There is nothing I enjoy more than a relaxing DIY pedicure on the weekend. It feels so luxuriant and pampering no to mention your feet will look sandal ready. A good pedicure can’t be rushed, can’t be hastily performed which is exactly the reason it is so indulgent. There are a few steps to make a pedicure truly pleasurable and lasting. Follow these steps and you too will be walking on gorgeous feet.


1  Soak It Up
Saturate a cotton ball with nail polish remover and remove old nail polish from your toenails. Gently press the cotton ball on the nail for a moment to soften the colour before wiping the nail to remove the polish. Fill a tub or bucket with warm water to soak your feet. You can add essential oils to the water for the fragrance; Rosemary and Peppermint to invigorate, lavender and Rose to relax or Tea Tree oil and Pine to help banish odours and infections. Another indulgence that I love is to add milk to the water which naturally exfoliates the skin and keeps it moist. The best thing is that it’s right in your fridge!
ZOYA Remove+ Big Flipper Polish Remover
2 Scrub Away
Once the warm water has softened the skin on your feet, gently scrub the bottom of the feet concentrating on the harder areas such as the heels and balls of the foot.  Use an exfoliating foot scrub and pumice stone or diamond/glass file to really smooth the skin. Be careful not to exfoliate too much of the outer skin away. This thick layer acts as the body’s protection and scrubbing too much of it away can lead to problem. Always remember to be gentle with your skin and body.
3 Cuticle Control
After feet have soaked for a few minutes, dry them thoroughly, making sure to get between the toes, an area that can become a breeding ground for bacteria if not dried properly. Gently massage a cuticle cream into the cuticles, or use oils such as almond, avocado or olive oil. Softly push back the cuticles with an orange stick, but DON’T cut them since they provide protection between your nail and nail bed. Use the orange stick and lightly run it along the undersides of your toenails to clean them.
Finally, place a tiny drop of oil onto each nail and buff them to increase their strength and shine and rub a foot lotion into the whole foot and up the legs to have them nicely moisturised.
Close your eyes and relax for 10 minutes, allowing your skin to soak in the soothing lotion.
4 Short and Sweet
It’s much easier to cut thick toenails after soaking and moisturising them. Using nail clippers, trim the nails. Length is a personal preference, but make sure the nail is shorter than the toe. Be careful not to cut the nails too short as this can cause very painful ingrown toenails.
Use a nail file and shape your nails into a square shape and file them in one direction only. Sawing back and forth will weaken nails, causing them to split or break.
5 Precision Polishing
Saturate a cotton ball with nail polish remover and go back over your toenails, removing all lotions and oils. Press toe separators between the toes to stop them rubbing against each other and smudging the polish.
Next use a primer on the nails. This step actually dehydrates the nail by bringing the natural oils out, making the colour grip to the nail.  Then apply two coats of colour and finish with a top coat, which will help set the polish. Wait a couple of minutes and finish off with a quick dry spray or drops to avoid any smudging.
6 Keep Things Smooth
Keep your feet soft and your heels from cracking by massaging shea butter, coconut oil or Vaseline into them at night. Then put socks on so the skin can absorb the moisture even deeper overnight.
A full pedicure takes about 70 minutes: 50 minutes to prep the feet and apply polish and 20 minutes to dry. This is well worth the time not only for the pampering aspect of it but every time you look down and admire your well groomed footsies in your open toed sandals.
Your pedicure should last about 2 weeks or even longer if you apply more coats of topcoat. Have fun!