Reader Q: How Can I Get a Pedicure on the Cheap?

A girlfriend of mine, also a grad student, came to me one day with serious concern: How could she ever get rid of callused, puffy winter feet without dropping $60 or so on a pedicure, because, you know, we're students? 

So, I tried this awesome foot-loving recipe from Josie Feria, Director of the Lapis Spa at Fontainebleau in Miami (where I totally wish I was right now), and now? I'm feeling refreshed, and even a little energized.

Dump 1/4 cup of baking soda into a bowl that will fit both feet, then soak for 10 minutes. Baking soda not only helps to cleanse the feet, but is also known to have anti-fungal properties. It'll leave your feet feeling really soft, too. Use a wet pumice stone (The Body Shop's No More Rough Stuff Pumice fits perfectly in the palm of your hand) to rub heels and ditch calluses. I rubbed other rough spots too (think sides of your big toes and the balls of your feet), so you can hit those if you have 'em.Take a hefty scoop of coconut oil (it's your power moisturizer) and rub generously all over feet. Then, wrap them in plastic and slip on cozy socks. Hang for 30 minutes while the coconut oil, which has anti-microbial benefits too, soaks in.Slip on sandals and hit the beach (or, you know, your couch...but with softer feet).

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Image Credit: Arthur Elgort

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Reader Question: Can I Disinfect My Makeup Products?

So, there are a few guidelines about how long you should keep makeup before it starts getting funky (a good rule: 3 months for eyeliners and mascara, a year for foundation and concealer, and two years for powders, lipsticks, lipgloss and lotions). If you hit those dates, you should probably toss them. But sometimes, you just get the urge to give your products a good wipe down.

So, when SELF's Web Managing Editor, JD, asked me if she could disinfect her products, my answer was: "Totally! It just depends what you are trying to disinfect." Here, a crib sheet.

Lipstick: Dip your tube into alcohol (of the rubbing variety, though, who knows, tequila may work -- but don't take my word for it) for 30 seconds, then wipe away the top layer with a tissue. Powders: You won't believe how easy this is. Ready? Scrape off the top layer. Really, that's it. I've used a fresh-from-the-dishwasher, flat-topped cheese knife, but anything that's super clean and scrape-y will work on powder compacts. A word to the wise: Be gentle so the powder doesn't crumble. The same goes for cream, BTW, except instead of scraping, you scoop with a spoon. So easy, right?
Pencils: Dull the pencil down to a nub, then grab a sharpener, and sharpen until you have a fresh point. I like to do this twice, just to be sure, but I'm a little nuts -- and def a little germaphobic, too, but hey -- can you ever really be too clean? Mascara: There's this trend in Japan where dudes put their jeans in the freezer to "wash" them so they don't get misshapen in the laundry. Welp, you can do the same with your mascara. Close the tube, leave it in the freezer overnight, and viola! Apparently, the sub zero temps kill germs.

There ya go, JD! Thanks for the question!

Do you have questions? Ask us your #BeautyQ on Twitter @AESam and @SELFMagazine!

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Reader Question: Why Doesn't My Whitening Toothpaste Whiten Anymore?

Teeth whitening has always been super interesting to me. (Did you guys check out the last line I test drove?) Like, why can some people get sparkling white smiles despite sipping red wine every night, and then some people can whiten their teeth monthly and only have a so-so smile? So, when a friend recently asked me why her whitening toothpaste didn't whiten her teeth anymore, I had to investigate.

First, a little background. There are three layers of your teeth that affect their color: the inner dentin layer, the outer enamel layer and a layer called pellicle that forms a film over your teeth just seconds after you clean 'em; pellicle's job is to protect your pearlies from acidic compounds and continuous deposition of calcium phosphate. Phew, got it? 

So, when you brush with whitening toothpaste, you're just scrubbing away that surface stain layer -- the pellicle film -- that sits on top. That's the whitening you see from whitening paste.

Anyway, if that surface stain layer hangs on teeth too long (i.e. you're not brushing regularly), the film starts to seep into your enamel, which is porous. So, trying to get deep stains out with a whitening toothpaste is essentially a waste of time, since those toothpastes JUST remove the outer film, not anything that's seeped into the enamel. Instead, you need to use a whitening treatment or hit up the dentist for a quality job. These treatments do actually seep into the enamel and cause an oxidation reaction to break down deep stains. (You know that foamy weirdness that happens with white strips? That's the oxidation.)

So, question answered. Interesting, right?

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Image Credit: Devon Jarvis

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