MsSonnetMarwood
Posts: 1898
Joined: 2/10/2005
From: Eastern Shore, Maryland
Status: offline
|
Some tips for the home pedicure:
Make sure the pedicuree is comfortable with a drink, coffee, munchies, what have you. Put on a good movie or a CD.
Get a foot bath that is heated (some massage, too) - they're not expensive, usually around $30.
Get yourself a nice picnic type basket or the like to keep all your supplies in.
Check the Dr. Scholl's section in your local Walmart/Target. They have a lot of good basics from pumice stones to creams and exfoliants to my personal favorite, a Swedish file. It is basically a large file for callouses, and while it does a great job, is actually fairly gentle. The smoothing side does a much better job at smoothing heels than a pumice does.
You can also get "hot boots" (more in the winter season, though you may be able to get some clearance ones now). They are heated slippers. How best to use them - after pedicure but before painting nails, slather a heavy cream (body butter is a good option) all over feet leaving an excess of cream on, put socks on, then pop on the hot boots for a hour or so. It helps the cream soak in and your feet are amazingly soft afterwards. Great thing to do while relaxing, watching a movie.
You really want to use heavy duty lotion on feet rather than an everyday body lotion. I like body butter, but there are also other products on the market. Try a few and see what you like.
You do want to invest in good quality equipment (clippers, cuticle stick, etc). Check out somewhere that sells professional level to the public, like Sally Beauty Supply. A good pair of cuticle nippers will cost somewhere around $25. They will also have an assortment of scrubs and creams, as well as the little foam flip flops (to wear while the polish is drying) and toe separators (to keep toes from touching until the polish is dry).
To tidy up the skin around the nails of toes: apply cuticle cream (also called cuticle remover) and let sit for a minute or two. Gentle push cuticles back with a cutitle stick. If you are VERY precise with scissors, you can CAREFULLY trim excess with good cuticle scissors. You can also trim a little of the dry skin from around the nail bed. Follow up with rubbing in cuticle oil. Cuticle cream and cuticle oil are usually found with the nail polishes.
When using a dark color on the nails, make sure to use a base coat. Habitual use of dark colors without a base coat WILL turn your toenails yellow. Typical painting includes base coat - 2 coats of color - top coat.
Like dark reds? Track down a color by China Glaze called "On Your Knees". Really.
HomeMedics makes those heated vibrating back massagers that are nice to set up in the chair for the pedicuree to use while feet are getting worked on.
< Message edited by MsSonnetMarwood -- 3/3/2006 5:21:03 AM >
_____________________________
~Ms. Sonnet Marwood~
Deja Moo: The feeling you've heard this bull somewhere before.
|
Peticures - .gif){kind=avatar}
Profile
. Might have to incorporate taking a class as a required task for being accepted as my partner in the future. Indeed a great idea. 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread