Pamper it

» Set the mood: You likely have a perfect pedi spot right in your home - the bathtub. You can easily sit on the edge with your feet inside. Create a relaxing area by lighting a candle, such as the Aveda Caribbean Therapy Soy candle ($30, aveda.com), with hints of vetiver, bay and lime. Pour a glass of wine, and you're on your way.

» Soak: Fill the tub with enough warm water to reach your ankles, and add a dash of soaping product like Boots Original Beauty Formula Bath Foam ($12.99, target.com). Be careful with water temperature, says podiatrist Roxanne Burgess of Queen City Foot and Ankle Specialists in Charlotte, N.C. Soaking can soften callused areas, but if the water is too hot, it can suck the moisture out of your feet. While you soak one, work on the other, taking off old nail polish using cotton balls and nail polish remover.

» Exfoliate: Feet get battered in the summer through overexposure and footwear that rubs our toes and heels. To smooth out the roughness, use something with a bit of gentle, gritty substance, such as Queen Helene Footherapy Cranberry Mint foot scrub ($5.49, drugstores, queenhelene.com). The super-fine walnut granules help slough off dry skin, while the mint and cranberry cool and moisturize. No time to get to the store? Head to the kitchen. InStyle magazine recommends adding a scoop of poppy seeds to any lotion to make a scrub. Epsom salt mixed with a bit of olive oil will do the trick as well. A pumice stone or Tweezerman Pedro Too Callus Stone ($12, tweezerman.com) can be used wet or dry to smooth out rough feet.

» Trim, clean nails: Cleanliness and sterilization are always important, Burgess says, but the risk of toe fungus is decreased in a home setting, where pedicure implements are less likely to be shared. To be safe, give your tools a quick wipe with rubbing alcohol to clean before you start. Dry your foot before trimming nails straight across with nail clippers (Tweezerman Folding Clipper set, $10, tweezerman.com), Burgess says, to lessen the chance of painful ingrown toenails. Toenails should be kept short, she says. If not, they'll rub against shoes and the pressure will turn the nail bed black. Contrary to some advice, Burgess says, do not push back or trim cuticles. "(Cuticles) attach the skin to the nail plate and to keep fungus from getting under the nail," she says.

Source: http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20090722/LIFE02/907220304/1079/LIFE