Here’s a bit I’ll share.
Razor blade pedicures. It’s my thing.
You go to the tiny back-alley salon, take off your socks, sit back in the chair and sheepishly apologize because they look so gross. You say, “I’m sorry I let them get this bad. Ewwww! ” and she’s like “No problem, Dawg.” and pulls out a flip knife with a straight blade and starts whittling on your foot like she’s peeling a potato.
It. Is. Awesome.
Fifteen minutes later you come out with the feet of a four year old. Sure, you get uncomfortable prepping for mashed potatoes from there on in, but it’s a sacrifice worth making in the name of beautiful tootsies.
And I’ll tell you something else — You don’t get that kind of service with standard nail technician pedicures. They get all judgmental. Not that I can blame them, but the fact that they make tisk-tisk sounds with their tongue and say things in Vietnamese like chisel, sandpaper, and buzz saw, does not help the matter. This is why I like getting razor blade pedicures. If the person is an expert, they really don’t care. You can show up with multi-pustule barnacles on your heels, and still, no judgments. Because, for one thing, they have seen worse (no really), and two, the more crap they scrape off, the more satisfying it is to see the outcome of their work. They get that crazy look in their eye. It’s that same look that comes to certain people before squeezing a zit or squashing spiders. It’s how they get their happies. Everyone has a weird habit like that, we just don’t like to talk about it. I used to know a girl who liked to eat her earwax. She’d probably judge me if I told her I pay good money to have an Asian lady peel my feet with a knife. And she’d judge you for whatever habit you have and don’t want to talk about. And here we are again – the circle of life.
Anyway, to keep up with my new baby feet, I like a good foot scrub. There are about a billion recipes for body scrubs on the interwebs, but feet are a different matter. You need the good stuff. This is it.
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Notice how I included a photo of the scrub and not a giant photo of my feet? You’re welcome. |
Rosemary Peppermint Foot Scrub
1 Cup Coarse Kosher Salt
2 Tbs Olive oil
2 Tbs Coconut oil, melted
1 Sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
5-10 Drops Peppermint oil
One thing. Texture. This is industrial strength. You can swap in sugar or Epsom salt, but I find the coarse kosher salt holds it’s roughness better than anything else.
Two thing. Smell. Obviously, you can swap in any essential oil you like. Sometimes when I have a headcold, I’ll add in a spoonful of vapo rub (melted down slightly) and scrub it all over my body while taking the hottest shower I can stand. This is probably psychosomatic, but I swear I can feel the salt and menthol drawing the sick out of my skin. Golly, that’ll clear your nose! Personally, I am crazy about Rosemary and peppermint smell and because I have a hard time finding it in commercial goods, I find weird ways to make it myself. I won’t even tell you what my hand soap smells like. Hint: It’s not ear wax.
Happy scrubbing!
Eek! I’m a bit afraid of the razor blades (I have let it go WAY too long) but the foot scrub I’ll be thrilled with. C:
Mmmmmm Vapor Rub. I’m with you there on how cozy it makes you feel when you have a head cold. I had a cat who adored menthol. I am not kidding. She would come sit on my chest and just purr and drool and try to get my shirt open to lick the stuff off me. I had to be really careful about where I put it on my body because it’s so not good for cats. She lived to be 17 so I must have done something right.
That’s odd — I think most kitties HATE menthol, no? One time I kissed a cat and it got vapo on her nose and she drooled for hours, poor baby! No harm though — just lots of drooling.
Essentiel Elements, sold through Gilbert and Soames.com makes the Best Rosemary Mint lotion, soap and bath salts,and shampoo. I used to buy the essential oil mix, but they don’t sell it any more. I had one of these pedicures in China. I didn’t quite know it was happening because the light was dim. I think he used a scalpel. I don’t know if they have these pedicures in the eastern US.
That’s admirable. I don’t think I could let anyone take a blade to my foot in dim lighting! You are brave.
EEEEK! I’ve never heard of such a pedicure! I’m weird in the fact that I don’t like people touching my feet so maybe that’s why. I did have a pedicure once and she was the sweetest lady but I couldn’t stand it. It was too tickly. But I’m fascinated by the razor blade pedicure thing. How does one get into that line of work you think?
Not weird at all, I am right there with you on people touching my feet too. 🙂 Just torture for me.
Be careful you don’t get an infection! Can you get your own razor blade thing that you can sterilize? (I am not a super germophobe in the least, but I remember reading about infections you can get that way.) And you are making me think about getting my own razorblade set up – I pay my son to do my feet…
I’m here to tell ya…I used to work in a podiatrist’s office. People came in for this same treatment regularly, AND insurance covered it! It was my sad and unfortunate job to help remove socks, and then “pretreat” feet. Had to rub soapy water on their piggies, and then on the REALLY bad areas squished soapy cotton directly on the corns and callouses. If they didn’t stick, I had to hold them on there till the doc came in. Yay me! Probably why I have an aversion to sock knitting today…
Oh man, that might possibly be the worst job I have ever heard of. Wow. Just, wow.
I can’t justify the price of a pedicure, so I take big coarse emery boards & give my feet a good sanding now & then
Your cruisin’ for a bruisin’, Auntie Peaches, as my Dad would have said. Try PedEgg – it works especially well outdoors, where you can leave your DNA blowin’ in the wind:
http://www.drugstore.com/pedegg-pro-pedicure-foot-file/qxp184309?catid=184262
I haven’t been here in awhile, but as usual, after a few posts I’m leaving with some laughter (and some good information). Thank you!
I wish I didn’t need my calluses so much. (I do a lot of walking.) Otherwise I’d be asking you for recommendations for back-alley salons…
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Aveda makes a lovely rosemary mint soap and lotion! I’m going to try your scrub 🙂
I tried this minus the coconut oil…still awesome and money saving. My tootsies are very happy and going to try it with lemon and rosemary next. Thanks Aunt Peaches!
Excellent post! We are linking to this great post on our site.
Keep up the good writing.
Our former cat loved menthol too, especially Ben-Gay. She would drool over it & try to lick it off :-Q..
I love a nice pedicure, but I’m either broke, or don’t want to spare the time. I have a cordless Dremel tool with a sanding drum that I keep in the bathroom, & use before each shower. It works really well
can I make the foot scrub in large quantity without the salt dissolving?
I have never tried it, but I don’t see why not.