NatActive

The best place to arrange a home nail spa is the living room at the coffee table in front of the TV. Alternatively, occupy a family bedroom. Fill the basin with warm water and add a few drops of cleanser, body wash or a shampoo. Soak your feet for 15-20 minutes.

Place a towel on a low stool or ottoman. Remove your feet from the water and wrap one foot in a towel to keep it moist and warm while blotting water from the other foot.

Clip toenails with a proper toenail clipper that has a straight, not curved, tip. Such clippers are very hard to find, but they are worth the extra effort. You need them to clip your toenails straight across the tip. Do not clip following the shape of the tip of the toe, even though it may look better. A rounded shape can lead to ingrown toenails. Apply the Green Cuticle Softener to each cuticle and continue working on the rest of the nails.

Push back the cuticles with the orange stick while the nail is still damp. You need to keep the cuticle skin away from the surface of the toenails. After you have partially dissolved and softened the cuticles loosen the cuticle from the nail plate with an orange stick.  After you are done, gently clean under each nail with an orange stick, but be gentle and don’t push too hard, or you will damage the sensitive nail bed.

You may see a fringe of dry skin as you have shoveled off the cuticles, but don’t be tempted to cut it off with cuticle scissors. There’s a better way to deal with dry skin.

Now it’s time to smooth and file the toenail with an emery board. Make sure the nail is completely dry. Filing a damp nail may damage it and cause it to split. File in one direction only, to prevent shredding of the nail. Using a soft padded emery board smooth the loose dry skin around the cuticles. Apply a drop of Green Cuticle Oil on each nail and massage it around the cuticle.

A final touch: use a pumice stone or professional callous file to gently sand away the hardened skin on the heels and underside of the toes. Do not remove the callous completely, or you may end up with sore, not silky, feet.

Guess what? It’s the most pleasant part: warm a little massage oil between your palms and give your tootsies a good rub. Apply firm pressure to soften every little bone and joint. Put on a pair of cotton socks.

It’s time to treat your hands. Pour warm water into the cereal bowls or a salad bowl and add a few drops of a foaming face cleanser, a shampoo or a body wash. Soak your hands for at least five minutes. Keep a remote handy or keep reading this book for more inspirational tips.

Now blot your hands with a towel and start grooming your cuticles. Dab a little Green Cuticle Softener on each nail and rub it into cuticles. Wait for five minutes. Now, take an orange wood stick and gently loosen the cuticles from the hard bed of the nail. Be gentle and don’t scrap the cuticle too hard or you will risk tearing it. The whitish residue, or the ghost of the cuticle, is called pterygium, and should be scrapped from the nail. If the dead or flaky skin is very noticeable, run a few strokes with a dry emery board to polish dry skin off. Apply a dot of Green Cuticle Oil on every nail and rub gently. Looks lovely, doesn’t it?

The major "don’t” of home nail care is cutting cuticles with scissors. It’s very easy to damage this sensitive area and open doors to a host of bacteria. Leave this delicate task to a professional manicurist.

As your hands are now dry, you can safely trim and file your nails. Clip the nails if you prefer them short. File the nails with an emery board. Keep the nails relatively straight, not sharp or curvy. To add a gorgeous shine to your nails, buff them with a soft buffing pad. Seal the deal with another drop or two of Green Cuticle Oil. Massage the nails and all the fingers lightly, working on each joint and bone.

There are many nail salons and spas that offer completely natural, chemical-free manicures and pedicures. But you don’t have to wait for a trip to the day spa to pamper yourself. By using a few homemade all-natural nail and skin products you can turn your living room in a spa for one hour, and for a fraction of the cost.