It is extremely important to that care of your feet. Think of how much time you spend on your feet everyday. Your feet with be tired with hard skin and yellow tinted toenails – after all they’re stuck in your shoes all day! Overtime, your feet will develop thicker soles with the possibilities of funguses between the toes and under toenails. Therefore, your feet deserve special attentions!
Most people hide their feet during winter months and showing off their feet during summer months, but keeping a healthy feet all year round prevents most nail and feet diseases. Beautiful feet will encourage you to show off your feet and will give you many compliments on how good they look!
What is a pedicure?
A pedicure is a cosmetic beauty treatment for the feet and toenails, and can also help to prevent nail diseases such as Athlete’s Foot, fungus and ingrown toenails. The word pedicure comes from the Latin word pes cura meaning “care” and meaning “foot”. Your feet should end up smooth and moisturized, and your toes are perfectly shaped and polished – a pedicure is basically a manicure for the feet! The best pedicures will not only make your toes beautiful, but also revive your entire body with relaxation of the foot massage.
Overview of a standard pedicure
Toenails are often forgotten about and it’s common to leave nail polish on for several months without realizing, but it is not good for your nails – toenails need air to breath or it will end up with nasty yellow discolorations. As a part of your foot care treatment:
Firstly, any old nail polish will be removed.
Secondly, any long nails will be cut off. During the process of cutting your nails, technicians will avoid cutting into the corners of your nails to prevent ingrown toenails, which can be extremely painful.
Thirdly, your nails will be filed to the shape of your choice – although it’s best to stick with the natural shape of your nail bed for best results. Filling should be in one direction to avoid weakening nails, and will usually be from outside to inside to avoid splitting your nails.
Finally, once the technician is happy with the shape, you’ll be asked to place your feet in a large bowl of hot water. Often there will be some oil or moisturizer in the water to help rehydrate your skin. You and your feet will be relaxed while soaking in warm moisturized water for ten minutes.
**If you ever want to try this at home, but do not own a foot spa, you can use one part warm milk and five drops of olive oil; a good tip is to fill a large bowl with two parts warm water with this will sooth tired feet and make them baby soft.**
During the final step, some technicians may gently scrub away any dirt or old skin once it has softened up. You’ll then enjoy a lovely exfoliating foot care scrub with ensure any stubborn skin is removed. Most fee are dehydrated so next your beautician will treat them to a generous layer of moisturizer. At this point you’ll get a lower leg and foot massage, which is without doubt the best part of the whole experience.
Cuticle cream will also be used to soften them up in preparation for the toe polish later. Some beauticians may wrap your feet up and ask you to place them inside a hot boot shaped mat at this point to really let the moisturizer get to work, but different beauticians will use different methods.
Once your feet have been pampered it will be time to take care of your toenails. An orange stick will be used to push back your cuticles and a further filing of your toenails may take place to ensure perfection. All that will be left now is to choose the color you’d like on your nails. Make sure you choose a color that matches your skin tone for the best results, or go for a shade that compliments your lip color. Alternatively you could opt for a French pedicure, which gives a really natural look.
***Please note this method is just an example and may vary slightly depending on different beauticians, so don’t worry if your beautician changes the steps around.***
What is an express pedicure?
An express pedicure is a cheaper and quicker option for those looking for less of a foot treatment and are happy with just having their toenails treated. Usually it will involve the shaping and filing of your toenails and your therapist will then paint your toenails in a colour of your choice as well.
What is a fish pedicure?
A fish pedicure refers to a relatively new treatment in the UK in which a special breed of small fish (Garra rufa) nibble away at your feet removing just dead skin cells and leaving you with soft revitalised feet.
The treatment involves the garra rufa fish, also known as doctor fish, swimming freely around, in that a tank, which you dip your feet into and leave them to give you a treat for around 15-30 minutes. The tank should be kept clean using special filters and clients should have their feet checked and washed before using the tanks to avoid the small risk of infections spreading.
Pedicure tips
1. Start a home foot care regime – Regularly humidify your feet to prevent them becoming dry, dehydrated and hard. Apply a generous amount of resurgence before bed and wear a pair of socks overnight.
2. Invest in a home foot spa – this doesn’t need to be an expensive model, but somewhere to soak your feet when they are tired will do wonders for your stress levels!
3. If you file your nails between pedicures, avoid filing the corners of your nails too much as this can weaken them and perhaps even cause ingrown toenails.
4. If you have weak nails and always wear nail polish, give your nails a rest and allow them time to breathe for a couple of days without polish – if you don’t they’ll just stay weak and probably turn a nasty shade of yellow.
5. Keep your nail polish in the fridge for when you need to touch up your colour (this will keep it at its best).
6. Re-apply a top coat after a week or so of having your pedicure to prolong the polish.
7. If you want to give yourself a pedicure but are short on time or don’t have a foot spa, use a washing up bowl of warm water with any oils you like for the first stage and dip your toes in ice cold water after polishing them to speed up the hardening process.