If getting a pedicure at the salon is too expensive for you these days, like it is for me, then an at home pedicure is just what you need. An at home pedicure is not as hard as you may think. With your favorite polish and the right tools, your at home pedicure could be even better than one in the store (mainly because you won't be wincing every few seconds, afraid they'll cut your toe!).

It's best to do this in the bathroom, because spilling pedicure water on the carpet isn't something your mom will be too excited about. Start by trimming your toenails to a healthy length. Many people don't know that nails should be trimmed straight across, instead of along with the curve, because that could cause ingrown toenails. I used to make that mistake a lot and suffered many a nasty ingrown toenail before someone told me how to do it right! Now file just the tip of your toenails with an emory board. Using an emory board instead of a metal nail file will reduce nail breakage.

Now spread an old sheet or some newspaper down on the floor. Get a big piece of Tupperware that both your feet will fit into and fill it with warm water. Put a handful of Epsom salts into the water and swirl it around, letting your feet soak for a bit (this is the fun part for me). Spread cuticle oil along the base of all your toenails, allow to sit for a minute, and gently push your cuticles back.

Then get to work on your heels with a pumice stone - pronounced puh-miss. A pumice stone is used as a number of things, but one main thing is to remove dead skin from the bottoms of feet. Many of you probably already have one. But I love pumice stones because they work great and make my feet feel fresh, and also it's super cool to think of what they're made of: volcanic rock, if anyone wanted to know! So scrub your feet with this magical volcanic rock until the dead skin cells flow off, then dry your feet completely.

Spread a fresh foot lotion all over your feet - Burt's Bees makes a wonderful peppermint flavored one! Use a q-tip dipped in cuticle oil to rub your cuticle lines one more time so that they're nice and soft, then wipe nails (not cuticles) with remover to take off the oil. Apply two coats of nail polish, let dry, and then apply a clear top coat.

Looks like your at home pedicure was a success, and no small knicks were involved!

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