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Clean hands and feet
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A little professional help and a few simple dos at home are all that it takes to have beautiful hands and feet.
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ONE OF the most popular services at the salons today is the feet and hand care regimes of pedicure and manicure. "The purpose of the manicure and pedicure is to improve the appearance of hand and feet. Once considered luxury for a few, these are now services used by many," says Laila Kakade, beautician.
Manicure, the care of hand and nails, is an experience you can afford to indulge in to pamper the tired hands. A regular professional manicure and pedicure is recommended, supplemented with home dos.
Do-it-yourself manicure: Remove old nail enamel with cotton wool and nail polish remover. Use an emery board to shape nails, moving from sides to centre with long strokes. Aim for a gentle rounded oval shape (avoiding pointed shape), and don't file the nail too deeply. Soak the hands in warm water with a few suds. Scrub gently under nail with a nailbrush to clean under nails. Use an orange stick or a cotton bud, but nothing metallic or sharp, to push back the cuticle at the base of the nail. Don't cut the cuticle. Use a scissor to cut a hangnail rather than pulling it out. Massage hands and nails with a hand cream. Remove all traces of grease from the nail surface using cotton wool and a touch of remover. Apply a base coat to prepare the nail and to avoid yellowing of nails arising from darker shades of varnish. Apply nail varnish, allowing time to dry between coats and removing any smudges with a cotton wool bud and solvent.
Hand care tips: Apply hand cream every time you wash your hands. The oil in the cream will seal moisture into your nails. The most common cause for soft nails is exposure to water. Wear rubber gloves when doing the dishes. Never file your nail after a bath since this is when they are their weakest and likely to split. If you have weak nails, try painting your base coat and nail polish under the tip of the nail to give them extra strength. And for those velvety hands before the party, do this for beautiful hands in a jiffy -- massage hands with lemon cream and rinse with warm water. Take some granulated sugar and mix it in small quantity of glycerine. Apply the mixture on the hands, from fingertips to the wrist, working the mixture well into the skin for 2-3 minutes. Finally rub the hands together and rinse under warm water.
For beautiful feet: Foot care not only improves personal appearance, it also adds to the comfort of the feet. Neglected toenails and rough harsh heels detract the finest of footwear. A pedicure is essential once in two weeks by a qualified podiatrist in a salon, and is beneficial as well.
Step-by-step pedicure: Cut the nails straight across with clippers and smooth sharp edges with an emery board. Soak the feet in a tub of warm water with some suds. Do not cut nails too far down at the sides, or too short. Clean under toenails and the edges with an orange stick. Apply cream or cuticle remover at the nail base and gently push back the cuticles with an orange stick or cotton bud and never use any sharp instrument. Remove the remnants of the cuticle remover with damp tissue or flannel. Dry feet. Massage feet and toes with a hand and body lotion. Before applying nail enamel, use a touch of varnish on cotton wool. Use cotton wool as toe spacers to keep them apart, and apply nail varnish.
Home spa for tired feet: "For relieving fatigue at the end of the day, a simple remedy is to soak the feet in a tub containing warm water and five tablespoons of Epsom salt. It is not only refreshing but keeps the feet in good condition. So why not give the feet the tender loving care they truly deserve," says Laila.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
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