Doing Your Own Pedicure

Doing a pedicure at home can have some great advantages over visiting the salon. You don't have to pay to have someone else do it, and you can do your nails in the comfort of your own home.

Doing a pedicure at home isn't too complicated, and usually won't take up too much of your time. You can even turn it into a relaxing experience by taking a bubble bath first or lighting candles.

Begin by setting things up in a clean, comfortable place with good lighting. You will need to gather together your nail polish (a base coat, whatever nail color you want, and a top coat), polish remover, a nail file, nail clippers, cotton balls, a pumice stone, a towel, and lotion.

To get the most out of your home pedicure, follow this process:

1. If you have any polish left over on your nails from a previous paint job, remove it entirely with the cotton balls and polish remover. File and clip your toe nails as desired, making sure they are smooth and even.
2. Next, you will need to soak your feet in warm water. You can do this in the bath tub, or you can use a footbath. You might want to add some nice-smelling soap. Clean your feet and toes thoroughly, paying special attention to you nails, then dry with a towel.
3. Using a pumice stone, scrub away dead skin on your feet. Use lotion on your feet to make them extra soft. This is also a good time to push back the cuticles on your nails to prepare them for polish.
4. Now it's time to starting painting you nails. Place toe separators or bits of tissue or cotton balls between your toes to keep them apart. Begin with the basecoat, making sure each toe nail is dry before moving on to the next step.
5. Choose the nail color you want. Apply the polish carefully to each nail. You will probably need to do two coats for the best results. Once you are done and the nails are dry, paint over your nails with a top coat to keep the polish protected.
6. Do any touch-ups to the paint or clean up any polish that may have gotten onto your skin with polish remover. Take out the toe separators and you are done with your pedicure.

A home pedicure is an easy and inexpensive way to get beautiful toe nails and pamper yourself a little in the process.