4 Simple Steps To Do Manicure And Pedicure At Home

“Beauty goes beyond a pretty face”: Whoever said so was very wise. There is a big difference between being pretty genetically and being well-groomed. A girl who takes care of herself can be identified instantly. All girls take care of themselves to maintain a pretty face. But, to figure who truly takes proper care of herself, just look at her hands and feet. Being the essential parts of the human body, hands and feet go through the most amount of torture day in and day out. Without proper care, they show early signs of aging and exposure. To take due care, they should be given proper manicure and pedicure, at least once every fortnight.
Everyone has a wrong notion that manicure and pedicures are meant only for those who have the time and money to go to a luxury spa/parlor. But, with a few basic necessities anyone can have well-groomed hands and feet.

Required Things For Manicure And Pedicure:

First, gather all the basic necessities for this purpose. This includes,

    Nail polish remover
    Nail cutter
    Nail File
    Small bowl for manicure and bigger bowl for pedicure
    Warm water
    Mild shampoo
    Towel
    Mild scrub
    Pumice stone
    Hand cream
    Feet cream
    Nail polish- Base coat, nail color, and top coat, (optional: nail decals/stickers)
    Nail toe separator

Here’s a simple step by step tutorial to help you get the best pedicure and manicure at home. Step 1 is common for both manicures and pedicures.

Step 1:

Once all the required things are gathered, remove the old nail polish with a cotton ball/pad. Be sure to sit properly—sitting on a couch and doing one’s nails will only give sloppy results. Doing things in a professional position gives professional results.
Step 2:

This step includes the necessary points, which should be followed to do the manicure properly and they are:

    Place hands on a table and remove the old nail polish. Even if there is no nail polish, be sure to go over the nails with the remover to remove any oily residue.

    Use a standard nail clipper to trim down the length of the nails. Otherwise, use it to adjust the shape of the nails in the desired shape.

    Decide what shape the nail should be filed into. This includes square, oval, pointed and squoval. Then, use a nail filer to shape the nail to the desired shape. Do the filing with enough force to reshape the nail, but be gentle enough not to weaken them. Resist doing the back and forth motion across the tip of the nail, as it will weaken them. Instead, file in a single direction to get the desired shape.

    Get a bowl that is big enough to dip both the hands in. Fill it half with warm water, and dissolve some shampoo or mild soap in it. Once it is nice and frothy, put both the hands in the water, and let them soak in the goodness for 10-15 minutes.

    Use a scrub to exfoliate away any dead and dry skin from the hand. Use this product in circular motions and with medium pressure. A great DIY recipe for hand scrub is a mixture of coconut/olive oil with a tablespoon of granulated sugar. Another recipe includes ground oats and honey. After this step, wash away the product and pat the hands dry.

    Avoiding the nails, apply hand cream to the insides of the hand, and all over. If hand cream is not available, any body lotion or moisturizer of choice with some petroleum jelly will do.

    Use the remover to remove any cream that might be on the nails, and then use a strengthening base coat on all the nails. This step is necessary to make sure that the nails do not get stained after using various nail colors, or lose their strength.

    Once the base coat is dry, use a nail color of your choice and apply it on the nails. Make sure to apply it in thin coats, preferably in three strokes for each nail. Do not forget to place hands on a table to apply the polish.

    Then, apply the top coat once the nail color is dry. This will take 2-3 hours. Even if the nail polish looks dry, it might still be wet to touch and applying top coat on such polish will make it drag and destroy the smooth finish.

    Lastly, let the top coat air dry without any disturbances.


Step 3:

Now, it’s time for a relaxing pedicure! Here is how you can give yourself a great pedicure at home:

    Get a large basin filled half with warm water with some shampoo in it. Soak both the feet in it for 15-20 minutes or till the water cools down. This will soften the dry skin and dirt on the feet, and makes it easier to get rid of it.

    Pat the feet dry, and start scrubbing away the dead cells on the feet using a pumice stone. Be sure to concentrate on places like heels and other places where the skin looks dry and tough.

    Use a scrub to exfoliate the feet and then wash it away. Then apply your choice of feet cream, moisturizer or body butter.

    Use nail clipper to cut nails to desired length. Be sure not to cut it too close to the skin as it can get painful and look unappealing. Use a filer to shape the tip of the nail to the desired form.

    Last but not the least, let the toes air dry as well. This is an important step, as you do not want to smudge the freshly applied nail polish.

Step 4:

The next step is to apply nail polish. For this purpose, follow the below points:

    Separate toes using a toe separator.

    Then use a polish remover to remove any foot cream residue.

    Apply base coat, wait for it to dry and apply nail color.

    Once the color is dry, top it off with your choice of finishing coat.

The most important part of doing manicures and pedicures is the follow up. Make sure to apply lotion after washing hands or feet to avoid moisture loss. Apply hand/foot cream before going to sleep and put on some cotton socks to keep your hands and foot looking young and healthy.


So, don’t neglect your hand and feet any longer! Pampering your hands and feet is easier than you thought. With these home manicures/pedicures, you can now have picture perfect hands and feet!

Are there any other tips and tricks you like to incorporate while doing Manicure And Pedicure at Home? Share your tips with us in the comments section below.