Do-it-yourself Pedicure

Let's gather the essentials first. You'll need:
-non-acetone nail polish -remover and cotton balls
-nail file
-buffing block
-sugar scrub to exfoliate
-orangewood stick
-cuticle oil
-moisturizer
-nail polish (base coat, color, and top coat) (optional)

Step 1: Soak your feet
Don't cheat yourself out of
the foot soak just because
you're doing your pedi at
home. This step does more
than clean your feet and
make you feel amazing. It
also softens dead skin cells
in preparation for
exfoliation.
As you let a tub fill with
warm water, remove all traces of old polish. Add to
the water a teaspoon of tea tree oil (to banish stinky
bacteria), a capful of witch hazel (to cleanse and
tone), a half cup of Epsom salts (to rejuvenate), and
three drops of peppermint or rosemary oil (to heal
and freshen). Soak your feet for five to 10 minutes.

Step 2: Scrub off dead skin
To slough off rough spots,
look for exfoliants with
medium-size grains, like
sugar or salt crystals (sugar
is less irritating), and moisturizing agents such as
jojoba or almond oil. Massage each foot for a minute or two with a quarter-size blob of scrub. Start at your heel and work your way out to your toes, ankles, and calves using tiny circular motions. Rinse off with warm water.

Step 3: Buff away bumps
Now it's time to smooth down nasty calluses. Wet a
pumice stone or lava rock, and coat it with a little body
wash.
Using a back-and-forth motion, lightly scrape your heels, the bottoms of your feet, and your toes. The key is to be gentle—you want to abrade only the very top layer of skin, not rub your flesh raw. And don't even think about attacking calluses with a razor blade!

Step 4: Trim and file Using
a strong steel clipper made
specifically for toenails, trim your nails straight across, then smooth the edges with a nail file (a glass file is best). Giving them a slightly
rounded shape helps prevent painful ingrown nails.

Step 5: Moisturize and
massage. Drench your soles
with a moisturizing product
made especially for your
feet. Preferably those that have shea butter to add and lock in moisture; arnica to
reduce inflammation; and
Laponite powder, which zaps
odour.
Using a circular motion, massage a quarter-size dollop of cream all over your feet and lower legs. Then, with the knuckle of your index finger, press down gently into the arch of one foot and knead; repeat on the other foot. The mini massage will relax your feet while boosting circulation, which reduces swelling.

Step 6: Polish (if you want). First, swipe your nails with a non- acetone polish remover
(acetone will damage your
nails) to get rid of any cream
residue left over from your
foot massage. Insert foam
toe separators or roll up a
paper towel and weave it
through your toes. Next,
apply a clear basecoat—the
formula should contain protein, vitamin E, and/or
calcium, all of which will help strengthen brittle nails
and prime them to hold on to polish longer.

Source: Women's Health Magazine