A pedicure is one of the beauty treatments you can tackle on your own. And the best part? Doing it yourself is actually pretty easy. Whether you are in the mood to pamper yourself or just starting to get dolled up, a pedicure can be one of the most soothing and relaxing body treatments after a long day. Just follow these easy steps:

STEP 1: SOAK

Whether you use a regular bucket filled up with water or a heated foot spa machine, soaking your feet for about 15/20mins is the primordial step to all successful pedicures. Choose warm water (not cold nor hot) and add foot soak/soap/salt for a nicer and more effective effect. This will soften your skin and make all the following steps more efficient as the skin will be soft, relaxed and ready to receive treatments.

STEP 2: SMOOTHEN

When the skin of your feet is soft enough (towards the end of the 15/20 mins), start using a pumice stone or a strong scrub to remove the calluses and dead skins from the rough parts of your feet, especially the heels and the external sides. Some people use the pumice stone/ scrub under the water and some just lift their feet above: either way it will work. We have a preference for doing this outside of the water as you will have a better control of the process and your feeling will be intact (and not numbed by a too hot water for instance).

Don’t overdo it and irritate your skin or even injure yourself with a pumice stone. You may also use a gentle scrub such as Shae’s Lavender Hand and Foot Scrub which is a botanical butter based scrub that can be used even on a daily basis.

STEP 3: SHAPE

Once the feet are completely smooth and free from any rough part, dry them gently but properly: hygiene is really important when taking care of your feet and we bet some people might not dry properly the part between the toes.

Now we can proceed to the most “technical” part. Start by gently push back the cuticles thanks to a wooden cuticle stick. There are also today some polishes or pens to remove them but you can go for the easy way and just push them back. We don’t particularly recommend to cut them as they are pretty small and soft (after soaking) and the risk to cut yourself open is quite there. After you pushed back the cuticles, cut your nails with a nail clipper if they are really hard or long or simply file them if they are soft and/or short. If you cut them, do it little by little and finish up with filing them. The safest and easiest way to obtain the shape you want. Keep them short or mid-long: we often wear closed shoes and socks and long toenail can be disturbing

STEP 4: MOISTURIZE

The feet are smooth, the skin is soft and ready to receive and the nails are freshly shaped: it’s time to give those feet some hydration! There are plenty of options, you can choose what you prefer or what is most convenient to you : cream, balm or even oil. From time to time, for an intense moisturising session, use a balm such as Shae’s Honeycomb Salve: apply on your feet and put on some loose socks or cling film (loose as well) and leave it for 2-3 hours and then rinse: silky smooth feet guaranteed.

STEP 5: POLISH

The ideal way to apply nail polish would be base coat/ first coat/second coat/ top coat with a proper drying time between the coats. That’s really the ideal, pro like steps to follow, if you are running out of time or simply do not feel like doing all this, we would suggest to apply at least the base coat before your coloured nail polish: it will protect your nail and avoid discoloration on you nail : it’s very annoying and frustrating to remove your nail polish and face a stubborn part that does not want to go away. You can also use cotton buds between your feet or a toe separator for an easier application.