Are you looking to treat yourself to an incredibly decadent and enjoyable home pedicure?
Here are the tips you need to make it an exceptional experience. Look no further for instructions because we will walk you through everything you need to know to pamper your precious feet.
You might think that only trained professionals can perform pedis, but you couldn’t be further than the truth. Of course, salon and spa employees and estheticians receive specialty training in these skills, and that education is a fundamental of their success. However, you can quickly learn the basics, and use that knowledge to treat yourself to regular home pedicures at your convenience and within your comfort levels.
It’s always nice to have another person rub and pamper your feet, and you don’t have to give that up. But, you could do well to learn a few of the basics to supplement your spa treatments, to enhance the knowledge you have of your feet, and to make your ankles, feet, and toes feel better thanks to the skills of your own two hands and without having to leave the house.
Benefits Of Home Pedis
You Likely Already Have Everything You Need.
You don’t need to break the bank to get a whole professional-grade set-up for your house. Take a look around at what you already have. Namely, you need a large basin for soaking your little paws, a few towels, plenty of moisturizer, and some handy, clean tools to use on your softened feet.
They Are Cheap, Even Free!
You can easily spend $30-50 a pop or more on professional pedicures at the salon or spa. Of course, you’re worth a million dollars, but perhaps you could find a better use for that moolah and DIY with the same results.
You Can Remain In The Comfort Of Your Own Home.
No need to dress up and hustle about, having to deal with parking and making small talk with strangers. You can stay in your most comfortable lounging pants and get a professional-grade pedicure while listening to your music and eating your favorite snacks.
You Can Do It Exactly How You Like.
Sometimes you leave the salon feeling a bit underwhelmed by the entire experience. No need to be disappointed! Get that water temp perfect for you, let that foot massage run along a little longer, and get that color polished on the entire surface area of each nail bed – just the way you like it.
Step-By-Step DIY Instructions
Start by getting everything you’ll need for your luxurious home spa experience before you put your feet in to soak, or else you’ll miss it later on when you need it!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- A large basin for soaking both your feet, water to fill it, a few drops of Castile soap, essential oils, or fractionated coconut oil
- Two medium-sized clean towels
- Sterile tools for working on your feet, such as a pumice stone, nail clippers or scissors, a nail file, cuticle trimmers, an orange stick for pushing back cuticles, etc.
- A moisturizer that you like
- Nail polish, both colored and clear
- Toe separators
Now, here’s what you do for your luxury at-home pedicure:
1 – Make a perfect foot soaking tub
Fill the basin with water that is more than warm but not scalding. Ideally, you should be able to comfortably put both feet into the soaking tub at one time, but if your container only fits one foot, you can easily do them one at a time.
Be sure to use a clean basin and clean water, and swap out the water in between feet. The name of the game here is sterility, so you want to start with unsoiled items and to only use clean items throughout the pedicure.
You can opt to add a few drops of Castile soap, a few drops of your favorite essential oil, and/or a squirt or two of fractionated coconut oil to facilitate the process a little. Lavender and Frankincense have relaxing properties, while Tea Tree is a natural microbial and will be useful to zap away foot odor.
2 – Enjoy a pampering, long soak
Place one or both feet into the water and let them soak comfortably for a solid 10 minutes. This step is essential so that the hot water penetrates into the many layers of live and dead skin on your feet and begins to soften everything up.
This step is also important to set a time or mood for your overall experience. This should not be a rushed process, as this time should be calm and enjoyable. Consider putting on some calming music, lighting a candle, and flipping through a magazine while your feet start to melt into the water.
3 – Perform nail and cuticle care
Now is the time to use the tools you have, and let’s emphasize once again how important it is for your devices to be clean and sterilized. This is often the source of the infections you read about in salons, so be sure to wash and thoroughly dry all your tools. What happens is, you might nick your skin on accident, and then it is easier for germs to infect your tiny open wound. However, this is easy to avoid with clean tools and surfaces.
Start with the nail clippers or scissors and take advantage of your now soft toenails by clipping them down. You want to cut straight across and not curve the edges down too much to avoid possible ingrown nails. It’s always better to err on the side of caution because you can file them as well.
Next, use the orange stick or equivalent to gently push back all your cuticles. Since they will be soft and pliable, they will be easy to push back. So don’t break the delicate skin by being too rough. Use your cuticle trimmers to cut off that excess dead skin carefully.
4 – Exfoliate your feet
Take a few moments, if you have a pumice stone, to quickly run it over the surfaces of each foot, paying close attention to the heel, the big toe, and the sides. Then, take one foot out of the water and dry it with a clean towel. Keep the other foot in the basin, and cross your dry ankle over your knee to access it. Adding liberal amounts of your moisturizer, begin to massage your foot and rub it in.
This is a time to really knead that arch, stroke that heel, and rub those toes. Use your thumbs to press into the center of your sole. And then rub the thumbs outward toward the edges of your feet. If something feels good, stay with it, and don’t forget to keep adding the lotion or oil to your hands. Your steamy, slightly damp feet will soak that moisture right up!
When you’re finished with one foot, wrap it up in the towel, and set it down on the ground next to your basin. Bring the other foot up to dry and cross it over your knee, gently sliding the tub away from under your feet, so you don’t accidentally step into it. This water should be discarded when you’re finished, and the basin should be scrubbed with soap and hot water in order to fully sanitize it.
When you’re finished with the second foot, wrap it up in the towel. Feel free to take ample time with this step because your feet hardly ever get this kind of dedicated TLC. Enjoy!
5 – A polished finish
To polish or not to polish? If you’re opting out of nail polish, then you are all set! Think about putting on some nice cotton socks for an hour or so in order to let all that moisture fully penetrate into your skin.
However, if you’re polishing, take the corner of one of your towels and buff each of your nails with it. You don’t want the oils and such from your lotion to affect the polish’s finish and need a dry nail bed.
Gently roll each of the polishes, color, and clear, in between your palms for several minutes each. This practice serves to mix up the lacquer but not add air bubbles. Apply two coats of the color of your choice to each of your toenails. Move from one side of the foot to the other twice. Finally, apply one coat of clear coat on every nail. Take your time, and have a piece of tissue nearby to wipe up any polish that ends up on your skin while it’s still wet.
6 – Patience, please–don’t bloop your nails
Keep your nails dry and smudge-free by applying toe separators or cotton balls in between each toe. After all your hard work, this is not the time for damages! Wait 15 more minutes before getting up from your chair. Remember, this patience is well worth the wait.
Final Thoughts On Home Pedicures
Use this tutorial tonight, and give yourself the pedicure you’ve been missing. This can become automatic and easy, a real pattern in your life if you’d like! Learn what makes the process easier and better and improve your technique each time you treat yourself.
You’ll discover that this type of pampering is more than a simple treat. It’s required maintenance for our bodies and our peace of mind. There’s always time to perform a little self TLC. You deserve it!
