spring! Especially when the temperatures even allow sandals. Then, it will be time to prepare your feet for the beautiful weather and bring them into shape at the latest.
So that the pedicure works at home, we will tell you simple ones hereTipsAd and tricks with which you can take care of your feet for summer.
1: A foot bath cleanses and nourishes
Every foot care begins with a foot bath. This relaxes not only excellent but also optimally prepares the skin and nails for subsequent treatment. Problem areas such as callused, chapped skin or thick, unyielding nails are gently rinsed softly.
This is how it works:
Fill a small tub with warm water and bathe your feet in it for around five minutes. Not for long. Otherwise, the skin will become wrinkled and will no longer be easy to work with.
With additives, especially for foot baths, you can enrich the water with active ingredients:
- Salicylic acid makes rough areas supple.
- Vegetable oils ensure replenishment.
- Essential oils such as mint or rosemary have a relaxing effect also provide a great scent.
Our tip: do-it-yourself bath additive! Just add some Dead Sea salt and olive oil to the water. The oil-salt mix makes the skin supple and receptive to subsequent care.
2: Remove calluses effectively and over the long term
If the feet are profoundly relaxed and supple, you can touch the unsightly calluses on the heels, balls of the feet and toes. A pumice stone or a comprehensive corneal file is best used as a tool. You should keep your fingers and feet away from planning or rasping. Pedicure beginners can quickly injure themselves from the sharp blades or tips.
If you have a solid tendency to calluses, you can use special foot creams to counteract callus formation.
Necessary if you do your pedicure: Don’t wear off too much callus. In between, you should always feel how the skin feels. Everything rough and calloused is allowed to go.
However, the soles of our feet need some callus. With this natural protective layer, you can withstand the daily stresses of running. Even minor injuries are less severe if some callus protects the heel and ball of the foot.
Also Read: Make Foot Bath Yourself: 5 Ingenious Recipes With Home Remedies
3: Trim toenails properly
Now it’s time to get to the nails: It is best to shorten the toenails with nail scissors. In contrast to fingernails, the length and shape of the toenails are not a question of taste but practicality:
The nail should end with the toenails that are too long interfere with rolling the foot in closed shoes. The tip of the nail should be cut straight. Resist the urge to file the corners! Inflammation of the nail bed and ingrown nails could be the result.
4: Remove files and cuticles
Then file your toenails into shape: A sand sheet or glass file is the best way to smooth the nail tip and prevent your nails from tearing.
Tip: Always file from the sides towards the middle of the nail and do not rasp wildly back and forth. This roughens the nail up unattractively and promotes tearing.
Then it’s on to the cuticles. It is best to push back the protruding skin with a rosewood stick. You can soften particularly robust cuticles beforehand with cuticle remover. But if you use this manicure step after every second shower, the skin is already soft, and it doesn’t get that far in the first place.
Necessary: Proceed very carefully. Otherwise, the sensitive skin will become inflamed. Never cut the cuticle with scissors! On the one hand, you can injure yourself; on the other hand, you encourage the delicate skin to become horny. The cuticles then only grow back stronger.
5: Paint nails
The glossy finish to any pedicure is nail polish. This means that the toes not only look exceptionally well-groomed but also become a stylish statement.
Creamy pastel tones, shimmering metallic nuances, semi-transparent nude facets and bright blue or turquoise: all colours are allowed in summer. Before applying the varnish, you can level out any uneven nail plate with a base coat.
In the case of very colour-intensive varnishes, a base coat protects the toenails from discolouration. You can then seal the paint application with a top coat, then the work of art will last an extra long time.
Tip: Do not paint out the big toenail with coloured nail polish, but leave a few millimetres accessible on the sides. This makes the nail look narrower.
6: Keep feet supple with cream
A rich cream completes the DIY pedicure. You can either use a body lotion or a special foot cream.
Our current favourite: Nordic Cosmetics‘ foot cream with CBD and camphor. It is supposed to refresh the feet and take care of tired and dry skin by donating a lot of moisture.
Tip: For exceptionally soft skin, you can leave a thick layer of cream on under cotton socks overnight.