How to Remove Calluses

With spring upon us, most of us are getting our little piggies ready for cute summer flip-flops and sandals. Wearing heavy shoes and socks all winter can cause hard, heavy calluses that are hard to remove. If you are trying to get your feet in shape for the summer, here's what you can do to get runway-ready toes and soles.

First, use a foot file to file the dead skin from the soles of your feet. Pay special attention to your heels. You can find a foot file at any drug store for around $3. It is basically a large nail file, with heavy grit sandpaper on one side for filing down tough spots, and finer sandpaper on the other side for finishing work. A good foot file will have a handle for ease of use.

File your toenails down to a nice shape and length. Remove any nail polish with nail polish remover and a cotton ball. Then use an orange stick to push back your cuticles and clean them up. This will get them ready for cute shoes, whether you choose to re-polish them or not.

After you have filed your soles and the heels of your feet, soak them in warm water with a small amount of bath oil to soften them up and make the skin supple and smooth. Fifteen minutes should be plenty of time for soaking.

Next, put a good lotion all over your feet. Choose one that is formulated especially for this purpose - hand lotions are often not strong enough for the tough skin on the feet.

After all the prep work is done, you can now polish your toes. Put on a good clear base coat, like OPI, Orly or Essie. Follow with two coats of good-quality nail polish, and a good quality top coat.

And that's it! These tips will get your toes in tip-top shape for the summer, and have you ready for anything. Enjoy!