ModernGear Women: Stop hoofing it!

If you were one of the intrepid few who allowed fish to nibble at your feet during this summer's fish pedicure craze (it's said to tickle and not hurt), consider yourself lucky to have had the experience...it seems that some states are disallowing the procedure due to hygiene and health concerns.

Dallas News reported yesterday that "The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation announced today that fish pedicures...are no longer permitted in the state. "

Oh, shoot. What are we going to do now? Foot care is incredibly important for overall health and we really shouldn't stop even when we put our sandals away for the fall and winter.

Well, times are tough so I suppose...do our own pedicures? Some of you are going..."gaaasp" (Kathryn, I'm talking to you!)... but don't freak out. There are a few products and tools that will make the process easier, quicker and more effective than ever before.

First up is the Ped Egg Pro Foot File.
I was definitely curious and mildly horrified when I first saw the product on an infomercial. You'll know what I mean if you've seen the same one. The Ped Egg is cupped in the hand while you rub the cheese grater-looking part over the worst dry and thick areas of your feet, and then you can dump out the "shavings" into the garbage can and have smooth heels. When the Ped Egg was emptied in the infomercial, you'd think the thing had done an entire football team for all of the powdery reside that poured out. Yech.

However, it's kind of true. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, either. Better there than on my feet, looking like a hoof.

Online reviews skew mostly in favour of the Ped Egg but some of the negative responses provide a cautionary lesson - test the product out first to see if the "shaving" will irritate your feet. Don't go crazy and scrape away half of your epidermis. Do it frequently but gently and moisturize afterwards. And, do this treatment maybe perched on the side of the bathrub with your feet inside the tub, or over a paper towel or garbage can. Depending on the condition of your feet when you start, it can get messy.
I do have one and love it, and find the results this little thing achieves to be practically miraculous.

has the Ped Egg for $9.99, and on Amazon you can find these prices:
Ped Egg $5.75
Ped Egg Callous Remover $6.99
Pink Ped Egg for Breast Cancer Research $9.99


Extra Large Ped Egg for Men $11.49
And sure, why not get your partners into foot care as well? After all, it's not exactly pleasant to rub up against their sandpaper-feeling tootsies when snuggling, is it?

I also love the Artemis Heel Smoother Optimum, available for $39.99 at Blissworld.com.
It's apparently available outside a doctor's office for the first time and works amazingly well. Replacement power tips are only $5.99, so this also seems like an inexpensive way to keep your feet smooth.
And once you've done so, Blissworld.com also has a great foot product to help keep them that way: bliss the tenderfoot.

It includes Softening Socks and Softening Sock Salve, and was $76 but is now $68. I wouldn't have wanted to wear these during the night while I slept, deep in the heat of summer - but now that it's cooler at night it would be quite lovely.

A pedicure can cost anywhere from $18-35 or more, but these home foot care products are reusable and with proper care, will last a long time. So here's to giving our hooves the boot, on the cheap.