DIY Home Pedicure

They’re your most dependable form of transportation and the perfect excuse for buying a closet full of cute nonleather shoes. Don’t your feet deserve a special treat? A pedicure is the perfect way to show them some love and put more pep in your step.

So put your feet up (literally) and give your toes some TLC with a spa-quality, at-home, cruelty-free pedicure.

What You Will Need

Pillows A stool or chair

A clean towel

A hair dryer (optional)

A CD player and a relaxing CD (optional)

Cotton balls Q-tips

A basin or tub

Epsom salt

Nail polish remover

Clippers

Nail file

Small brush

Cuticle treatment

Pumice footstone

Lotion Nail polish

Search for cruelty-free products.

Procedure

Set aside approximately 45 minutes for your pedicure. Before you begin, set up a comfortable, well-lit area and gather down-free, nonshedding pillows (fluff will stick to polish) and a chair or stool to prop your feet on. Consider playing soothing music for a relaxing ambiance. Then follow the steps below:

• Fill a basin or tub with warm water. Add Epsom salts and soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Gently pat your feet dry with a clean towel.

• Thoroughly remove any old nail polish.

• Clip your toenails straight across with clippers.

• File the toenails to smooth any rough edges.

• Gently buff and smooth your feet with a small brush. Make sure to pay special attention to your heels, the balls of your feet, and the outsides of your pinkie toes. • Push your cuticles back with the edge of the nail file. Use a cuticle treatment if the cuticles do not push back easily.

• Exfoliate any dry skin with a foot scrub. Use a pumice stone on rough patches.

• Apply a generous amount of lotion to your feet. Gently massage it into your feet and calves.

• Wash away any excess moisturizer from your nails and then separate your toes by placing cotton between them.

• Apply one layer of base coat. Allow time for it to dry, or use a hair dryer set on low heat.

• Apply two coats of color. Use a Q-tip moistened with nail polish remover to remove any mistakes. Again, let your toes dry.

• Apply a clear top coat to add shine and to protect the color from chipping.

• Apply foot spray in order to cool and soothe fatigued, overworked feet (optional).

Tips for Happy Feet

• Don’t toast your toes! Protect them from the sun with a cruelty-free sunscreen.

• Trim your toenails straight across at least once a month.

• To give dry feet some extra lovin’, lather them up with lotion, cover them with clean cotton socks, and let them moisturize overnight.

• Now that your feet are happy and your toes are pretty from your pedicure, show them off with a pair of sexy summer sandals.