The best at-home summer pedicure – Five tips by Vasudah Rai

Bare feet, warm sand and glossy red toes. Summer is the best time to let your feet dance in the sun. But as you stroll down the boulevard in open toed stilettos your feet aren’t as protected as they used to be in winter. So, you get rough heels and unruly cuticles. While twice a month pedicures are ideal, most often than not you’d rather spend that time soaking up sunshine.

And with these at-home remedies you can ensure that your feet are in pristine condition:

1. Use a foot file
   It takes just a few seconds in the bath but that makes all the difference. Whether you use a foot file or an old-fashioned pumice stone, scrubbing your heels everyday makes your feet look prettier and extends the life of your pedicure. Use the rough side of the foot file on your heel and the smooth side over your feet. Make sure that you don’t rub too hard.
2. Moisturize
   Once exfoliation is done you must moisturise. You don’t even need a foot cream, just any heavy thick cream will do. If you can then once a week slap on a pair of socks after, just to seal all the moisture in. This will work like a facial for your feet.
3. Use your own polish
   I like to carry my own nail polish to the salon for a pedicure. This way when it gets a bit chipped I can touch it up on my own. In fact, when I’m extremely lazy and miss my pedicure appointment I use the same colour to add a full coat of polish to ‘refresh’ my pedicure. It’s terrible I know, but an excellent quick fix.
4. Salt, sugar and lemon
   One of the simplest ways to get your feet baby smooth is to soak them in a tub of hot water with sea salt. This helps loosen dead skin – then use your favourite scrub to slough it off. You can also use lemon slices dipped in sugar crystals (instead of a store-bought scrub) to scrub your feet. This is super softening. If you find salt too drying you add whole milk or milk powder in the tub of water, as it contains lactic acid – a natural exfoliant.

   

   One word of warning: I would suggest you leave your cuticles to the experts at the salon. Don’t touch them at home because they could become raggedy if not trimmed expertly.