You can easily recreate a professional HAND & FOOT TREATMENT right at home!

1) Paraffin wax treatment (once a month):
Place 1-2 bricks of paraffin wax into your crock pot on low heat and melt. You don’t want to use a higher setting because you don’t want to get burned. I suggest you do not use the same crock pot you use for cooking! Keep the equipment separate. Alternatively, invest in a proper  Paraffin Hand Wax Bath.

When the wax is melted add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (lavender for relax, peppermint for rejuvenation).

Transfer the wax into a container or bucket. Make sure it is not too hot!

Dip each hand or foot in until it is completely covered, then take it out to cool and set for 5-10 minutes.

Gently, separate the hardened wax from your skin and peel off the wax once it’s set. Don’t toss it out as you can reuse the wax!

And that’s it! You will feel your skin is soft and moisturized!

2) Hand and Foot Spa (before each manicure or pedicure):

There are 3 main steps for a Hand and Foot Spa:

• Soaking (to soften and hydrate the skin and cuticles in a liquid)
• Exfoliation (to remove dry and dead skin)
• Moisturizing

You can find easy recipes to make foot spa salts, exfoliants and moisturizers in my eBook, 500 Bath and Beauty Recipes.

The added advantage of doing this is that your cuticles/nails will be nice a soft, making it easier for the manicure or pedicure.

3) DIY Manicure/Pedicure:

Basic Tools that you need include:

• Cotton Balls: Used with the nail polish remover as they absorb the product better than using a tissue.
• Nail Polish Remover: Nail polish remover is needed to remove any leftover polish, oils and dirt. I would advise you to use a professional quality nail polish remover, preferably with inbuilt moisturizer and free of acetone.
• Nail Cutter: For cutting the nail to the desired length
• Emery board or Nail file: For filing away any rough edges and to shape the nails. Always file in the same direction when filing to avoid damage to your nail…do not go back and forth.
• Nail Brush: To remove any dirt and buildup that is under or around the nail.
• Cuticle Oil: The cuticle is very important as it is the source of new cell for your nails. Hence, apply cuticle oil once or twice a day and massage in.
• Wooden manicure stick: Used to clean under the nails as well as pushing the cuticle back. Remember that the cuticle is an extremely gentle piece of skin and the base of your nail and is close to your live skin cells, so push gently back with the flat side of the stick. Be careful not to damage your cuticles! Wrap a small piece of cotton wool over the tips of the stick for added protection.
• Cuticle Cutter/Clipper: For cutting any cuticle that already sticking out and about to tear. Do this only sparingly to avoid further damage and infection.
• Nail strengthener/Base Coat: .serves as a base coat to protect the nail and prevent discoloration by the nail polish.
• Nail Polish: It’s fun to have a selection of color to suit your mood and fashion!
• Top Coat: To protect the nail polish and give a nice smooth shine.

Personally, I like to keep everything in a plastic box, which when emptied, serves as a basin for my hand and foot spa!

Here are the simple steps which can be applied for both manicure and pedicure:

Step 1:

Remove old nail polish -

• Start with clean and dry hands.
• Soak cotton balls with the nail polish remover.
• Firmly wipe off the old nail polish with one firm sweep in one direction. This should effectively remove the nail polish. Repeat until all is removed.
• Nail polish is drying on nails, so use only the amount necessary to remove the old nail polish.

Step 2:
Shape nails -

• Trim your nails with the nail clipper to the desired length, shaping them at the same time. Popular shapes include square with round edges, curved or pointy.
• File with the emery board to remove any sharp edges and to get the rounded edges. Remember to file in one direction only, to avoid damaging the nail.
• If nails are thin or peel easily, angle the board slightly below the nail.
• Filing can be quite damaing to nails, so do this carefully to avoid chipping.

Step 3:
Cuticle Maintenance -

• The cuticle is the thin skin that adheres to the bottom of the nail plate. Massage them with the Cuticle oil and allow to saok in for a few minutes.
• Gently push the cuticles overgrowth back with the wooden manicure stick. If your cuticles are pink and healthy, trim them with the cuticle cutter. Do not try to peel the excess off as you may accidentally pull off your live skin cells and cause bleeding and infection. If the cuticles look red and swollen, leave them as they are.

Step 4:
Color application -

• Remove oils by wiping the nail surface with nail polish remover again. Apply the base coat in one layer. Allow to dry for a few seconds. This will protect the nail from discolouration and as an adhesive for the nail polish.
• Next, apply the nail polish of your choice. Apply as thin a layer as you can in one forward sweep away from the nail bed towards the nail tip. Applying too thick a layer will cause the colour to chip off easily.
• The technique here is to first ensure that there are no clumps in the nail polish by rolling the bottle upright between your hands. Also remove excess nail polish from the brush by sliding it along the neck of the bottle.
• When the first coat has dried, apply the second coat of colour. Allow to dry.
• Next apply the top coat for extra shine and protection from chipping.

Extra tips:

• If you accidentally smudge the polish, dab the spot with a tiny bit of nail polish remover using another finger. This will thin out the surrounding polish to cover the smudge. When dry, reapply the colour or top coat.
• Reapply the top coat every alternate day to allow the manicure to last longer.
• If your nails are discoloured by nail polish, rub them with a lemon or grapefruit peel.

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