How to DIY an At-home Pedicure

Dr. Constance Odom, MD

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Constance Odom, MD

Dr. Constance Odom, MD

About

Constance Tambakis Odom, MD graduated in 1987 with her Doctorate of Medicine from the New York Medical College, and was an Anesthesiologist Resident from 1988 to 1991 at the Brookdale Medical Center PGY II (CA-I)-PGY IV (CA-III). She is Board Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology since 1998 and American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine since 2002. Constance Odom, MD is affiliated with the American Medical Association, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, American Society of Anesthesiology, Georgia Society of Anesthesiology, Hellenic Medical Society of New York, North Carolina Society of Anesthesiology, and Society of Ambulatory Anesthesia.

Credentials

Medical Director At:

• Nu Image Medical
• MetroMedispa P.A.

Staff Anesthesiologist at:

• Betsy Johnson Regional Hospital in Dunn, NC
• Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, NC
• Duplin General Hospital in Kenansville, NC

Director of Anesthesia Services at:

• Jacksonville Surgery Center in Jacksonville, NC

Written by our editorial team.

Last Edited 3 years ago · 5 min read

Sitting around at home and trying to wait out the quarantine restrictions is taking on a toll on the beauty routines of women around the globe. Appearance is very important to many women, helping create the self-confidence and assurance that shapes everything from career identity to women's sexual health. The closings of nail salons, hair salons, and spas have left a void that many are trying to fill with DIY efforts.

More Than Your Image

Rest assured that your efforts to maintain your hair and nail health are applauded and considered important. While you may have had a schedule in place for getting a manicure and pedicure prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus that was more about vanity, keeping this routine has become important to good health.  Good hygiene helps reduce the spread of harmful germs and bacteria, so it is important for your physical health. However, looking and feeling your best also affects your mental health. In a time where social distancing is keeping you from friends and family, your mental clarity and sanity might be struggling. Maintaining self-care or indulgences are ways to keep your routine feeling normal and your daily activities feeling structured. This can keep you from feeling anxious or depressed, helping create a more positive approach to the pandemic guidelines. When you pass the time in quarantine with DIY pedicures, passionate sex fueled by Scream Cream, creative exercise routines, and family dining, you won’t even remember how long you have been cooped up inside.

Getting Started

Your plan of attack on home nail care should be about comfort and safety. Though a pedicure will focus on your feet, you should also take a few minutes to work on your fingernails as well. By keeping your fingernails short, clean, and smooth, you are able to vastly reduce the potential for germs to live under the surface. You should trim them to where is about 1-2 millimeters of white and have them shaped to the natural end of the nail bed. File the edges to make sure the rough edges are gone. With your fingernails in clean shape, you can get started on pampering your feet.

Prep Your Feet

If you are looking to get your toes ready for summer weather or you are just wanting a moment to relax, an at-home pedicure will have your feet looking and feeling amazing. You will need to prep your workspace, usually best done in a bathroom or the bedroom with a basin or towel, but you also need to prep your feet. Using acetone, you will want to get rid of any polish color or residue that may be left on your toenails. Acetone is more effective that polish remover, but for stubborn polishes, soak a cotton ball in the acetone and place it on the toenail. Wrap the toe in foil for about a minute, letting the acetone break it down to where it is easily wiped off. You will also want to soak your feet in a basin or tub filled with warm water and a bath salt or essential oil. If you have Epsom salt, this can help remove odor from your feet, but it also helps soften any calluses on your feet.

Smooth Your Skin

To keep your feet looking healthy and feeling smooth, you will want to get rid of the rough skin around the heals with either a pumice stone or a wooden foot file. By exfoliating your feet, you give your feet the moisture they need by getting rid of dead skin The heel and balls of the feet are often the worst areas but don’t forget in-between the toes as well.

Moisturize Your Feet

Give your skin some extra attention with moisturizer, using either a foot cream or body butter. For those who struggle with dry, cracked heels, a foot mask can be very healing. Use a mask or moisturizer that contains olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, or shea butter. These absorb quickly into the foot, so it doesn’t feel greasy or oily.

Work on the Toenails

Though you can trim the toenails into the shape of your liking, cutting them straight across and filing the edges down will prevent ingrown nails. Once they are trimmed, use cuticle oil all over the nail. Remove excess oil with some more acetone. If you are going to finish the pedicure with polish, get your toe separator in place. Apply a base coat to enhance the longevity of the polish, then apply thin layers, waiting for at least one-minute between coats. Finish out the application with a top coat to seal the color.

With toes that are glamourous, you can step out of quarantine in style. However, you can give yourself some stress relief and a boost of confidence while you wait for those days to come when you spend some extra time on self-care during the lockdown.

Nu Image Medical® offers a new and futuristic approach to achieving optimal health and wellness. The company has been a weight loss, anti-aging and wellness provider since 2004 and offers medically supervised programs for medical weight loss, peptides, erectile dysfunction, scream cream, and hair loss (NuDew) 

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your physician about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Nu Image Medical may not offer the medications or services mentioned in this article.