Discover the difference between deluxe vs express pedicures
Deluxe/ Spa Pedicure
A Deluxe or spa pedicure is a therapeutic treatment (Facial for your feet) that removes dead skin, softens hard skin, shapes and treats your toenails. A good pedicure treatment can be totally amazing, not only for the feet but relaxing for the whole body! Just think your feet take all your weight all day every day. Pedicure techniques can vary from type of polish to massage, so it is important to find the right pedicurist for you.
Express/ Regular pedicure
Express/Regular Pedicure is perfect for people on-the-go. The therapist will make the toes look amazing once again. You’ll normally have the feet rasped or even slightly scrubbed, there will be a little moisturising to make the feet feel smooth with a possible light massage. Perfect for people who don’t have a lot of time or simply just need a quick foot sprucing!
Pedicures can vary from salon to salon but as a general guide Deluxe vs Express Pedicures include:
Deluxe Pedicure (1 Hour)
- Foot Soak
- Cuticle work
- Callus remover
- Nail Filing & Buffing
- Scrub (feet & legs)
- RASP/ Foot file
- Massage (feet & legs)
- Mask (feet & legs)
- Polish of choice
Express Pedicure (30-40min)
- Foot Soak
- Cuticle work
- Nail Filing & Buffing
- Scrub or rasp (feet)
- Moisturising (feet)
- Polish of choice
Foot Soaks
Letting your feet sit in their own foot bath and foot soak can help reduce swelling and prevent bacteria from settling into blisters and cuts or even under your toenails. Soaks help soothe your muscles, hydrate your skin, and can relieve aches and pains due to standing for hours or walking in uncomfortable shoes.
Cuticle Work
The area around the cuticle is delicate. The cuticle is a layer of clear skin located along the bottom edge of your toes closest to the skin. The function of the cuticle is to protect the new growth of the nails from bacteria when they grow out from the nail root. Cuticles can get dry, damaged, and infected if not looked after properly or pushed and clipped too far during a treatment.
Cuticle Implements
Using well-known high-quality implements can help ensure safety and hygiene during cuticle work. All implements MUST be disinfected and sanitised with 70% + Isopropyl Alcohol (or Autoclaved) before each new customer!
Cuticle softeners & removers
Cuticle removers are products designed to break down and remove dead skin from the nail plate. These products are alkaline in nature, with a pH of greater than 12. The most common ingredients used to achieve this alkaline pH are sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide
Cuticle softeners help soften to aid the pushing back of the Pterygium (cuticle). Some of the most common ingredients are natural oils (i.e. almond, avocado, jojoba, and sunflower), waxes (i.e. cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, and beeswax), and moisture-binding agents (i.e. aloe vera, ceramides, and glycerine).
Nail filing / Buffing and Trimming
The nail plate is made up of a protein called Keratin which is a super tough, non-living structure. Nail files for the natural nail should be a finer texture. Never use a nail file with a grit coarser than 240 on the surface of natural nails. Buffers can be coarser, as they have a cushioned layer which offers more protection. A 180 grit nail file can be used only for shaping the natural nail free edge, if nails are very soft or damaged, a 240 grit file may be a better choice. Making sure the nail is filed in one direction and not see-saw back and forth, as this causes damage to the natural nail creating air pockets between the fine layers.
Example of natural nail file grits
Example of natural nail buffers
Example of shiner buffers
Nail trimmer
Cutting your toenails properly is an important step in preventing painful ingrown toenails, which is the most common condition when nails curve and grow into the skin, which often leads to pain and sometimes an infection. Keeping your nails long can cause bacterial infections, this is because dirt can accumulate under and in the sides of your nails. We all know that bacteria and germs are attracted to dirt. When you do not trim your nails, bacteria and germs will start growing on your toenails and this can cause bacterial infection
- Cut straight across: “The nails shouldn’t dig down on the sides,” Guide the clippers straight across the nail of each toe and avoid cutting nails into a curved shape.
- Use appropriate toenail clippers. Larger clippers are meant for larger nails and will be easier to cut toenails with than fingernail clippers. Keep clippers and any other tools you use on your toes disinfected, sanitised or autoclave them.
Leave nails a little long. Don’t cut nails too short, as it’s another reason ingrown toenails occur. It can also leave your toenail susceptible to infection — plus, it hurts!
Callus remover (if needed)
Calluses are caused by an uneven distribution of weight, generally on the bottom of the forefoot or heel. Calluses also can be caused by ill fitted shoes or by a skin abnormality, however some degree of callus formation on the sole of the foot is normal. Proper care is necessary if you have a callus, callus peel treatment can be added to your deluxe/Spa Pedicure if needed. Most Callus peels contain the ingredient Salicylic acid which helps remove corns and calluses.
Callus peels can come in a few different forms from patches, Creams, lotions and Gels
Foot scrubs
Massaging your feet & legs with a scrub during a pedicure boosts blood circulation, which helps relieve aches and pains, can help relieve stress and makes your feet look and feel amazing.
Benefits of this treatment are:
- Unblocks pores
- Aids desquamation
- Improves skin texture
- Softens skin tissues
- Increases efficiency of absorption
- Stimulates blood and lymphatic flow
- Removes skin stains
There are two types of exfoliation used in manicure – chemical and mechanical.
Chemical exfoliation is a much slower process and should be performed over several treatments to gain maximum benefits. The process reaches deeper into the layer of the epidermis, producing more age-defying results. Some chemical exfoliators contain AHAs (alpha hydroxy acid), BHAs (beta hydroxy acids) or enzymatic products, which enhance the natural surface exfoliation of the skin making it appear healthier.
Mechanical exfoliator is an abrasive rub that aids the removal of dead skin cells. This treatment is particularly good for lifting out stains or dirt that may have become ingrained in the skin. This action helps prepare the skin for further treatments such as masks.
Products are available which contain materials such as ground fruit stones (be careful with these as some can be quite harsh), oatmeal, ground sand, salt, poly chips or plastic granules mixed with a type of cleansing cream. Clay is sometimes added, which sets on the skin and then is gently massaged off, loosening surface skin cells and trapped dirt.
Foot file, Pedi Paddle or Rasp
A foot file is used to remove the excess dead skin especially from the heels of the foot, they are made up of gritty exfoliating material like metal or emery which removes the tough dead skin. Foot files are commonly used after a scrub where the dead skin has been softened or loosened. They also help to control or prevent corns.
Pedi Paddles:
- Are Washable
- Hygienic
- Long lasting
- Have removable replacement pads
- Various shapes and sizes
- Comes is various grits fine, medium and course
Massage Mediums
Foot massage improves circulation, stimulates muscles, reduces tension, and often eases pain. It also gives you a chance to check out your feet so you can get a jump on treating blisters, bunions, corns, and toenail problems. During a foot massage, your feet undergo a very relaxing experience as the reflex zones are manipulated and rubbed, it can sometimes have a soothing effect on other parts of the body with the foot reflex pressure points.
Benefits of massage include:
- Reduces the effects of depression & anxiety
- Reduces the effects of oedema
- Stimulation of local blood circulation
- Increased cell mitosis
- Increased lymphatic drainage
- Desquamation to surface tissue
- Moisturising and hydrating to skin tissues
- Joint mobility
- Relaxation of the muscle fibres
- Improved muscle tone
- Breaking down of adhesions preventing joint stiffness
- Soothing to sensory nerve endings inducing relaxation
Foot cream
This product gives slip for massage and is an emollient so can be nourishing to the skin tissues, depending on ingredients. It suits most skin types and takes longer to absorb into the skin tissues.
Foot lotion
Has a high percentage of water and therefore does not provide as much slip as the cream. It spreads easily, is readily absorbed, and leaves no sticky residue on the skin tissues.
AHAs
Some hand creams and lotions contain AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) as these have desquamating properties, which are ideal for use on mature clients or prematurely aged skin.
Massage oil
This gives a good slip for massage and suits all skin types. Usually a vegetable oil, such as almond oil, it may also contain other beneficial ingredients such as essential oils to nourish the tissues. It is usually slow to absorb and requires residue to be removed. Check the client does not suffer from any nut allergies as a lot of these oils contain nut derivatives. Blot the foot with disposable tissue/bed roll to remove excess oil.
Foot Masks
A foot mask is a thick beauty product meant to be slathered on the feet and legs. It is said to help detox the body, draw impurities from the skin, boost circulation and cell turnover, trap and eliminate foot odour, exfoliate, smooth and moisturise the feet. A foot mask is different from foot lotion in that it is generally applied and then rinsed from the feet after a period of about 7-15 minutes. It is also not used daily, but rather weekly as part of a normal pedicure routine.
Benefits of masks are:
- Tightening and toning of the skin
- Hydrating
- Anti-ageing
- Detoxifying
- Softening & smoothing
