At Home Pedicure

It’s sandal season, so you know what that means? Time for a pedicure. In this economic climate everyone is trying to tighten their belt a little, and going to the spa every couple of weeks or even once a month can be pricey. How do you balance the need for sandal ready toes with the pinch you feel in your wallet? A great way to save a little money and relax is to do an at home pedicure. Chances are you already have most of the things you'll need. If you don’t that's okay, because in most cases you can get everything you need for less than the cost of a trip to the spa. Also, while your doing an at home pedicure you can kick back and relax for a few minutes.

What You’ll Need

Foot Spa

You can find a good foot spa for under $25 and it will last you for at least a couple of years probably more. The main features I look for are heating and massaging features; bubbles are also great, but not a requirement. I like the Dr. Scholl's Toe-Touch Foot Spa, because it has bubbles, massaging, and is heated. And the icing on the cake is that you don't even have to put down your glass of wine or book to bend over and adjust the setting, because you can do it all with your toe using its toe touch control.

Body Wash or Bubble Bath

A cheap easy way to get bubbles is to use a little bit of bubble bath or if you don’t have that available then you can use body wash.

Epsom Salt (optional)

If your like me and walk around in heels all day than you might want to add Epsom Salt to the water. It is a good way to soothe and relax aching feet.

Pumice

Pumice stones are usually under $2 and are invaluable for having baby soft feet.

Nail Clippers, File, and Scissors

So you can trim and shape your nails.

Nail Polish, Top Coat

A good top coat gives the fresh from the spa shine that we all love.

Glass of Wine, Book, Magazine...

Or whatever else you like to relax with. Personally I like to grab my ipod, a glass of wine, and the latest edition of Cosmo.

Giving yourself a Pedicure

Now that you have everything that you need to do a home pedicure let’s get down to business.

1. Fill your foot spa with warm water

2. Add ¼ - ½ cup of Epsom salt

3. Turn on massage or bubbles to help dissolve the Epsom salt

4. Add ½ to 1 cap of body wash or bubble bath

5. Let feet soak for at least 10 to 15 minutes to soften

         -  pop your earphones in, grab your wine, a magazine & relax

6. Wet pumice stone first – rub pumice over heels, soles, callous’, and other rough spots

7. Sit back and enjoy soaking your feet for a little longer

8. Once you’ve finished soaking pat feet dry

9. Clip toe nails to just above the skin and then use file to shape

10. Paint nails with two coats of polish and let dry for a few minutes

11. After dry use a top coat

A good way to maintain your pedicure and keep your feet soft is to moisturize your feet a couple times a week. The way I like to do that is by slathering my feet with Vaseline before bed and putting on a pair of old socks. In the morning when you wake up and take off the socks your feet will be smooth as a baby’s bottom.

For sandal ready feet all summer long grab a foot spa and a few other items take a half hour out of your day and do a home pedicure.