What is a Pedicure?
During a pedicure, you will get your feet professionally taken care of. The hard skin is smoothened out, the toe-nails cut and filed, your cuticles pushed back, and to finish off polish is applied. Expect smooth, fresh, elegant and well-groomed feet.
Preparation for Pedicure
• Bring along your own flip-flops to wear afterwards, as otherwise you’ll have to hang around for a while until the polish dries enough to be able to wear your shoes again.
• Can remove your old polish, if any.
• Ask the therapist how they clean their pedicure tools and the foot spa – they should be sterilized after each client.
The Pedicure
A professional pedicure usually takes 1 hour. Your feet are soaked in water to soften the hard skin and the cuticles. Sometimes an exfoliation for the feet is done. Then your feet are dried properly, and the hard skin is smoothened out. Note – that the hard skin should never be cut/removed with a razor blade. Then your toe-nails are cut and filed. Toe-nails are usually cut straight across, and slightly past the free-edge, to avoid ingrowing toe-nails. The cuticles are pushed back (not cut). Your feet are massaged. Then the polish of your choice is applied – base coat, 2 coats of colour and top coat. The colour usually would last approximately 3 weeks or more.
Once Leaving the Salon
• As much as possible wear open-toe shoes for the rest of the day.
• The polish needs to dry completely before wearing shoes, as otherwise the colour will matify for you. Remember that in total you would have 4 coats!
• Don’t do any sports e.g. going to the gym or jogging on the day – as the runners might move the fresh polish.
Maintaining your Results
• Moisturize your feet regularly.
• In winter, after moisturizing, can wear socks, to lock in the moisture.
• Dry feet properly especially between the toes.
• Use a pumice stone regularly (every 2 days) and lightly, on wet skin.
• Cut toe-nails straight across – never too short or with any sharp corners.
• Nourish your cuticle with cuticle oil (almond oil will do).
• After 3 weeks, remove your polish. Even if you have to apply a fresh colour, you still need to remove the old colour after a maximum of 3 weeks. Use a non-acetone nail polish remover.
• If you are applying colour yourself, always start with a base coat. Then 2 thin coats of your colour, and finish off with a top coat.
• If you have a foot or nail condition – it would have to be treated accordingly.
• Once in a while, book a paraffin treatment with your pedicure to soften your skin and cuticle – skin comes extremely soft. And the softness is long lasting. This treatment is especially ideal at the end of winter and at the end of summer.