Home Pedicure

Welcome, a home pedicure can get your toenails and feet feeling and loking brand new again, all groomed and pampered.

Two friends enjoying a home pedicure

Here you will find a list and a description of the materials you will need for you to be able to perform a pedicure for yourself or together with a friend.

Followed by a detailed 'procedure' and guide where you will be taken through each part of the pedicure one step at a time.

It is nice to take care of our feet now and then and a home pedicure is a wonderful way to do just that.

Better still, relax while a friend or partner performs the pedicure and then return the favour by treating them.

You may find it is actualy a lovely way to spend an hour or two with your friend. You will need some small pieces of equipment to help you do a nice home pedicure.

Toenail scissors it is always wise to have a good pair of toenail scissors, they cut the nails much easier and cleaner.

A little tip, to stop the cut nail jumping half way across the room, try and position your index finger loosly over the jaws of the scissors. It keeps all the 'cut nail' bits together on the towel.

A good pair of Toenail scissors are designed for ease of use and control, so very important when you are cutting toenails, especially when cutting

childrens toenails. Scraping tool This is the tool that a professional chiropodist would use the most.

It has a small curved edge on the end that can easily get into the small, awkward, places like down the side of the toenail and slightly under it, lifting the toenail a little.

This tool easily removes any build up of dead skin cells that may be adding pressure under the nail of the toe.

Use it also on the cuticles to push back the skin.

Pumice stone A small pumice stone is great for getting rid of any hard skin that may have formed around the heel or toe or around the ball of the foot.

Nail File Files the edge of the nail smooth and allows for all the nails to be the shape required.

Tea tree oil Is a great natural oil, and a natural antifungal treatment, two drops in the water works wonders.

Foot Cream We use Epoch Sole solution by Nu skin, it is in my opinion one of the best and rapidly gets to work on hard dry skin.

Another good one is by Nivea (renewal night creme).

These creme's will moisturize and enrich the skin of the foot leaving them nice and soft.

Foot bath A bowl large eneugh to immerse the whole foot without scrunching up the toes.

Soft towel It is best to keep your foot on a towel while doing a self pedicure or keep it between your lap and your friends foot if pedicuring your friend.

Cotton wool For cleaning off any 'old' nail polish and for putting between the toes to keep them separated.

Nail polish remover Use acetone polish remover on some cotton pads.

Nail Polish Of your choice.

A pedicure for Ladies and Gentlemen
procedure

A pedicure for both Ladies and Gentlemen starts with clean or unpainted toenails.

If they are painted or have nail polish then the first step is to have this removed.

With a soft towel and all the instruments on a table close at hand find a comfortable place and position to work.

1 We begin our home pedicure with a good foot soak one foot at a time and with the water at around room temperature, add some bath salts to the water if you prefer.

If you have a home foot spa even better as the little bubbles gently massage the foot to give a wonderful 'soft' feeling to the skin.

5 mins is enough for this.

2 Dry the foot well. Especially under, between and around the toes.

If it is not your own pedicure then it is best to have the towel on your lap with the foot comfortably rested in front of you.

3 Using the 'nail cleaner' instrument gently scrape down the sides of the toenail with the curved edge slightly under the nail.

If it hurts then you are too far under the nail.

The object here is to clear all the dead cells from around the nail.

It relieves any pressure from under the nail and leaves the nail in a better position for correct trimming.

Do this to all of the nails on the one foot.

4 Trim lightly with the scissors cutting straight across the nail, not around or down the sides.

Leave the edge of the nail with about 3mm of growth. Again, do this to all the nails on the one foot.

5 Using the emery board file, gently and without touching the skin on the toe, smoothe the edges and shape the nail.

Use only on the edges and not on the flat part of the nail.

6 With the small pumice stone you can remove the dead or hard skin that may have formed under and around the heel or the ball of the foot.

Never scrub it too hard or too much that may render the skin raw or tender.

The object is to remove a little dead skin so that the last product you apply in this procedure(the cream or oil) will be able to work on the skin below.

7 Next on the list of our home pedicure is a little attention to the cuticle which is the small piece of skin that grows from the center part of the root of the nail.

Very gently push it back in line with the nail root and scrape it clean with the cuticle tool. Again, to all toes on the one foot.

8 With the foot cream or oil of your choice massage well into the whole foot, around the nails you have just cut and cleaned and around the heel.

My recomendation would be 'Sole solution' by New Skin or a natural 'Jojoba' oil. Sole solution acts to leave the skin silky smoothe and is excellent on hard skin.

Jojoba oil is a natural oil and mild antifungal.

It rehydrates and lubricates the skin leaving it soft to the touch and is readily absorbed into the skin without leaving an oily patch.

9 If you need to apply paint or polish clean the nail with the cotton wipes to remove any oil or foot cream.

10 Clean the instruments in alcohol, relax for a while then do the other foot just the same.

We hope you enjoyed your home pedicure, it is wonderful to have beautiful toenails and nice soft skin.

Now show them off with some nice comfortable, open sandals.

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