Jean shorts, patio drinks, beach parties, and sun-kissed skin, it’s finally summer and we’re ready for it. Until we slide on our brand new strappy sandals and realize our feet are nowhere near summer ready so in __ fashion, we make a phone call to our girlfriends and book some pedicures. The only problem, a few days go by and our feet are back to that crusty, callused, cracked place they were no more than a week ago. What could we possibly be doing wrong? We scrubbed, clipped, soaked and moisturized, so what’s the problem? Believe it or not, it’s the pre-soaking step that leads our feet right back to a dark place. The solution to this problem is the subtle art of the dry pedicure.
You might be confused as to what a dry pedicure is, and at first, I was too but once I tried it, I swear I will never turn back. The dry pedicure is literally as it sounds, a waterless foot care system that is traditionally used by foot doctors to recreate a patient’s damaged foot. Rather than soaking your feet prior to clipping, filing, scrubbing, and grooming, the hot water bath is done after all of the foot care treatments you would typically receive after soaking.
The unique foot care treatment has been a traditional method taught in medical schools around the world but recently emerged in the spa industry making an impact in the beauty and self-care industry when a podiatrist from the United Kingdom, decided to hybrid both the medical and spa industry, founding the Medi-Pedi. Podiatrist Margaret Dabbs created her own signature foot care line infused with emu oil specifically designed for the dry pedicure. The anti-inflammatory oil is extremely beneficial when treating fine lines, wrinkles, and cracks and can be tremendously helpful when dealing with skin conditions all over the body.
The dry pedicure technique is actually millions of times better for your feet believe it or not. In a regular pedicure, the feet are soaked first which can cause major over treating of the callus and cuticles, resulting in our immune systems to panic and rebuild those stubborn problem areas quicker and thicker. Essentially, water causes cuticles to expand, allowing for more and more of your healthy skin to be removed than necessary. Turns out, it’s extremely important to discard as little as possible because our cuticles are actually our defensive system which helps fight against nail fungus or infections
Of course, there’s nothing that feels better than dipping your tired feet into a pool of lavender scented water after a long day running from class to class and I can promise there is nothing wrong with allowing your feet to relax a little, as long as it’s at the right time. A nice soak with the right formula after a pedicure can relax tense muscles and soothe swelling from pregnancy, fitness activities or over-fatigued feet in general. Don’t deny your feet the pleasure, just make sure you protect them!
By indulging your feet in a more sophisticated form of the modern-day pedicure, you’ll find your feet to begin to feel much softer and for stubborn callouses to rebuild at a dramatically slower pace, essentially resulting in softer, un-cracked feet for a longer period of time. Not to mention, the chances of contracting a foot fungus of nail infection is much lower if your cuticles are cared for properly.
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