I, like Jude, love to take a “sad song and make it glad,” so
when my Friday turned out to be a bit of a boring bummer, I decided to take the
plunge and enjoy my first ever pedicure.
If you can’t tell by now, I’m not much of a girly girl. The
fact that I’m 25, have never had a pedicure, and am now doing my own at home
with supplies I have around the house might cue you in a little more the extent
to which this is out of the ordinary for me. But the baby’s in bed (still
whining, so this might be a piecemeal pedi) and the husband is off playing his
guitar as loudly as his heart desires somewhere besides our living room, and
there’s no one but myself to hold me back from trying something new!
Step 1:
The soak. The website I looked at (http://www.womenshealthmag.com/beauty/pedicure-at-home-0)
suggested some witch hazel, Epsom salt, and essential oils…and I had almost
none of it on hand. So I opted for a lavender bath salt in warm water in the
baby bathtub. Aren’t I a genius? My feet feel awesome already. 10 min.
Step 2:
Exfoliate! (Dalek voice) Sugar/salt scrub with some oil in
it. Got it. Extra Virgin Olive oil and sea salt it is, then. Now my feet feel
all nice AND slick. I also find it odd that I used the same critter to scrub my
feet as I do to scrub potatoes before baking them. I hope Step 3 isn’t “bake at
375 until done.” 5 min.
Step 3:
Sand down the calluses. I have a tool that looks like a
combo between sandpaper and a cheese grater, so that will be my go-to for this
job. I think pedicures are the cure to Shylock’s problem. I hyperbolically shed
a pound of flesh in 20 min. So, we’re up to nice, slick, and tingly. I haven’t
had this much sensation in my feet since they both fell asleep.
Step 4:
Cut your nails. Mine were already cut, so whatever. Also,
the phone rang at this juncture and I discovered that my in-laws are bringing
me some tomato plants. Huzzah!
Step 5: Do your nails. I think I’m skipping this one as well
in lieu of walking around outside in the dirt with no shoes on. Well,
considering that my feet still feel like I’ve been pressing olives all day, I
might opt for some shoes.
Some things I’ll do next time: finish out the actual
pedicure by fidgeting with my toenails, light a candle, eat some chocolate,
play some jazzy music, and get a towel to step on in between steps so I don’t
slide across the house with oily feet. J
Cheers!
This was definitely a success. My feet feel really nice and I didn't fork out a single dime for it.
