Learn how to do a pedicure at home in 8 easy steps
Emma-Jade Stoddart & Ayesha Muttucumaru
Wellbeing
Reading time: 7 minutes
Transform feet with a DIY pedicure to see you through sandal season…
If your feet are far from sandal-season ready, do not fret. With a few great products and some nifty tools, you can totally transform your feet at home with a DIY pedicure that will leave skin feeling silky soft and toenails perfectly polished.
The secret to getting salon-worthy results in our experience? Having the right kit and knowing the techniques to get the most out of it. Here, we’ve compiled our tried and tested list of at-home pedicure essentials, along with our top tips to help you put your best foot forward, whether you’re rocking a pair of flip flops or open toe heels.
At a glance: how to do a pedicure at home
Step 1: Prep toenails
Step 2: Remove dead skin
Step 3: Soak the feet
Step 4: Apply a foot scrub
Step 5: Cut, shape and buff nails
Step 6: Massage with foot cream
Step 7: Paint on nail polish
Step 8: Tidy up and finish with cuticle oil
Scroll on for the full lowdown on each step and our approved product picks to take your at-home pedi to the next level.
What do you need for a pedicure at home?
First things first, make sure you’re equipped with all the right tools to do a pedicure at home. We recommend:
• Nail polish remover
• Cotton pads
• A foot file or pumice stone
• Nail file
• Toenail clippers
• Epsom salts
• Foot scrub
• Toe separators
• Base coat
• Nail polish
• Top coat
• Cuticle oil
• Foot cream
How often should you do a pedicure at home?
Every four to six weeks can be a good timeline to work towards for a full pedicure (that includes filing away hard skin, a scrub to help slough off dead skin cells and a massage). But a simple shape and paint can be done more regularly to keep toenails trimmed and tidy.
How to do a DIY pedicure in 8 easy steps – & the products to use
Step 1: Prep your toenails
For a clean canvas, start by removing the remnants of any previous pedicure with a nail polish remover and cotton pad. For best results, press the cotton pad onto each nail for a few seconds before swiping it off – this should help remove every last scrap of polish.
Top tip: If you’re removing gel nails, lightly buff their surfaces then place a cotton pad soaked in acetone nail polish remover onto each nail and wrap them in foil. Wait for around 15 minutes before removing and the gel should lift right off.
Watch our tutorial on how to remove gel nails at home for all the tips and tricks you need for a flawless removal that won’t damage your nails.
Step 2: Remove dead skin
Next step? Remove hard, calloused skin with a foot file or a pumice stone. Concentrate on the heels, the balls of the feet and the edge of the big toe. Use soft, circular motions until the skin feels smooth.
Top tip: Do this step while feet are dry so that you can see the hard skin. When skin’s wet, it’s easy to take off too much and be left with sore soles.
Scholl Velvet Smooth Electronic Foot File
• Self-rotating coarse crystal head
• Ergonomically shaped soft touch handle
• Contains additional coarse rollerhead for extra hard skin
If you’re looking for a speedy way to buff and exfoliate, look no further than this genius battery-powered foot file. It’s easy to use and extremely satisfying to watch in action, eliminating rough skin in seconds.
Step 3: Soak your feet
Our favourite step – fill the bathtub or a large bowl with warm water, dip your feet in for a few minutes and feel all tensions melt away.
What works well to soak your feet in for a pedicure? Warm water by itself works fine, but for an upgrade, try adding a generous handful of Epsom salts for a de-stressing treat.
Top tip: If you have cracked heels, a helpful pedicure tip is to add baby oil to a foot bath to really help soften skin.
Step 4: Apply a foot scrub
Post soak, why not massage in a foot scrub to help slough away all that dead skin? As well as leaving skin super soft, it’s the ultimate pick-me-up for tired feet.
Top tip: Massage the scrub into feet using circular motions, controlling the pressure as you go. Take care when it comes to the tops of the feet, as well as other areas that have less hard skin, to avoid irritation.
Step 5: Cut, shape & buff nails
Once feet are dry, grab the nail clippers to trim each nail to the desired length. Then, use a nail file to smooth away any sharp edges. While it’s not essential, using a gentle buffer can help smooth the surface of the nails, too.
Top tip: File in one direction when shaping nails, as opposed to a back-and-forth motion, as this can cause splitting and peeling.
Step 6: Massage with foot cream
The skin on the soles of the feet is much thicker than the skin on the face, so it requires a richer cream. One that’s specifically designed for feet and has intensive ingredients that help lock in moisture and help keep those calluses at bay.
Massage as you moisturise to help improve circulation, reduce tension and ease sore muscles. Focus on massaging the arches of the feet, using the thumbs to apply light pressure in a circular motion, then moving up towards the toes, kneading as you go. Bliss.
Top tip: Cracked heels? Try using a heel balm. For best results, it’s helpful to use it daily, but it also acts as a valuable addition to your pedicure product line-up for an extra dose of moisture.
Boots Foot Mask, Cream & Scrub Bundle
• Four-piece set
With two pairs of foot socks that work as a fantastic foot mask – one that features coconut and shea butter to moisturise and another with tea tree and peppermint to revitalise – a foot lotion and a foot scrub, this beauty bundle is chock full of feet-pampering goodies.
Step 7: Paint on polish
Now for the fun part: the polish. To avoid smudges, pop on some toe separators and apply a base coat first, followed with two coats of your chosen colour in thin, even layers.
Wait a few minutes before painting on a top coat to seal in the nail polish and give your handiwork extra staying power.
Top tip: Before you start, swipe each nail with an acetone-soaked pad to remove any oils that may stop the polish from sticking.
Step 8: Tidy up and finish with cuticle oil
Despite our best efforts, mishaps happen. So if you’ve ended up with nail polish on your skin, don’t panic – just use a cotton bud or raid your make-up brushes for an old concealer brush dipped into nail polish remover to tidy up the edges.
Once the polish has dried, massage a few drops of cuticle oil into the base of each nail for the perfect finishing touch.
Top tip: Apply cuticle oil daily for happier nails that are strong and healthy.
And voila! A pro-level pedicure in the comfort of your home that only requires a few tools, your chosen polish and around 30 minutes of free time. For best results, let your toenails dry for as long as possible and if you’re stepping outside, opt for sandals or open-toed shoes where possible.
Why not give yourself a DIY manicure at the same time? Another undeniably great skill to master, in our experience. Shop more nail care essentials in our full range.
