Last week, we did a blog on how brides-to-be can pamper themselves with an at-home manicure during the quarantine. And asked whether you would like a blog on pedicure at home as well. A lot of you said YES! So here we go.
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Our feet are subjected to much more wear and tear as compared to our hands, so this might take more time and effort as compared to a manicure. But it’s not hard! If you tried the manicure step-by-step tutorial, it’s pretty much the same except you have to spend more time soaking, scrubbing and removing dead skin around your nails. Here is a step by step guide on how to do a salon-style pedicure at home.
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Step 1: Remove any nail paint
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The first step is to get rid of any remnants of your old nail polish. This takes time on foot nails, so be gentle. Soak the cotton ball in a nail polish remover and hold it for a few seconds before swiping.
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If you have gel polish on your feet, use the same method as described in the manicure blog to take it out. Wrap your fingers in remover-dipped cotton balls and cover it with aluminum foil. Let it stay for 10 minutes or more before removing the left out nail paint. You can use the scraper part on the cuticle remover to take off the rest of the nail paint! Watch this video here to see how Youtuber, Alexandrasgirlytalk, does it!
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Step 2: Clip, file and buff your nails
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Next, trim your nails and file them. Cut your nails to the desired length by making small cuts. Don’t cut too deep or you will end up with the painful ingrown nails. Next, file them to the shape you want. While filing, always move the tool in one direction as moving back and forth weakens the nail shaft.
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After clipping and filing, it’s time for buffing the nails. Buffing is important for your toenails as it helps with removing the dead, cloudy part on the top and adds shine to them. When done moderately, it can also help with nail growth.
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How to buff your nails correctly?
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Hold the buffer parallel to your nail and start rubbing the roughest side in unidirectionally on your nail. First, do it from one side and then the other. Make a X shape with the buffer. Just eight-ten strokes is enough, else you risk damaging your nails. Repeat the process with the finer grit side.
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Lastly, move the smoothest part of the nail buffer in small circular motions 4-5 times. This adds shine to your nails and creates a smooth base for the nail paint.
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Step 3: Soaking
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Before you start soaking, gather some candles, play some good music and pour yourself a glass of wine. Use this time to relax yourself and get a spa-like experience. If you don’t have a foot spa massager machine, you can use a normal bucket. However, we do highly recommend purchasing one. Here’s a good one to shop: FWQPRA Foot Massager Machine.
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For simple foot soak, just pour some shampoo into hot water along with 1 tbsp salt and 2 tbsp of ground oatmeal. To have an ultimate spa experience, add some bath salts/ epsom salt (here’s a good quality one we recommend – Organix Mantra Pure Epsom Salt) along with a few drops of essential oil, rose petals and juice of an entire lemon to the soak.
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Let your foot soak for 10-15 minutes before moving on to the next step.
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Step 4: Cuticle and Dead Skin Removal from toenails
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Soaking your feet for 10-15 minutes loosens up the dead skin and cuticles, this is a good time to remove them. Take out your feet from the soak, dry them up and apply some cuticle oil. Let it sit for a few minutes. Now take the cuticle removal tool and scrape off the excess cuticle around your nails. Fish out the dead skin lodged under your nails as well. Once that’s all done, push the cuticles back a little. Watch this video on how to remove extreme dead skin cells built up on your toenails.
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We don’t recommend using cuticle nippers at home. They can open the gentle skin of the nail beds and cause bleeding and infection.
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You can purchase high-quality pedicure tools here.
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Do it for one feet at a time and let the other enjoy the relaxing soak.
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FYI, if you don’t have cuticle oil to soften up the cuticle, you can use a runny mixture of baking soda + apple cider vinegar + warm water as a DIY at-home cuticle remover.
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Step 5: Scrub the feet while they are still wet:
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Get a pumice stone and start scrubbing the sole of your feet. Pumice stone helps remove dead skin cells and calluses. You can also use a foot file. A filer generally has two sides. Use the rough one to remove the dead skin and the finer one to smooth out the surface.
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Once that’s done, apply a foot scrub and massage it gently on your feet for 2-3 minutes. Here are some foot scrubs you can make at home:
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- 1 cup Granulated Sugar + Olive/ Coconut/ Almond Oil
- 2 tbsp Ground Almonds + 2 tbsp Gram Flour + Milk
- 2 tbsp Fine Salt + 1 tbsp Coffee Powder + Coconut Oil
- 4 tbsp Mashed Fruit Pulp (Banana, Papaya or Apple) + 1 tbsp Salt + 1 tbsp Sugar
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Leave on the scrub for a minute or two and wash off.
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Step 6: Masking
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Next, it’s time to put luscious hydrating masks on your feet. You can use the one available in your pedicure kit or make one of these two foot masks at home:
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- 4 tbsp Oatmeal Powder + 2 tbsp Curd + 1 tbsp Honey + 1tsp Turmeric
- ½ cup Mashed Cucumber + 2 tbsp Aloe Vera Gel + 1 Vitamin E Capsule
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Let the mask sit for 10 minutes before rinsing off with warm water.
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Step 7: Moisturising
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Scrubbing and masking opens your pores. This is the perfect time to rub a good hydrating moisturiser on your feet. Use this time to really massage your feet. Focus on your soles, between your finger and around your toenails. Here’s a deeply relaxing foot massage video to follow:
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Step 8: Paint your nails
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Once the moisturizer really sinks in. It’s time to paint your nails. If you have toe separators, get them. Apply a thin layer of base coat first. Let it dry. Then, apply two thin layers of nail paint of your choice. Let the nail paint dry between the two coats. Feeling fancy during quarantine? Here’s a nail art design tutorial for toenails. Some of them are pretty easy! You can do them if you feel like.
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And voila! Your super-pretty feet are now ready to gaze on.
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Pampering yourself at home has a lot of benefits. It is a great way to pass your time, it helps to maintain the beauty of your feet and it has therapeutic benefits as well! Moreover, once you start doing it yourself, it will help you save a lot of time and money after the quarantine. What are we spending the extra money on?
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You should do this pedicure once a month to reap maximum benefits. Let us know how it works out for you. Any suggestions are always welcome!
