How To Give Yourself A Pedicure (With Household Items!)

A person’s feet can tell you a lot about them. In fact, feet are one of the first things people notice about others when they’re getting to know them, especially if you’re wearing sandals!

Sure, we all put in effort and put on our most flattering outfits and do our makeup to impress others.

However, we tend to do little when it comes to taking care of our feet, and this can be a deal-breaker for many.

There is nothing more disappointing than meeting someone you like and then suddenly looking down to see their ingrown nails or cracked heels.

On the other hand, well-groomed feet and neatly trimmed toenails add on to a person’s overall appearance and speak volumes about their personal hygiene.

As a result, people are automatically attracted to individuals who take care of themselves.

Moreover, having beautiful feet will also enhance your confidence and make you feel good about yourself.

You’ll feel more charming the next time you put on that favorite black dress and actually take the time out to paint your nails.

This is why it’s important to keep your feet well-maintained and presentable especially in the warmer seasons when you’re wearing sandals or heels.

Unfortunately, pedicures cost a ton of money! That’s why we put together this guide on how to give yourself a pedicure at home.

Why Should You Give Yourself Pedicures At Home?

As important as it is to keep your feet on point, not everyone can afford to go to salons for pedicures every month.

It can be quite costly to go to a fancy salon and avail their pedicure services regularly.

Moreover, it is difficult to take out time for pedicures at the salon from your busy work routine.

Some of these salons don’t even take walk-in customers and expect you to make an appointment beforehand.

This makes the whole process a hassle to begin with. If you are reading this and thinking “this is exactly why I don’t go to salons for pedicures,” then this article is for you.

Doing a pedicure at home does not only save money but also saves a lot of time.

You can easily do it at the time of your convenience and do not have to schedule it a week prior to when you want the service.

Furthermore, doing a pedicure at home means you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home and commute to a salon.

This saves you the trouble of getting stuck in traffic.

How To Give Yourself Pedicure At Home

It is a common misconception that you need expensive skincare products to do an effective pedicure to yourself at home.

You can achieve the same visible results even if you use the most basic and available-at-home items.

So, it’s completely fine if you don’t want to spend too much on expensive products and would rather do a pedicure with household items instead.

As long as you follow the simple steps explained below, you can get beautiful feet far more easily than you’d think.

1. Groom Your Nails

This is the first step to do when you start your pedicure at home. All you require for this step is a nail cutter, a nail filer, and a nail polish remover with some cotton.

If you don’t have these items, we recommend getting a high-quality pedicure set – this will make your life much easier!

First of all, it’s time to take off that chipped nail polish you’ve had on for weeks!

So, take a nail polish remover and cotton and rub off all the old nail polish you still have on your nails.

Now let’s trim those nails. We suggest you trim your nails to a length you can easily keep clean.

If you face the problem of ingrown toenails, then make sure you cut your nails straight across.

Also, remember not to cut off the corners of your toenails too deep as this will increase the chances of ingrown nails.

Filing is the last part of this step. Use your nail filer to shape your toenails according to your preference.

You can shape them square or round, however you like them!

2. Relax Your Feet With A Soak

Soaking your feet in warm water will be relaxing, plus it helps soften your toenails.

It will also soften your feet to prepare them for scrubbing.

All you need to do is soak them and sit comfortably for 15 minutes.

You can add some body wash in the water to clean them and some Epsom salt to soften your feet.

This will help tremendously if you have dry, cracked feet with a ton of dead skin and calluses!

3. Smooth Your Feet With A Scrub

This is a crucial step, and fortunately, can be done with household items!

Scrubs help your feet by getting rid of the dead skin and bringing out a soft layer of skin from beneath.

You can make your own scrub for a pedicure at home by mixing some brown sugar, honey, olive oil, and lemon juice.

This mixture will work perfectly as an exfoliator.

Otherwise, you can use a foot scrubber or pumice stone if you have one.

It’s important to focus on the areas where you feel rough skin. If you have cracked heels, then try to scrub off the dead skin on them.

Don’t rush through this step and scrub patiently to rejuvenate the skin on your feet.

4. Moisturize and Massage Your Feet

Now that your feet are clean, it’s time to hydrate them. You can massage your feet with almond oil to moisturize them.

Make sure you apply some weight on the pressure points to improve blood circulation and relax foot muscles.

If you have cracked heels, then you should apply Vaseline.

All you need to do is apply a generous amount of Vaseline, wrap up your feet with plastic, and wear a pair of socks overnight.

Your heels will feel much smoother in the morning!

5. Paint Your Nails For That Extra Oomph

Finally, give your feet the complete look by adding color to those flawless, smooth feet.

Apply a base coat for your nail color to last longer and wait for the nail color to dry off before you apply a top coat on it.

At Home Pedicure Vs Salon

When it comes down to it, there are some crucial differences between doing a DIY pedicure at home, versus getting one done at a salon.

The obvious answer is, salon workers are trained to do manicures and pedicures and do possibly tens or dozens of them a day.

If you do a dozen of anything a day, you’ll get quite good at it!

That being said, if you practice, you can eventually get as good as any salon worker! Just don’t expect to get it completely right the first time.

We all mistakes! You’re only human!

The second big thing, of course, is the price. A pedicure, generally speaking, is around $50 every time, and people generally get one every two weeks.

This means you’re spending a hundred dollars every month to get a pedicure!

If you’re serious about doing pedicures (and manicures!) yourself, a pedicure set will definitely come in handy, and you will get salon results at home with a bit of practice!

Can I Give Myself A Pedicure If I Have Thick Toenails, Toenail Fungus, Etc?

If you have thick toenails that are the result of toenail fungus, you absolutely can give yourself a pedicure!

In fact, it’s probably better that you give yourself a pedicure since you won’t risk exposing your nail fungus to any of the technicians or other clientele.  

Continue to follow the steps in this guide, just make sure you use a specialty nail clipper and foot soak to destroy your nail fungus!

Last Few Words

We hope this article is useful to you in learning how to do a pedicure with household items. It’s much easier than you thought, right?

Well, we told you so. So, don’t delay getting beautiful smooth feet any longer!

You can finally start taking care of your tired feet now that you’ve read all the simple tips to do so.

Thank you for reading this guide on how to give yourself a salon pedicure, at home!