With spring in full bloom, paying more attention to our feet is of crucial importance, especially since peep toe shoes are back in style and causing havoc. In this sense, a perfect pedicure is a must, but we don’t necessarily have to go to the salon to get it, since we can come up with almost the same results at home as well, with some spare time and patience, celebrity chiropodist Margaret Dabbs says for the Daily Mail.

The idea to great-looking feet, just perfect for those sandals we’ve been positively dying to break out, is to care for the feet as well, and not just the nails. So, with this in mind, we should start with a warm feet bath with soapy water, in which we should also add a couple of drops of oil. This will not only soften the skin so that we can proceed to the next step, but also hydrate and moisturize it, eliminating the unaesthetic cracks and rough patches.

Once it becomes soft, we should pat it dry with a soft towel and move on to the next step, that of cutting away dead skin and shaping the toenails. For the soles, we can use any type of file to remove rough and cracked patches, while keeping in mind that we should use the file in just one direction, namely away from us, Dabbs points out. Clippers or scissors are used to bring the toenails almost to the desired shape, after which we employ a file (crystal file, preferably) for the finishing touch, also moving it in one single direction. The cuticles are removed as well, if the situation calls for it.

Next up, to ensure that our feet will remain moisturized and soft for a longer while, we should apply feet oil, which is made especially for this purpose. Massage well, both the soles and the nails and cuticles, so that the oil penetrates the skin and keeps it soft and healthy, just like it would be after a treatment at the salon.

The last step is, of course, nail polish. Here, we have countless options before us, from transparent polish to deep red and even black or dark violet. As a side note, French pedicure is not longer as hip as it was a couple of seasons back, since the shoes these days go better with daring, bold colors. In this sense, Dabbs recommends “iconic red” for daytime and metallic dark purple at night, but, in the end, the decision is entirely up to us.