Get Ready for Summer - Stop Ignoring Your Feet

Summer is just around the corner and your feet are anxious to get out and be seen. Since your feet have spent the last several months in darkness hanging out in boots, they will need extra loving care. Now is the time to invest some time and money into making your feet happy! But should you go to your local nail salon? I think not.

There are several reasons to skip the nail salon and opt for a do-it-yourself manicure and pedicure:

The Cost - the average manicure is $25 + the pedicure another $25, and before you leave the salon you have spent $60 or more (don't forget the tips).

Damages the Keratin - Regular manicures at a salon can weaken your nails. For example, if you have been getting gel nails, just stripping off the last layer of gel with acetone damages your nail by drying out the keratin, the rigid protein that makes up your nails. This results in your nails becoming brittle, splitting and breaking.

UV Lamp Exposure Increases Risk of Cancer - "...the UV dose that you receive during a gel manicure is brief, but it's intense...over time this intense exposure can add up to cause skin damage."

A Melanoma Was Actually Found Under a Thumbnail

A story recently aired on Fox news featured a young woman named Karolina Jasko, who was diagnosed with nail melanoma after discovering a dark line lying beneath her acrylic nail. Karolina recalled while in high school she often went to get acrylic nails with gel polish, and the salon would use the UV light to harden the manicure. During this same time frame, she developed an infection in her thumbnail. She noticed a dark line on her actual thumbnail underneath the acrylic nail tip but did not think too much about it until she went to her doctor. Her doctor immediately knew what it was. Considering her mother had been diagnosed with melanoma twice, her and her family were always on the lookout for any strange looking spots on their skin, but Karolina never stopped to think her nail infection was actually skin cancer until her diagnosis. To this day, her missing thumbnail is a constant reminder to her that skin cancer can be anywhere.

It's A Perfect Excuse to Party With Friends

Invite your friends to come over and bring over their own foot baths and nail kits for a mani/pedi party. Provide your friends with the soaking salts, selection of clean/green nail polishes, cuticle oils, and do not forget an acetone free polish remover. Fill each foot bath with aromatic scented salts. While sitting around the room together soaking the stress from your feet, you are having fun, laughing, and sipping on a great wine. And, since you are relaxing with friends and not being rushed out the door by the nail tech at your salon, you will have plenty of time to let the nail polish dry!

Start with the Foot Soak

Sea Soak Detox Bath by Primally Pure - Do you have cracked, dry feet? Start with soaking your feet in tub of warm water with Sea Soak Detox Bath by Primally Pure. This amazing product will leave your skin feeling smooth and soft. It contains peppermint, spearmint and eucalyptus essential oils, Epsom salt, dead sea salt, French green clay, organic kombu flakes, and organic kelp powder. So, while you are soaking your feet go ahead and soak your entire body, it will melt the day's stress totally away.

Exfoliate Your Feet - For an amazing transformation of your feet try Dr. Pedicure Foot Exfoliating Mask by Stella & Grace.

I decided to try the Dr. Pedicure Foot Mask. I slipped my feet into the booties and relaxed for one hour watching House Hunters International. When the hour was up, I washed and rinsed my feet. It did not feel like anything happened. The interesting thing is that you will not see immediate results. It usually takes 5-7 days for your feet to start sloughing off literally sheets of dead skin off your feet. It is definitely not a pretty sight but it is so well worth it because it will leave your feet softer than they have been in years "...revealing your foot's youth." If that is too much for you and you do not want to wait 5-7 days for softer feet, try a skin file set.

I recommend the Stella & Grace's file set. It comes with one course callus grater and two fine foot files for $13.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize - Did you know that the skin on your feet is five times thicker than the skin on your face? And, wearing sandals or going barefoot makes the heels of your feet especially dry and cracked. Bottom line, your feet will need to be moisturized on a daily basis just like your face. Beautycounter offers three different moisturizing options for your entire body, including your feet:

Countermatch Body Lotion - Provides 24-hour hydration - 562 five-star reviews Key Ingredients: Shea butter, squalene, plum oil, and Vitamin E

Body Butter in Citrus Mimosa - melts into your skin - 563 five-star reviews Key Ingredients: Shea butter, organic sunflower oil, aloe, orange and lemon peel oils, calendula flower extract, and chamomile.

Body Oil in Citrus Rosemary - Blend of 13 botanical oils- 353 five-star reviews

Key ingredients: Sweet orange peel oil, rose hip, grape seed oil, jojoba seed oil, sweet almond oil, and argan oils.

After you have soaked, exfoliated and moisturized your feet, just think of all the extra money you will have.

Now to paint your nails with something very bright or more subdued in a neutral, natural color. Did you know that there are toxic ingredients lurking in the nail polish you are currently using! It is time to create beautiful nails with a polish free of toxic chemicals.

Be sure to check out my next blog on Thursday to find out what the "Toxic Trio" is, and where to find a cleaner alternative to your nail polish.