How to Give a Pedicure and the Tools Needed

Give your toes a treat with a home pedicure.

We all like to be pampered every once in a while. A pedicure is the perfect way to relax and pamper yourself. Visits to the salon for a pedicure can become costly. Give yourself a pedicure at home and produce the same results as the professionals for a fraction of the cost. Your toes will look and feel rejuvenated in no time with a home pedicure.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton pads
• Nail polish remover
• Cuticle pusher
• Emery board
• Large, flat-bottomed bowl
• Warm water
• ¼ cup Epsom salts
• ¼ cup milk
• Pumice stone
• Towel
• Cuticle remover
• Cuticle trimmers
• Moisturizing foot cream
• Cotton balls
• Base coat polish
• Nail polish
• Top coat polish

Instructions

1. Remove the old polish from your toenails. Use cotton pads saturated with nail polish remover to get all of the polish off. Avoid using cotton balls as they may leave traces of cotton on your toenails. Wrap a cotton pad around a cuticle pusher to remove polish from the edge of the nail where it meets the skin.

2. Trim your toenails. Use toenail clipper to cut your toenails straight across. Leave them about 1/8 inch in length.

3. Use an emery board to smooth the edges of your toenails. File the nail in one direction, from corner to corner.

4. Fill a large, flat-bottomed bowl with warm water. Add ¼ cup Epsom salts and ¼ cup milk to the water. Wait a few minutes for the salt to dissolve completely.

5. Place your feet in the bowl. Soak your feet for 10-15 minutes.

6. Rub the balls and heels of your feet gently with a pumice stone while they are soaking in the water. This will remove dead skin and calluses. Remove your feet from the bowl and dry them thoroughly with a soft towel.

7. Squeeze a small amount of cuticle remover on your finger. Rub the cuticle remover into the base of each toenail. Wait about one minute and then use a cuticle pusher to slowly push back your cuticles, where the skin meets the nail. Trim loose cuticle skin with cuticle trimmers. Use caution when trimming your cuticles so not to cut the flesh of your toes.

8. Moisten a cotton pad with nail polish remover. Rub this over the toenails to remove any oily residue left on the nail from the moisturizer.

9. Place a cotton ball between each toe. This is to keep the toes spread out while polishing.

10. Apply a base coat to the toenails. Use three strokes when applying base coats, polish and top coats. Apply one stroke down the middle of the nail and one stroke on each side of the middle stroke.

11. Allow the base coat to dry completely, generally for about 20 minutes. Apply a coat of nail polish to the toenails.

12. Allow the nail polish to dry completely. Apply a top coat to the toenails. Allow the top coat to dry completely before putting on socks or shoes.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove excess polish from the edges of the toenails using a cuticle pusher wrapped in a cotton pad and dipped in nail polish remover.

References

• Ultimate Cosmetics: Wondering how to give yourself a pedicure at home? Here is how...
• I Love India: Home Pedicure