How to Do a Home Pedicure For Beautiful Feet

Use toe separators to keep your toes apart and help polish dry quicker.

Having a professional pedicure done can be very relaxing, and it's a great way to be pampered. However, it can also be quite expensive, especially if you need to redo chipped polish frequently. If you want beautiful feet at a fraction of the cost, consider doing a home pedicure. It's actually very easy to do a great-looking pedicure and all you need is a few inexpensive items.

Things You'll Need

• Nail polish remover
• Cotton balls
• Large bowl, big enough to soak feet
• 1 bath towel
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. Epsom salts
• 1 hand towel
• Small bowl
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• ½ cup and 1 tsp. olive oil (separate)
• Orange stick for cuticles
• Large nail clippers
• Strong nail file or emery board
• Foot moisturizer
• Clear base coat polish
• Nail polish
• Toe separators (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove any existing nail polish using nail polish remover and a few cotton balls. Quickly rinse off your feet in the sink or bath tub to remove the acetone residue.

2. Fill a large bowl with warm water to create a foot bath. Be sure to place the foot bath on the bath towel to keep the floor from getting wet. Mix in 1 tablespoon Epsom salts and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and stir the foot bath gently with your fingers.

   Soak your feet in the foot bath for about 20 minutes. Rub your feet gently a few times while they are soaking. Epsom salts exfoliate feet, making them soft and smooth. Remove your feet after the allotted time and gently dry them with a clean bath towel.

3. Empty the foot bath and rinse it thoroughly. Fill the large bowl with warm water and set it aside. Mix ½ cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons sugar in a separate small bowl and stir the mixture gently with your fingers. Apply the sugary solution to the bottoms of your feet and rub it in gently for a few minutes to get rid of any excess dry skin and rough patches. Then, spread a little of the sugar mix on the tops of your toenails and down by the cuticles, and rub it in gently to exfoliate these areas. Rubbing the sugar mix on cuticles will make them easier to be push back.

   Rinse your feet thoroughly in the large bowl you filled with warm water. Pat your feet dry with a hand towel.

4. Clip your toenails to get your feet ready for polish. The best way to cut toenails is to clip them straight across — this prevents ingrown toe nails, especially on the big toes. Do not cut off too much of the toenail; leave at least a little white on each nail.

5. Using an emery board or strong nail file, file your toenails straight across and gently upward on the sides. Do this until you have a neat and groomed nail on each toe.

6. Rub 1 teaspoon olive oil into the cuticles. Take an orange stick and gently push back the cuticles. The olive oil will make pushing back the cuticle just a little easier and will also moisturize this area to prevent dryness. Rub off any excess olive oil with the hand towel.

7. Rub foot moisturizer on the bottoms of your feet and the underside of toes up to the toenails. A foot moisturizer with peppermint will cool and relax your feet and sooth muscles. Do not get moisturizer on your toenails because it will be harder to get your toe nail polish to stay.

8. Apply a clear base coat of polish to each toe and let it dry. Finish your pedicure by applying two coats of any color polish you wish to use. Let the polish dry completely before putting on any socks or shoes (usually about 20 to 30 minutes).

Tips & Warnings

• You may wait to apply the foot moisturizer until after the nails have been polished and the polish is dry. This way, you can spread the foot moisturizer all over feet and nails.

References

• "Rescue Your Nails"; Ji Baek