Why did one little piggy stay home? She missed out on the market. She missed out on the roast beef. Clearly, she missed all the fun.

It probably had something to do with chipped toenail polish. And it doesn’t have to happen to you. Your feet stay under wraps for most of the year, crammed into boots, stuffed into shoes – heck, people here even wear socks with sandals. It’s time you let those little piggies (even the ones that want to stay home and the vegetarian ones, who don’t care for roast beef) come out to play.

You may think you have ugly feet. They shouldn’t be on display, you say, even though those cute sandals you saw at Old Navy called out as you walked by. You needn’t fear the flip-flop. Take it from Phuc Nguyen, who owns Beautiful Nails in Bangor. In the summer, she gives four or five pedicures a day, and she knows feet.

“Some people don’t take care of their feet, especially here because it’s so cold that they wear stockings all the time, so they don’t care what their feet look like,” Nguyen said. “Some people think their feet are ugly and they don’t want somebody to look at their feet or work on their feet. But actually, usually their feet really aren’t ugly.”

All it takes is a little exfoliating, a pair of clippers and a fresh coat of polish to get most feet in tiptop (or, in this case, flip-flop) shape. Whether you do it yourself or have it done, there’s nothing like a pedicure to rejuvenate the sole.

“Most people come for a pedicure because they want to relax and [make] their toenails look sexier, and you feel very good after you have one,” Nguyen said. It’s hard to be stressed out after an hour of pampering. While the particulars vary from salon to salon, a professional pedicure usually starts with a foot bath in warm, peppermint-scented water. The pedicurist then uses a pumice stone to remove dead skin and calluses, clips and files your toenails and massages your feet and ankles with moisturizing lotion. Then, your toenails are painted and, because it takes them a while to dry, you have to relax, or at least sit still. When it comes to polish, Nguyen said, coral and red shades have edged out those wild blues and greens that used to be so hot on the toes.

“That’s kind of dropped off,” she said. “When people go to weddings or something like that, they want polish to match with their dress – that’s why they wear blue or green. But usually, most people want coral or red. The brighter color shows their toes more.”

Even so, a popular, pale manicure trend has made its way downward.

“Nowadays, people like the French pedicure, too,” she said.

The reverse French pedicure, which replaces the white nail tip with a dark or bright color, is popular this summer among the glitterati, according to Jin Soon Choi. She counts Kim Basinger and Uma Thurman among her clients at Jin Soon’s Nail and Foot Spa in New York City and works as an adviser to Cutexnails.com.

She recently e-mailed to say that hot pink is another hot shade this summer, but if you don’t want to walk around with hot-pink fingernails, don’t worry.

“Toes and hands don’t have to match,” Choi said. Women tend to choose brighter colors for their toes than they do for their fingers anyway, Nguyen said. “The reason they want to have a brighter color [on their feet] than on their hands is that their toenails are smaller than their fingernails and they want them to show,” she said.

One way to make sure they show is to avoid clipping them too far down. This will help prevent painful ingrown toenails, too.

“You don’t want to cut the nail too short,” said Jane Andersen, a North Carolina podiatrist and spokeswoman for the American Podiatric Medical Association. “People should trim the toenail straight across and keep it so it’s not too long, either.”

Though most feet aren’t exactly dainty, you have to be careful with them, especially in the summer. People with diabetes and poor circulation need to be especially cautious with their feet, whether they’re clipping their toenails or removing calluses, and they should never walk around without shoes on, Andersen said. Walking around barefoot makes even healthy feet vulnerable to the obvious, such as broken glass or splinters, and the not-so-obvious, such as athlete’s foot or nail fungus. And wearing open-heeled shoes presents its own problems.

“People who wear sandals a lot tend to get a lot of cracking, fissuring and dryness in their heels,” Andersen said. “If you’re going to wear sandals a lot, you should be sure to keep your heels well-moisturized.”

Regardless of how dry or callused your feet get, don’t let the pedicurist use a razor of other sharp instrument to cut the dead skin off your feet, Andersen warns. In some cases, calluses are beneficial and shouldn’t be removed. For runners, other athletes and people who work on their feet, calluses give the feet a needed layer of protection. If you decide you don’t need that extra skin, a pumice stone should smooth things out just fine. If it doesn’t leave your feet soft enough, go to the doctor.

“I don’t recommend [using] the razor because sometimes you get cut and that’s not very good,” Nguyen said. She avoids anything that could be a potential health hazard. She knows that nail salons in other parts of the country have come under fire for unsanitary practices such as reusing tools and not adequately cleaning their foot baths. She made it clear that she is doing everything in her power to keep her salon clean and hygienic.

“We have our business to protect first so we do everything the right way,” she said. “We sanitize everything and use a new file and buffer for every customer.”

If you choose to have a professional pedicure, be sure to assess the cleanliness of the salon. People tend to equate the cost of the service with the degree of sanitation, but even high-priced salons and spas can cut corners.

“If you have any doubt, bring your own implements,” Andersen said.

And if you’re still in doubt, find another salon. Or you could just do it yourself (see sidebar). Either way, it pays to treat your feet. A pedicure feels like an hour-long vacation, it leaves your feet looking fabulous and it lets you step out in style. Because not even one of your little piggies should stay home – especially in the summer.

The do-it-yourself pedicure

To re-create the pampering pedicure at home, sprinkle some scented bath salts or bubble bath (peppermint or lavender work very well) into warm water in your bathtub, a wash basin, or one of those cool little foot spas. Soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes and slough off dry skin with a loofah, pumice stone or a cream with skin-buffing granules. Push back your cuticles with an orange stick and massage lotion into your feet and ankles. Use a cotton ball dipped in nail polish remover to clear away the excess lotion from your toenails. Clip your toenails straight across and use an emery board to round and smooth the edges.

Place separators between your toes (available for under a dollar at almost any drugstore) or weave toilet paper in between toes so they don’t smoosh together). Apply a layer of base coat and let dry. Apply two layers of nail polish and let dry (Note: quick-dry polishes are best left on the hands. They are built for speed, not endurance, and will barely make it a day without chipping on your toes). Apply a layer of shiny topcoat and relax for at least 20 minutes while your nails dry. Sitting with your toes in front of a fan will speed up the process, but you can’t rush it. If done correctly, the pedicure should last for two to three weeks with minor touchups. It’s best to let your toenails breathe for a day or two in between pedicures.

Special thanks to Bangor Tire Co. for the use of an inner tube.