Beauty Tips: Pampering Pedicure

With JENELLE CLEARY

Kitten heels, funky thongs (or flip-flops) and open toed sandals all require your toes and feet to look perfect and polished.

A pedicure is the ultimate pampering experience: Whether you go to a day spa or DIY, your feet will be better for it. Our everyday shoes can cause havoc with callouses, corns and blisters becoming second nature to keeping up with the addiction that many of us have to shoes!

While many describe feet as being the ugliest part of the body, if you set yourself up with a tool kit of foot care products, then you are bound to start showing off your toes.

The basic pedicure kit includes some heavy, rich moisturiser (if you have cracked heels then Eulactol and Dr Scholls have developed medicated creams to heal the cracks), a pumice stone, shaped nail scissors, heavy duty nail buffers and some of your favourite polishes.

As the nail bed of your toes are more resilient than fingernails, a long-wear nail polish will mean that you are not having to regularly paint them.

Soft and supple feet are only achieved by regular use of a pumice stone and lathering of moisturisers to counteract the wear and tear on the feet. At night medicated creams (or even Vaseline) used before bed will work wonders.

For extra care a thin pair of socks or covering your feet in plastic wrap will create a sauna effect. It may sound strange but the rewards will show in the morning!

Podiatry problems that have occurred over long period of time should be referred to a podiatrist. Our feet may not be at the forefront of fashion but they do deserve a bit of pampering.