A pedicure worthy of any professional. Use these 5 tips to produce the perfect pedicure – as done by a professional.
Pedicure step 1: Soak your feet
Start your pedicure by preparing a warm foot bath with suitable additional products. This softens hard skin and gets your feet ready. Peel or rub your feet with a pumice stone to make them even softer, then dry them carefully, especially between your toes.
Pedicure step 2: Remove any stubborn areas of hard skin
Any areas of stubbornly hard skin should be removed when the feet are dry, using a special file for hard skin or a hard skin remover. Foot files and other files for hard skin usually have one coarse and one fine side, which should be used in that order. With a foot plane, use short, flat strokes to remove the unwanted areas of hard skin, then use the fine side of the file to smooth out the surface.
Pedicure step 3: Push your cuticles back
Push your cuticles back gently with a cuticle remover (pusher) or a wooden stick after you have a bath. Special cuticle removers should only be used occasionally, and even then, only if your cuticles are “stuck” really stubbornly to the nail. Please note that your cuticles are delicate, but they offer protection against bacteria and you should not remove them completely.
Pedicure step 4: Shape your toenails
After a foot bath, the toenails are softer and easier to cut without splintering. We recommend that you use nail trimmers, nail clippers or strong toenail cutters to shorten the nails, which should end level with the ends of your toes (if you cut away too much nail, the corners may grow into your skin). Then, use a file to smooth off the edges of the nail. Please note: your nails must always be filed straight across (rather than rounded) to avoid ingrowing toenails. You can also protect against fungal infections of the nails by using a glass crystal nail file.
Pedicure step 5: Apply cream
Special foot creams (e.g. those containing urea) minimise the risk of hard skin coming back, while some creams also prevent excessive sweating and act as a deodorant. Foot masks and foot creams also work particularly effectively if you massage them well into your skin and/or allow them to act on the treated foot overnight by covering it with a fine cotton sock. “Foot butter” is a particularly helpful treat for very dry feet!