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Treat Yourself to a Relaxing Pedicure at Home (relax + save your cash) »

Treat Yourself to a Relaxing Pedicure at Home (relax +


Are you looking to treat yourself to an incredibly decadent and enjoyable home pedicure?

Here are the tips you need to make it an exceptional experience. Look no further for instructions because we will walk you through everything you need to know to pamper your precious feet.

You might think that only trained professionals can perform pedis, but you couldn’t be further than the truth. Of course, salon and spa employees and estheticians receive specialty training in these skills, and that education is a fundamental of their success. However, you can quickly learn the basics, and use that knowledge to treat yourself to regular home pedicures at your convenience and within your comfort levels.

It’s always nice to have another person rub and pamper your feet, and you don’t have to give that up. But, you could do well to learn a few of the basics to supplement your spa treatments, to enhance the knowledge you have of your feet, and to make your ankles, feet, and toes feel better thanks to the skills of your own two hands and without having to leave the house.

Benefits Of Home Pedis

Learn how you could be damaging your feet–but not even realize it!
  • You Likely Already Have Everything You Need.

You don’t need to break the bank to get a whole professional-grade set-up for your house. Take a look around at what you already have. Namely, you need a large basin for soaking your little paws, a few towels, plenty of moisturizer, and some handy, clean tools to use on your softened feet.

  • They Are Cheap, Even Free!

    You can easily spend $30-50 a pop or more on professional pedicures at the salon or spa. Of course, you’re worth a million dollars, but perhaps you could find a better use for that moolah and DIY with the same results.

  • You Can Remain In The Comfort Of Your Own Home.

    No need to dress up and hustle about, having to deal with parking and making small talk with strangers. You can stay in your most comfortable lounging pants and get a professional-grade pedicure while listening to your music and eating your favorite snacks.

  • You Can Do It Exactly How You Like.

    Sometimes you leave the salon feeling a bit underwhelmed by the entire experience. No need to be disappointed! Get that water temp perfect for you, let that foot massage run along a little longer, and get that color polished on the entire surface area of each nail bed – just the way you like it.

Step-By-Step DIY Instructions

Start by getting everything you’ll need for your luxurious home spa experience before you put your feet in to soak, or else you’ll miss it later on when you need it!

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • A large basin for soaking both your feet, water to fill it, a few drops of Castile soap, essential oils, or fractionated coconut oil
  • Two medium-sized clean towels
  • Sterile tools for working on your feet, such as a pumice stone, nail clippers or scissors, a nail file, cuticle trimmers, an orange stick for pushing back cuticles, etc.
  • A moisturizer that you like
  • Nail polish, both colored and clear
  • Toe separators

Now, here’s what you do for your luxury at-home pedicure:

1 – Make a perfect foot soaking tub

Fill the basin with water that is more than warm but not scalding. Ideally, you should be able to comfortably put both feet into the soaking tub at one time, but if your container only fits one foot, you can easily do them one at a time.

Be sure to use a clean basin and clean water, and swap out the water in between feet. The name of the game here is sterility, so you want to start with unsoiled items and to only use clean items throughout the pedicure.

You can opt to add a few drops of Castile soap, a few drops of your favorite essential oil, and/or a squirt or two of fractionated coconut oil to facilitate the process a little. Lavender and Frankincense have relaxing properties, while Tea Tree is a natural microbial and will be useful to zap away foot odor.

2 – Enjoy a pampering, long soak

Place one or both feet into the water and let them soak comfortably for a solid 10 minutes. This step is essential so that the hot water penetrates into the many layers of live and dead skin on your feet and begins to soften everything up.

This step is also important to set a time or mood for your overall experience. This should not be a rushed process, as this time should be calm and enjoyable. Consider putting on some calming music, lighting a candle, and flipping through a magazine while your feet start to melt into the water.

3 – Perform nail and cuticle care

Now is the time to use the tools you have, and let’s emphasize once again how important it is for your devices to be clean and sterilized. This is often the source of the infections you read about in salons, so be sure to wash and thoroughly dry all your tools. What happens is, you might nick your skin on accident, and then it is easier for germs to infect your tiny open wound. However, this is easy to avoid with clean tools and surfaces.

Start with the nail clippers or scissors and take advantage of your now soft toenails by clipping them down. You want to cut straight across and not curve the edges down too much to avoid possible ingrown nails. It’s always better to err on the side of caution because you can file them as well.

Next, use the orange stick or equivalent to gently push back all your cuticles. Since they will be soft and pliable, they will be easy to push back. So don’t break the delicate skin by being too rough. Use your cuticle trimmers to cut off that excess dead skin carefully.

4 – Exfoliate your feet

Take a few moments, if you have a pumice stone, to quickly run it over the surfaces of each foot, paying close attention to the heel, the big toe, and the sides. Then, take one foot out of the water and dry it with a clean towel. Keep the other foot in the basin, and cross your dry ankle over your knee to access it. Adding liberal amounts of your moisturizer, begin to massage your foot and rub it in.

This is a time to really knead that arch, stroke that heel, and rub those toes. Use your thumbs to press into the center of your sole. And then rub the thumbs outward toward the edges of your feet. If something feels good, stay with it, and don’t forget to keep adding the lotion or oil to your hands. Your steamy, slightly damp feet will soak that moisture right up!

When you’re finished with one foot, wrap it up in the towel, and set it down on the ground next to your basin. Bring the other foot up to dry and cross it over your knee, gently sliding the tub away from under your feet, so you don’t accidentally step into it. This water should be discarded when you’re finished, and the basin should be scrubbed with soap and hot water in order to fully sanitize it.

When you’re finished with the second foot, wrap it up in the towel. Feel free to take ample time with this step because your feet hardly ever get this kind of dedicated TLC. Enjoy!

5 – A polished finish

To polish or not to polish? If you’re opting out of nail polish, then you are all set! Think about putting on some nice cotton socks for an hour or so in order to let all that moisture fully penetrate into your skin.

However, if you’re polishing, take the corner of one of your towels and buff each of your nails with it. You don’t want the oils and such from your lotion to affect the polish’s finish and need a dry nail bed.

Gently roll each of the polishes, color, and clear, in between your palms for several minutes each. This practice serves to mix up the lacquer but not add air bubbles. Apply two coats of the color of your choice to each of your toenails. Move from one side of the foot to the other twice. Finally, apply one coat of clear coat on every nail. Take your time, and have a piece of tissue nearby to wipe up any polish that ends up on your skin while it’s still wet.

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6 – Patience, please–don’t bloop your nails

Keep your nails dry and smudge-free by applying toe separators or cotton balls in between each toe. After all your hard work, this is not the time for damages! Wait 15 more minutes before getting up from your chair. Remember, this patience is well worth the wait.

Final Thoughts On Home Pedicures

Use this tutorial tonight, and give yourself the pedicure you’ve been missing. This can become automatic and easy, a real pattern in your life if you’d like! Learn what makes the process easier and better and improve your technique each time you treat yourself.

You’ll discover that this type of pampering is more than a simple treat. It’s required maintenance for our bodies and our peace of mind. There’s always time to perform a little self TLC. You deserve it!

Entertainment

Wildly Relaxing: 5 Reasons You Need to Plan a Vacation to Africa

Wildly Relaxing: 5 Reasons You Need to Plan a Vacation


Wildly Relaxing: 5 Reasons You Need to Plan a Vacation to Africa

Surveys show that 59% of people would rather go on a relaxing vacation than one filled with a lot of vigorous activities. If you’re one of those people, then planning a vacation to Africa should be on the top of your to-do list. 

When it comes to finding things to do in Africa the list is never-ending. There are plenty of adventurous things you can add to your list but there are also lots of wildly relaxing activities that you need to do on your next vacation. 

Keep reading for our guide to the top five reasons why you need to plan a vacation to Africa. 

1. Wind Down on the Beaches

When it comes to a relaxing vacation the first thing that might pop into your head is relaxing on the beach and there definitely isn’t a shortage of beaches when it comes to Africa. You’ll find numerous white sand beaches that are just waiting for you to plop a towel down so you can spend your entire day sunbathing. 

Africa is filled with private beaches, public beaches, or even hidden beaches that many people just don’t know about. You may even want to rent a boat so you can explore the water from off the shore. When it comes to the water the options are endless and it’s really up to you on how you want to spend your day. 

There is even a beach in Kenya that is partly a zoo called Diani Beach. This means that while you’re relaxing on the beach you might find colobus monkeys swinging from tree to tree or even spot camels strolling along the water. If you’re looking for a bit of an adventure after you’re done relaxing, then you may want to hire a camel for a ride for a bit of fun on your beach day. 

2. Camp Out Under the Stars

One way to truly relax on your vacation to Africa is by gazing up at the beautiful night sky. You will find that Africa offers some of the best views of incredible galaxies that you will ever see. What is the best way to stargaze during your vacation to Africa?

Renting one of the perfect star beds of course! A star bed is basically an outdoor and open-air bedroom with a comfy bed, down duvet, toilet, as well as a shower. 

When it comes to staying in a star bed you and your partner are going to have the most romantic getaway of your life. You’ll be sleeping in a secluded area all on your own right under the Milkyway. 

Sounds of nature like hippos, hyenas, or even lions will lull you to sleep and the sweet sounds of birds will be your wake up call. Don’t forget that you can wake a beautiful sunrise together too! 

When it comes to picking out a star bed for you and your partner there are plenty of different options so you will be sure to find one to fit your needs. 

3. See Big Things

When it comes to a relaxing vacation that might mean doing things at your own pace. Africa is filled with some of the world’s largest things that you need to check out at some point in your life! 

For example, the world’s largest desert, longest river, and even the oldest desert can all be found in Africa. These are all awesome landmarks that you can check out at your own pace and don’t really need a guide to show you. 

When it comes to exploring Africa there are some cool landmarks that you should totally take the time to see just to say that you’ve been there even if you want to spend the majority of your time relaxing! 

4. Feast on Some Local Cuisine

Another great thing about Africa is that there are tons of great local places that you can check out. You will enjoy trying their craft beers, delicious coffee blends, as well as dining in their local establishments. 

Feeding your mind, body, and soul is one of the most important steps when it comes to relaxing on your vacation and you’re going to want to make sure that you check that off your list when you visit Africa. 

Heading over to Cape Winelands is great for any wine lover or even someone who just wants to try some delicious food. You’ll have a great time exploring the beautiful estates as well. 

Another thing you will notice when it comes to finding local cuisine in Africa is that the people are extremely friendly and welcoming. You’ll find that everyone enjoys meeting new people and they’ll even be willing to help you out by recommending their favorite places for a bit to eat! 

5. Visit Local Markets and Bazaars

As we’ve just mentioned, you’ll find that the people you meet in Africa are very friendly so you’ll want to spend as much time as possible interacting with them. If you find rummaging for treasures to be relaxing, then you will love visiting local markets and bazaars during your trip to Africa. 

This is a great way to get an authentic view of the country’s culture and see their work first hand. Plus, you may be able to find some handmade treasures to take home as souvenirs for your friends and families. 

Many people find shopping to be a relaxing and calming activity so you should definitely make your way over to the local markets and bazaars if you do too! 

Things To Do In Africa For Fun and Relaxation

Who said that having a relaxing vacation had to be boring? When it comes to finding fun things to do in Africa there are plenty of great activities that you can do that you will find relaxing but also enjoyable. 

Make sure to add all of these awesome activities to your to-do list for your next trip to Africa so you can have a peaceful and relaxing vacation. 

If you’re looking for even more travel advice, then make sure to check out our blog as we have tips and tricks for travel from all over the world!