Who says you have to go to the salon to have pretty feet? You can give your foot a serious makeover from the comfort of your house. You only need to invest a small amount of time and effort.
Here are some pro tips on luxury beauty treatments you can do at home that’ll leave your feet looking and feeling better fast.
Step-by-Step Guide to Taking Care of your Feet
Remove Nail Polish
The first thing that you want to do is to inspect your toenails for any problems. Consider using a non-acetone polish remover. Why? Well, because acetone-based removers contain harsh compounds that can damage your toenails and dry them out.
Pro tip โ Be sure to take a break from polish once in a while. That way, you don’t have to deal with discolored toenails later.
Soak your Feet
Immerse your feet in a foot spa for 15 to 20 minutes. You may add a drop or two of essential oils or Epsom salts to the water. Make sure that the water isn’t too hot lest you dry out your skin.
Scrub your toenails gently with a brush at the end of your soak. Get in touch with your podiatrist if you have an open sore on your foot. If you want a real luxury experience, look into foot spas. Healing Foot Spa has in-depth reviews on some top-rated models and what makes each of them special so you can select the one that’s best for you.
Trim Corns and Calluses
Use an emery board, pumice stone or callus file. Sure, it may make take a couple of minutes to trim out all the hard skin, but you’ll love the feeling. The idea is to ensure that cracks don’t form on your skin. Trim your corns and calluses right after soaking your feet when the skin is still soft.
Trim your Toenails
For the best results, cut your nails straight across with high-quality stainless steel nail clippers and shape the corners gently with an emery board. Be careful not to cut your cuticles โ push them back instead. For best results, trim your toenails immediately after soaking when the skin and nails are soft.
Paraffin Wax Treatment
Paraffin wax will soften your skin. More than that, it’ll help open up the pores and increase blood flow. Of course, your skin will stay more hydrated with gaping pores. Wrap your feet in a towel when that wax starts to cool down.
Apply Lotion and Massage
Using a powerful lotion or artisan foot oil like Legendary Apothecary Smooth Feet will moisturize your skin deep down leaving you with baby soft feet. It is best to apply moisturizers to your feet after you soak them or treat them with paraffin wax.
Always massage your feet in a circular direction to help the lotion soak in better while improving circulation. Wrap your feet in saran wrap or a warm towel and let sit for 10 to 20 minutes for best results.
Foot Care Tips
How to Treat Athlete’s Foot
For starters, some athlete’s foot symptoms to watch out for include blister that itch and dry skin on the soles of your feet. You may also experience a burning sensation between your toes. Use an over-the-counter cream, ointment or powder to reduce the intensity of your condition. It is essential to mention, however, that creams tend to work better than powders (because of the high absorption rate by the skin).
How to Treat Fungus in your Toenails
The fungus causes discoloration of the toenails. Use tea tree oil soaps to wash your feet and an antifungal solution with oregano oil to treat the problem. Tea tree oil is a powerful natural treatment against foot fungus and can generally heal the problem within a week or two. If the problem persists, a more powerful treatment like Lotrimin might be necessary.
How to Stop Sweating
Uncontrolled sweating creates an ideal environment for odor and fungus to thrive. In such scenarios, an over-the-counter will get the job done. Check the label to ensure that you don’t buy a deodorant. On top of that, get Arm & Hammer Shoe Refresher Spray to get rid of the odor in your shoes.
Our beauty editor Zaylie loves the Shoe Refresher Spray!
The shoe refresher spray is GREAT! My favorite sneakers that I wear to school nearly every day were so smelly. To the point where I was embarrassed that my classmates would smell them even while my feet were still in my shoes. I eventually stopped wearing them for fear I would offend my classmates with my smelly shoes.
Thankfully, I receive the Arm & Hammer Shoe Refresher Spray to review and immediately decided to try them in my favorite sneakers. I sprayed my sneakers with the shoe refresher spray and let them sit overnight. The next day, I wore them to class and there was no smell! I am so happy that I can still wear my favorite sneakers without being nervous that I’m stinking up the room. I’m definitely going to treat the rest of my favorite shoes with the Arm & Hammer Shoe Refresher Spray!
You can grab some for yourself at your local Walmart for under $6.
Choose your Shoes Correctly
Not every shoe will help make your feet look pretty. Some may cause calluses, corns or blister. Are ill-fitting shoes really a skin sin? Yes! Tight-fitting shoes can worsen hammertoes, neuromas, and bunions.
Another common problem is that one foot might be slightly larger than the other. If this is the case for you, it is essential that you buy shoes that fit the larger foot perfectly. You can use moleskin or insoles to take up room in the shoe for the smaller foot so that it fits similarly and doesn’t cause chaffing.
The Bottom Line
Don’t have the time to go for a professional pedicure? No problem! Apply the tips above, and you’ll have beautiful feet in thirty minutes. Besides, the fact that you can do it at home means you’ll save more time and money.
Don’t forget to exfoliate your feet at least once every two weeks to get rid of dead skin. And guess what? You can make your exfoliating solution using readily available products. How? By diluting two table tablespoons of sea salts with equal portions of lemon juice and baby oil. Easy as pie!