Just like a beautiful face and hands, clean and moisturized legs are an important part of your beauty. Proper care of legs requires doing a pedicure at frequent intervals. This process relaxes your legs and accentuates their beauty.
As getting it done at the spa is expensive, you can perform the pedicure treatment at home by yourself. This article provides you a step-by-step guide to performing a perfect spa pedicure at home.
Advantages Of Doing Pedicure Regularly
Pedicure is one of the best ways to pamper yourself. It is a healthy and rejuvenating experience. Despite these benefits, only a handful of people attend to their legs and take proper care of them frequently. Let us see the benefits of doing it regularly.
- It removes all the dirt, filth, dust, and germs on the skin or trapped inside the nails.
- Exfoliation helps removes dead skin cells and creates space for new and healthy cells to grow. In this way, it beautifies your legs and makes them appear youthful.
- Gentle oil massage is performed as part of the process to relax your tired feet. It also makes the nails strong, nourished, and healthy.
- Treating your skin and nails with healthy oils and lotions helps preserve the skin’s moisture. It is essential in the cold weather season.
- Pedicure improves blood flow throughout the feet that helps in the rejuvenation of the cells. It also helps in getting relief from tension in the feet and calves.
- Pedicure is also beneficial when the skin of your feet has got tanned due to harmful UV rays of the sun. The procedure and the ingredients used in the process helps provide relief from suntan.
- The process involves exfoliation that helps remove the dead skin of the feet.
- Regular cleaning of the skin helps prevent the chances of the development of skin infections, toenail fungus, ingrown nails, corns, eczema, bunions, etc. to a good extent.
- Besides health, clean and beautiful legs also create a good impression on people. It boosts your confidence and makes you feel good.
To get the above benefits, you should incorporate pedicure in your regular beauty regimen.
Things That You Will Require To Perform Pedicure At Home
You would need a few tools and ingredients to perform the pedicure process at home. So, make sure you get them all ready before starting the process.
- Anti-Bacterial Soap
- Fine Emery Board
- Cuticle Cream/Oil
- Foot Cream/Body Lotion
- Nail Cutter
- Cotton Wool
- Paper Napkins
- Orange Wood Sticks
- Disinfecting Fluid
- Lint Free Wipes
- Nail Polish
- Base Coat
- Top Coat, and
- Nail Polish Remover
Step By Step Procedure To Perform Pedicure At Home
Follow all the below steps in the same sequence. The right execution of the pedicure will give you the best benefits from the procedure.
1. Soak Feet
Take a bucket and fill half of it with warm water. Add bath salts and lemon pieces to it. In absence of bath salts, you can even add shampoo to the water. Shampoo and salt help get rid of the dirt from foot nails and feet. This process will soften the hard skin of the feet and calluses on the toes, heels, and cuticles. After keeping the feet in the bucket for 15 minutes, use a pumice stone to clean the feet.
2. Remove Your Old Polish
Now the next step is to remove the old nail paint from the nails. Use a good quality nail polish remover (with pure acetone) to removes even the hardest colors from the nails.
3. Cut and File Your Nails
Now your nails are clean and free from color, you can start giving them a shape. Based on your preference, cut and trim the nails. Ensure that you do not cut them too short as it can cause inflammation and pain around the edges. It can even cause breakage in the nails.
4. Scrubbing
You would notice that your heels will become soft after you soak them in warm water. This makes it easier to scrub them. Now apply an exfoliating scrub (preferably homemade scrub) and rub it on the calves and feet.
With the help of a scrub brush, properly rub the feet. It will help remove all the dead skin cells, impurities, dirt, and coarse skin from the heels. With the help of a foot file, gently remove calluses. Once the scrubbing is done, rinse your feet with plain water. It will remove the scrub from the area and prepare the toes for the remaining steps of a pedicure.
5. Push Back Cuticles
Pay special attention to the cuticles of the toe. This is because they offer protection to the nails from different types of bacteria. Dry the foot and apply a little cuticle softener solution /cuticle oil on each nail.
This is an oil-based skin enriching solution that will soften the cuticles. It will improve the health, strength, and shine of your nails. Use an orange stick to push back the cuticles. Be gentle when cutting or trimming it.
6. Massage The Feet And Calves With The Help Of A Lotion
Use a foot cream and begin massaging the feet, toes, and calves. If you do not have foot cream, you can even use a body lotion to massage the area. This soothing massage will relax the skin. You will feel a sense of loosening of the tight muscles and the joints in the feet. Massage will also effectively hydrate the skin.
Now take a piece of cotton and put it in an alcohol solution. Use this soaked cotton ball to clean the surface of the nails. Remove the presence of an oily residue that may prevent the polish from getting stick to the nail.
This completes the cleaning and massaging procedure.
7. Paint Your Nails
Here comes the interesting part that you have been waiting for. Now that your toes are properly cleaned and massaged, they are ready to get painted in beautiful colors. Before you start with the nail paint procedure, insert strips of foam between the toes.
It will keep your wet nails from getting rubbed against one another. Based on the color of your chosen nail polish, select the base coat, and apply it to your nails.
8. Apply The Nail Paint
Next, choose the favorite nail paint that you want to apply. Separate your toes and keep a small paper napkin through the toes to prevent the nail polish from getting smudge. You can also use the orange stick to remove any mess-ups. Apply the nail paint to your nails. Wait for fifteen minutes till it dries and becomes smear-free. To accelerate the drying process, place your feet below a curing lamp.
9. Apply a Topcoat
You would normally need to apply two thin layers of nail paint. After you have applied the first layer, wait for it to dry. Next, apply the second layer to seal in the paint. It will give you a high gloss and long-lasting finish.
Application of the topcoat will also help hide any form of imperfections too. Failing to apply it can cause the chipping of the paint on the following day. Due to these reasons, you should not skip this step.
While you apply the topcoat, make sure that you cover all those areas that you have polished. Use the paper napkin to prevent any smudge. Wait for another 15 minutes to dry the coat. It will give you the perfect spa-like finish at the comfort of your home.
10. Tidying Up
The pedicure process is completed. This is the optional step for people who find that there is some polish present on the skin or around the nail. For this step, you can use either a clean cotton pad or an orange wood stick.
Dip any of them in a nail polish remover solution and apply it on all those small bits of nail paint that you need to erase. As there might be tiny bits present under the edge, you need to be very careful at the time of performing the step. It will give you a finished look.
Useful Tips To Follow When Performing A Pedicure at Home
Now that you have learned the complete procedure of a pedicure, follow the tips to get maximum benefits from the treatment.
- Only choose homemade ingredients to perform the treatment. There are several herbal scrubbers, moisturizers, and massage oils that would protect your legs from any harm.
a) A homemade massage oil: Mix a teaspoon each of almond oil and olive oil. Add ten drops of essential oil to it. Your healthy massage oil for the feet is ready.
b) A homemade pedicure scrub: Prepare a mixture of one tablespoon of sugar and olive oil each. Prepare a smooth and lump-free paste. Apply it on the feet to get an exfoliation effect. - If you find that your toenails have got discolored, then soak the feet in the solution of lemon juice and warm water for ten minutes.
- Pedicure is not a one-time treatment. Just like you clean your skin daily, you need to perform a pedicure once every fifteen days or one month. To make the treatment long-lasting, you should moisturize it daily. Try using a good quality clear nail polish once every 2 days.
- Finish off the pedicure by applying glitter on the nails. It will make them look glossy and beautiful.
- After completion of the pedicure procedure, apply Vaseline to your cracked heels, and cover them with socks to treat the condition. Do it every time till you see complete relief in the condition.
- Take good care when clipping the cuticles to avoid any possibilities of infection.
- Use both base coat and top coat for a spa-like finish at home. It is very important to safeguard the nails from the beginning to finish.
- Make sure you moisturize the nails beforehand as it will help your newly painted nails dry without any troubles.
- Do not shake the nail polish bottle before you apply it to the nails. In place of it, you should roll it. It will help prevent forming bubbles in the polish. You will get a smoother pedicure every single time.
- Always choose a cool and dry environment to perform a pedicure treatment. It will help your nail polish get thoroughly dried especially in the region between the layers.
Always use fresh and high-quality nail polish. Not just it is safe on the skin but also gives you a smooth finish and the salon-style quality you desire.
Before you perform the procedure, make sure that the tools are properly cleaned and dried. It is recommended to keep your own set of tools and does not share it with others. It will prevent the spreading of germs or causing fungus or bacterial infection.
Who Should Not Perform Pedicure At Home?
Though pedicure is safe for everyone, certain people should not perform the procedure.
Look at the condition of your heels, toes, and ankles. People who have infections, wounds, cuts, nicks, rash on the feet/nails, or skin disorders should not perform the treatment. Other than this, people who have the following problems should prevent doing the pedicure procedure.
- Athlete’s feet are caused due to a lot of dry skin
- Warts
- Calluses
- Yellow toenails or fungus-infected toenails
- Cuts or scratches on the area close to the nails and the feet
- Ingrown toenails
Conclusion
A spa pedicure is a way to take good care of this neglected part of the body. It is a wonderful option before a fun outing with dear ones or to attend a special event. Getting a professional level pedicure treatment at home relaxes you for some time and gives a beautiful touch to your feet.
Your feet feel smoother, shinier, and colorful after the treatment. Implementing the above standard steps of pedicure regularly will keep your legs and nails healthy and gorgeous always.
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Spa Pedicure At Home – A Complete Step By Step Guide!