How To Do a Pedicure At Home

Let’s face it… we tend to pay a whole lot more attention to our fingernails than our toenails. But this doesn’t mean that our toenails don’t need any attention too! Skip the high spa or salon costs for a pedicure and learn how to do a pedicure from the comfort of your own home.

The first and most important part to learning how to do a pedicure at home is finding the time and the peace to truly relax and enjoy the process. If you have young ones at home, try to find a time when they may be out of the house for an hour, or have your spouse or family member take them out to the park. Put on your favorite CD, turn it up loud, and enjoy yourself!

Apart from finding the time, here are some other tools that you probably already have laying around at home that you will need to compile:

• Cotton balls and nail polish remover
• Quality toenail clippers and nail file
• A large bowl, basin, tub, or specialized home foot basin
• A cuticle removal cream
• A foot scrub or pumice stone
• A thick towel to dry your feet
• Flip flops for afterwards

You may also want to bring out any toe separators or an orange stick to help the process along a bit.
(1) Begin by removing any old nail polish or residues from your toes by using a cotton ball soaked in an acetone nail polish remover. If the nail polish is particularly stubborn, which it may be if several coats have been applied, allow the nail polish to soak for 2 minutes and try removing it again with the cotton ball.
(2) Next clip your toenails with specialized toenail clippers. Take care to cut your toenails straight across and do not allow the toenail to extend over the tip of your toe. If you do, you will definitely be regretting it in a couple days time! Overgrown toenails are not only uncomfortable, but they can cause discoloration of the toenail.
(3) Now take the emery board (do not use a metal board; these are often rip nails) and shape the nail to its desired length. A square shape is both flattering and will encourage your toenail to grow straight out rather than become ingrown. File the nail in one direction and around the corners.
(4) Then comes the fun part! Fill the tub, basin, or whatever it is you are using to soak your feet with warm water and Epson salts, or your favorite essential oil, and allow your feet to just soak for at least 10 minutes. This is a good time to get out your favorite magazine or a newspaper and catch up on the daily news. If you do have very hard and calloused feet, allow them to soak longer.
(5) Take your feet out, dry them with the thick towel, and then apply a cuticle removal cream to the base of each nail. After a minute, push the cuticle back with an orange stick so that the cuticles are even.
(6) Now take your exfoliating scrub or pumice stone and slough off any dead skin.
(7) Dry your feet, taking care to dry between the toes, and applying a thick, luxurious foot cream. Take care to rub the cream into the cuticles of each toe as well.
(8) Remove any excess oils from the toe nails with the acetone nail polish remover, and then apply a thin layer of base coat nail polish to each nail. Allow it to dry, apply two coats of your favorite shade of nail polish, and then apply a top coat. Be sure to walk around in flip flops or bare feet until your nail polish dries.
That’s all there is to pampering yourself at home! Be sure to take the time out and indulge yourself for a month every month with your very own home pedicure.

Posted in: