Get your toes ready for the beach !

Admittedly, I probably don't pay enough attention to my finger and toe nails. I never wear nail polish but I enjoy buffing/shining my nails for that clean and healthy look.

Treat your fingers and toes with this natural mani-pedi protocol using items you probably have around the house and your gorgeous essential oils.

Step 1 Buff and shine nails

I'm not the expert here but I grab one of those four sided block thingies and buff until I get the shine I desire.

Step 2 Citrus Sugar Scrub

I premix this sugar scrub so it's at the ready. It keeps really well and smells AMAZING! To start, we're taking off any dead skin layers on the feet and hands with a nourishing scrub. This will buff the skin for a healthy glow and help the next treatments penetrate more deeply to support and stimulate healthy skin growth.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil (not fractionated)

20 drops your fav citrus oil like grapefruit, wild orange, lime, or tangerine to help

really cleanse the skin

Mix together well and store in a glass jar. Apply about 1 tbsp for both hands or 1

tbsp for each foot and massage into skin and then scrub gently for 1 minute. Leave

on for next step.

Step 3 Soak or Mask

I've learned some of us prefer a soak and others a mask. If you don't like "goopy" stuff on your hands or feet, opt for the soak.

Herbal Hand / Foot Soak

Prepare a warm basin of warm water (not too hot) deep enough to submerge your

hands or feet. Add the following to 1 tbsp of epsom salts:

2 drops lavender, rosemary, tea tree, & lemon essential oils

prone to infections)

4 drops vitamin E oil

1 tsp olive oil

Stir into the warm water gently & soak for 5-10 minutes while breathing in the

beautiful aroma. This blend is another piece you could mix in advance and have

ready for whenever your feet need a little love. Add flower petals or herbs if you

like but heads up this does create a bit of a mess to clean up.

Herbal Hand or Foot Mask

½ cup organic Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons organic raw honey

2 tsp Fractionated Coconut Oil

1 stalk organic celery

2 drops each lavender, rosemary, tea tree and lemon essential oils

Benefits

• Greek yogurt is packed with probiotics which help deliver beneficial proteins to the skin, while the lactic acid it contains rids the surface of old cells making way for radiant, fresh skin.

• Celery is cleansing and detoxifying, as well as rich in zinc, which helps to repair dry, cracked skin.

• Raw honey is a natural humectant, which can help keep your feet moisturized. It also contains beneficial enzymes and antioxidants and has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

• In addition to the gorgeous aroma they provide, this combination of essential oils has anti-bacterial and cleansing properties as well as oils beneficial for growth of nails

Finely grate the stalk of celery. Add celery and the remaining ingredients to a food

processor or blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small, airtight container.

Prepare a cool, wet washcloth. Apply mask immediately, coating completely. Let

sit 15–20 minutes while enjoying the aroma. Rinse off. Put any leftovers in the

fridge and use within a week or share with a friend.

Step 4 Cuticle Oil

Massage is such a gift and our skin thirsts for touch so indulging in this short step with this cuticle oil will help your cuticle and nails really glow and grow!

1 tsp jojoba oil (or another carrier if you don't have jojoba)

2 drops each of lavender, rosemary, tea tree, & lemon essential oils

Add essential oils to 10 mL roller bottle or upcycled 15 mL oil bottle with eye

dropper top and fill with jojoba oil. Jojoba is the closest oil to the skins pH so it's a

great nourisher or base for your own facial serum. Apply to cuticles & massage

generously. You could even apply a warm, slightly damp wash cloth after

massaging to help the oils really penetrate deeply.

Finish by applying your favorite lotion like doTERRA's true Rose Lotion, the entire purchase of which benefits the Healing Hands Foundation, or home-made lavender lotion bar (see previous blog post for recipe) and slip on a pair of cotton gloves or socks to help everything absorb. This is a lovely ritual to undertake before bed as you'll wake up with gloriously gorgeous nails! Don't forget the sunscreen before you hit the beach.

Let me know what you think of this self-care ritual and stay tuned for more essential oils and how to use them in my next blog.

Until then, enjoy!