Researchers have shown that having a pedicure can be extremely beneficial. They aren’t merely for making your feet feel better; when they incorporate massage, pedicures are helpful for things like lessening your pain, raising your circulation, and lowering your stress levels. Professional pedicures, though, are not something that most folks are interested in seeking out. Going for a professional pedicure means having your feet subjected to tools that have been used on a gross amount of other individuals and you never know if the salon is up on its hygienic standards. Thankfully, you can give yourself a pedicure. Here is how you can do your own pedicures without having to step out of the house.

Get rid of any nail polish with a non-acetone polish remover (acetone is bad for your health). Trim your nails straight across and use a nail file to file down any roughness. Use a toenail clipper for this rather than a fingernail clipper. The fingernail clipper’s curled shape can cause toenails to be ingrown and painful.

Use a foot bath to get your feet soaked. Try to let your feet sit in a tub filled with warm water for approximately three minutes. Additionally, you can try mixing things to the water like bath salts, skin soothers and softeners and aromatherapy products. This can turn the foot bath into an extremely soothing experience and help your feet feel genuinely good. You can find ingredients for your foot bath in virtually every store that sells bath and body products. Of course, several might cost a little more but go for the ones you like most.

Remove any calluses or rough spots that may be left behind after your foot soak using a pumice. Don’t use a callus shaver (or a similar tool). A good old pumice stone is all you would ever need to use.

Wash your feet after you’re done with the pumice. Once you have washed off any pumice or callus dust and any foot soak additives that might be clinging on, put on some moisturizing lotion. There are all kinds of lotions specifically for the feet being sold. It is perfectly okay to merely rub in the lotion quickly if you are in a hurry, but try not to settle for this. However, you’re not pressed for time, try massaging it in. Massage helps relax your feet and, by extension, the rest of your body.

When your feet are clean, without calluses and moisturized, it is time to prep them to be pretty. Although this isn’t really a vital step, knowing that your toes are pretty (even if you’re the only person who can see them because your feet are stuffed into closed toe shoes all day) can do so much for your self-esteem. Try pushing back your cuticles with a cuticle pusher (the trimmers can cause cuts on your skin and introduce infections). Your first layer has to be a quality nail strengthening polish. And when that is dry, you can use any color of nail polish you prefer.

At-home pedicures can be done fairly quickly and are ordinarily more cost effective than those that you would get professionally. At-home pedicures are great for your whole body health, so get started!