Summer is over and the cooler autumn weather is kicking in but just because your tender tootsies won’t be as exposed to the sunlight, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take just as good care of them in the colder months.

The hardworking woman is a real woman with real foot pain and real bunions. Getting a professional pedicure is always ideal and if it were that simple, the article would pretty much end here!

Not everyone however can afford to upkeep their feet at professional rates but that’s never a good enough excuse to not pay attention to toes that give you balance and feet that help you to stand. Appreciate them. Love them. And for the love of God, clean them!

Now let’s get to the bottom of this! Making mistakes while giving yourself an at home pedicure is normal. Women pay so much attention to pretty pink toenails that they often neglect the soles of their feet, the heels and the rest of the skin surrounding their nails.

You might not have a pedicure foot bath machine but I’m pretty sure you have a bathtub and if not, you might just have a cooking pot. No matter what you use to fill up with water, ensure it’s warm enough to soften the feet but not hot enough to burn you. Allow your toes to sit and bathe for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Next, use an exfoliating scrub with a smell you adore and polish your entire foot from toes to ankle in a circular motion. Once you’ve rinsed off the grains, grab a pumice foot file and rub your soles paying extra special attention to your heels and under toe area.

Do not approach this as if trying to create fire with two sticks; you can safely and effectively use the duller end of the foot file and still achieve amazing results.

Although many people and even some professionals will use a special heel razor this is strongly discouraged for many reasons. Besides potentially cutting your foot, the skin you remove will only return harder by building a protective shield around your soles with a tougher surface. Isn’t it bad enough to have one pair of hard feet rubbing you under the covers? Try to keep yours silky smooth.

Once your feet are softer and feeling fantastic, grab a nail file to even out your much neglected toe nails and form rounded edges to feminize the look. Be sure to remove any under toenail ‘mystery’ stuff as well so even if you go polish free your nails will still be clean.

Pushing back the cuticles and trimming excess skin around the nail always add that extra finished touch but if you don’t have the proper tools to do it yourself, you can merely add a fresh coat of base polish, a pretty light shade on top, a top coat to seal in the color and you’re all set.

The entire process might take you approximately 30 minutes but during your busy day or under your running shoes you’ll know you have a sexy clean pair of feet just ready to whip off those socks at anytime.