Get A Salon-Quality Pedicure At Home With These 5 Simple Steps

Need a new way to feel beautiful? Take those ugly, blank toenails and make them beautiful by following these five steps.You’ll look like you just came from a nail salon – only you will know that you gave yourself a pedicure at home!

 

Step #1: Trim And Shape Your Toenails

If you already have nail polish on your toenails, remove it. Then, trim them neatly, making sure to clip across the top of the nail in a straight line. If you trim the corners of the nail down too much, you’re much more likely to suffer a painful ingrown toenail. After clipping, shape your nails with a nail file.

Step #2: Treat Your Feet To A Foot Bath

Fill a bathtub, basin, or foot bath with enough warm water to cover your feet to the ankle, then mix in some bath salts and your favorite essential oil, if desired. Put a few smooth pebbles in the bottom of the tub to massage the soles of your feet.
Relax with your feet in the bath for 15-20 minutes, then dry your feet off with a towel.

Step #3: Remove Dry And Dead Skin Cells By Exfoliating

Once your feet are dry, apply cuticle cream to the cuticles of your toenails, and let it sit for a few minutes. While the cuticle cream is working, exfoliate your whole foot with a foot scrub. Apply firm pressure, but don’t scrape the skin too hard.
When you’re finished, wipe away the cuticle cream and use a cuticle-pushing tool to push your cuticles back.

Step #4: Moisturize

Wash off the foot scrub, then apply a moisturizing lotion all over your feet to hydrate and soften the skin and prevent cracks. Be generous with the lotion, and rub it in well.
On a side note, massaging your feet regularly has other benefits, too. It stimulates the nerve endings in the foot, promotes better circulation, and helps keep the skin and muscles of the foot nourished and healthy.

Step #5: Polish Your Toenails

Now that all the prep work is done, you’re ready to decorate your toenails with whatever color of nail polish you like. However, just as you would when polishing your fingernails, you should always start with a base coat. Let your base coat dry, then apply your first coat of nail polish. Your nail polish will be more durable and longer lasting if you apply a second coat after the first coat has dried completely.