10 Steps to DIY Manicure and Pedicure at Home

While women would love to step out for a manicure and pedicure often, that’s not always possible. Professional and personal commitments can reduce the time you have for yourself and quite often you have to sacrifice the pedicure. While you might have to give up the spa chair, we at Pedi Source believe that you shouldn’t need to give up pedicure entirely.

While a professional pedicure is always a best option, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the only option. Here are 10 steps to DIY manicure and pedicure.

1 – Find the Right Supplies

Before you try a DIY manicure or pedicure, make sure that you have all the supplies on hand.

· For a manicure, you’ll need: Nail polish remover, cotton balls, nail trimmer, nail buffer, nail file, cuticle trimmer, hand cream, base coat, top coat, and nail polish.

· For a pedicure, you’ll need: A small tub or a basin, towels, bath salts, pumice stone, and foot cream in addition to all the items mentioned in the manicure list.

2 – Removing Old Polish

The next step is to thoroughly remove all the nail polish from your toes and fingers. If you let any linger, the next coat of polish wouldn’t be as smooth as you’d like. We recommend using acetone, even though it will dry the nails out. You can always moisturize them later with cuticle oil or any hand cream. After you’re removed the nail polish, soak your hands and feet in warm water with bath salt.

3 – Cuticles

Warm water would’ve softened the cuticles enough for you to gently push them back. After you push them back, you’ll find very tiny slivers of skin clinging to your nails where your cuticles were pushed back from. All you need to do is remove them. Don’t try to cut cuticles at home as you might cut too deep and risk infection.

4 – Exfoliating

Exfoliating your legs and feet would remove a layer of dead skin cells and dirt, allowing your feet and legs to shine through and look great. There are several foot exfoliating scrubs available in the market. You can also create a scrub at home with recipes found online.

5 – Scrub

After soaking your feet for a few more minutes, use the pumice stone to gently scrub away any dead skin and calluses. It’s very important to be careful here. If you scrub too deep, you’ll open yourself to the risk of infection. If you find that there’s just too much dead skin and calluses on the bottom of your feet, try to moisturize and scrub them every day until the dead skin in gone. After that you can return to your normal pedicure routine. You don’t really need to head for the pedicure chairsthat often, just to soften your heels and your calluses. The soak and scrub routine can be easily done at home.

6 – Moisturize

After scrubbing, thoroughly wash your feet and legs before moisturizing. This would help your skin feel soft and supple. The water bath, the exfoliation, and the scrubbing would dry your skin, so moisturizing is essential.

7 – Trimming

Now it’s time to trim the nails on your hands and feet. Be careful not to cut too close to the skin as that can invite infections. A good indication of length is just feeling the top of your toes. Your nails should just barely graze your fingers. As for finger nails, keep them short enough that you’ll be able to carry out your day to day tasks easily. Trimming the nails too close to the skin would cause hangnails or in-grown nails.

8 – Filing

You’ve probably seen people filing their nails back and forth but that would only damage the nails. Instead, you should carefully slide the filer along the edge at a 45° angle. That would protect your nails from damage.

9 – Nail polishing

After the nails are trimmed and shaped, carefully apply a layer of base coat on your nails and allow them to dry properly. Follow up with a nail color, and finally the top coat.

10 – Moisturize and Clean up

Aftert hat everything is done, moisturize your hands and clean all the instruments that you used to perform the manicure and pedicure.

If you have any questions about manicure and pedicure, pedicure chairs, and equipment, you’re free to contact us at Pedi Source. Just give us a call at 1855 429 PEDI. You can also email one of these two email address with your questions and contact details: info@Pedisource.com and James@Pedisource.com.

Published by Kidal Delonix (1198 Posts)

Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.