5 Ways To Give Yourself Pedicure At Home

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re being forced into quarantine to keep us all safe—and we’re also being forced into handling our beauty needs all on our own. In our How To series, we’re chatting with beauty industry experts for their advice on all your grooming woes. Here, we share tips for giving yourself a pedicure at home.

* Soak feet

"Always soak your feet first to clean out the dead skin and bacteria from under your toenails," says Fagan. The concoction? Fill up a foot bath (or bathtub) with lukewarm water up to your ankles and add in a 1/4 cup of Epsom salts; soak for 30 to 40 minutes. Especially with Epsom salts, you don't want the water to be too hot because it takes away all of its disinfecting properties. Not only do Epsom salts benefit your nails, but it also helps to improve circulation, draw out toxins, and gets magnesium into the body without going through the digestive system.

If you don't have Epsom salts on hand,: add 1/2 cup of Listerine Mouthwash to ankle-deep lukewarm water for 30 to 40 minutes. I know it sounds weird, but the alcohol content in it kills any bacteria that's under your toenails and stops it from growing.

* Gently push back cuticles

After soaking your feet, grab a towel and clean in between toes and around the nails to get rid of any dead skin that's built up. Don't cut your cuticles, just gently push back the cuticle area with a towel over your finger you don't need a special tool for this.

* Cut or file nails straight across

Why? "If you cut into the corners, you're more likely to get ingrown toenails especially if you're already prone to them. Just cut or file your nails straight across, and try to leave them a bit longer right now until you can get to your foot care provider so that you don't run into any problems." She also cautions that if your nails are thicker, it's a good idea not to cut them because they can break down the sides and cause potential issues, like ingrown toenails, when they start to grow out.

* Always start with a base coat

Want to have brighter feet? Finish up your pedicure with some polish. "To make sure that the polish is going to stick to your nails, you'll want to thoroughly go over them with a non-acetone polish remover to get rid of any oils or residue," says Fagan. If you don't have a non-acetone polish at home, try rubbing alcohol.

Remember: Always apply a base coat so the polish colour doesn't absorb into the nail bed. Follow with two coats of polish and a top coat to protect the polish from wearing off quickly. "When you’re finishing up your top coat, make sure to run a horizontal swipe over the bottom edge of your nail to prevent chipping," she says. Then, let them dry for at least an hour.

* Let nails "breathe" between pedicures

To let toenails "breathe" between pedicures, Fagan suggests to take your polish off a couple of days before a pedicure. The toenails don’t breathe, but they are porous and the skin underneath them needs to breathe. "If you never take the polish off, you’ll end up with dehydration marks on the nail because they’re not getting enough moisture."

While your nail polish is off, massage an oil into the nail bed. The oil will sink in through the nail and help to hydrate the skin underneath.