Certain things in life are better when handled by professionals: plumbing, tattoos, and \u2013 until recently \u2013 your nails.<\/p>\n
Yes, those massage chairs at the salon do feel really. Freaking. Good. But when money is tight, you have to admit a pedicure at home feels better. Thankfully, it\u2019s not that hard to master an amazing at-home pedicure. Well, not if you have three nail experts who\u2019ve founded luxury nail brands and opened spas walking you through the tricks of the trade step-by-step:<\/p>\n
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Hey Gorgeous Peppermint & Lemongrass Foot Scrub<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
You\u2019re going to need a solid arsenal for your pedi, says Jin Soon Choi, New York-based nail artist and spa owner. It might look like a lot, but you can find most of these at your local pharmacy and they\u2019ll last you for years.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need for your home pedicure kit:<\/p>\n
Nail polish remover
\nNail clipper
\nNail file
\nNail buffer
\nCuticle pusher
\nNail nipper
\nEarbuds and cotton balls
\nOrangewood stick
\nCuticle oil
\nCuticle eraser or cuticle remover
\nExfoliation scrub
\nFoot file or pumice stone
\nFoot lotion or foot mask
\nToe separator
\nBase coat
\nTop coat
\nNail polish
\nQuick-dry drops<\/p>\n
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Seed Oil Cuticle Oil<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While these aren\u2019t all essential, if you\u2019re really aiming for that professional level spa-like me-time, Choi wants you to be prepared.<\/p>\n
Grab a gentle nail polish remover from your local pharmacy or beauty supply store \u2013 Choi recommends a non-acetone polish remover since acetone weakens and dries out nail beds. Then, soak some into a cotton ball before running it over your toenails to remove old polish, debris, build-up and natural oils from your nails, says nail care expert Lauren Berkovitz, the founder of Lauren B. Beauty.<\/p>\n
Fill a bucket with warm water and soak your feet in there for about 15 minutes, Choi advises. This is prime time to catch up on your Insta feed!<\/p>\n
To make the experience more spa-like, add a capful of distilled white vinegar (to cleanse and tone), a few drops of tea tree oil (to banish stinky bacteria), or a few tablespoons of Epsom salts (to help with achy feet). You can even throw in a few slices of lemon, which can help soften your cuticles and calluses, and sanitise even your feet, says Amy Ling Lin, owner of Sundays nail studio in New York City (here are 10 more beauty uses for lemons).<\/p>\n
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Victorian Garden Magnificent Lavender Epsom Bath Salts<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
After a nice soak, gently pat your feet dry with a towel. Wait about five minutes to allow your nails, softened by the water, to totally dry and harden before grabbing your toenail clippers, nail file, nail nipper and buffer.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019ve cut your nails down to your desired length with the clipper, shape the corners and edges with the file before clipping off any hangnails using the nipper. When you\u2019re done, gently buff your nail beds to smooth out any ridges that would make your nail polish application look uneven.<\/p>\n
Apply a cuticle eraser or remover to the skin around your nails, and with a metal cuticle pusher, gently push your cuticles back. If you\u2019re confident, go head and cut the loosened skin around your cuticles off with the nipper, if you\u2019re not, Choi says not to worry about it.<\/p>\n
Then, regardless of whether you cut or don\u2019t, apply cuticle oil to the skin around your nails. It will help prevent damage to the cuticle and nail, plus, it will help your pedicure last longer.<\/p>\n
Now that your nails are pretty much ready for some colour, dedicate a few moments to getting your feet in shape, too. After dipping your feet into the water once more, run a foot file or a pumice stone back and forth across your heels, soles and sides of your feet to get rid of all the dead skin and callouses.<\/p>\n
Then, with a scrub (Choi loves sugar-based versions) massage your feet, ankles and calves. When you\u2019re done, rinse off with warm water, making sure there\u2019s no residue in your cuticles or between your toes, and pat dry with your towel.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ll want to hydrate your feet and calves with lotion (or a foot mask if you\u2019re feeling extra!) to replenish moisture. But make sure it\u2019s not too greasy, Choi says. A greasy lotion will leave oil on your toenails making it harder for the nail polish to latch on.<\/p>\n
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Soylites Foot and Heel Balm<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Clean your nails and cuticles with an earbud or cotton ball soaked in polish remover to remove any remaining oils which can mess with the polish. And before you start swiping, Choi recommends using a toe separator, or a twisted paper towel in between your toes, to prevent smudging.<\/p>\n
Prop your foot onto a chair or even the toilet and, with smooth strokes, use base coat to create a bottom layer which will help the polish stick better to your nails. \u201cTake care to cover the entire nail,\u201d Lin says. \u201cThis is the foundation you\u2019re building off of, so take your time to make a smooth surface for the colour coat.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Benecos Nail Polish You-nique<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Then, apply your favourite nail polish colour. \u201cApply thin, even layers,\u201d Berkovitz says. More thin layers will last longer than fewer thick ones. To reduce the chance of nail polish getting on your skin, Choi recommends painting the middle of your nail first. \u201cIt will create guidelines for the rest of the nail,\u201d she says, which will allow you to easily connect the painted sides of the nail to the middle strip.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019re satisfied with a first coat, go in for a second thin coat making sure to hit the tips of your nails with the paint since that\u2019s where polish chipping tends to start, Choi says. Give the polish a couple minutes to settle, then top it with a clear top coat to give shine and protect from chips.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re anxious for your toes to dry, Choi recommends applying quick-dry drops or using a hair dryer on its cool setting on your toes. Otherwise, be patient! It takes nail polish longer than you\u2019d think to dry. If you rush it, you could end up with a sloppy, uneven finish.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t worry if you got a little colour on your cuticles. This step will give you the look of a perfect paint job. Choi recommends using an earbud or orangewood stick covered in cotton and polish remover to clean them up.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published on\u00a0www.womenshealthmag.com<\/em><\/p>\n Certain things in life are better when handled by professionals: plumbing, tattoos, and \u2013 until recently \u2013 your nails. Yes, those massage chairs at the salon do feel really. Freaking. Good. But when money is tight, you have to admit a pedicure at home feels better. Thankfully, it\u2019s not that hard to master an amazing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4637,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[976,986,1003],"class_list":{"0":"post-4636","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-style-beauty","8":"tag-beauty","9":"tag-beauty-advice","10":"tag-nails"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4636"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5203,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4636\/revisions\/5203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eufad.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Women\u2019s Health participates in various affiliate marketing programmes, which means we may get commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.<\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"