How To Do Your Own Mani Pedi At Home

Remove Polish

Using a nail polish remover and cotton balls and buds, thoroughly clean and remove all nail polish on your toenails. I like using Sally Hansen Nail Polish Remover from PCX or Bobbie Nail Polish Remover from Watson’s for this. Tip: Holding the soaked cotton ball against nail for a few seconds helps dissolve the old polish faster, giving you easier removal of nail polish.

Photo Credit: Evoluderm Gentle Nail Polish Remover with Sweet Almond Oil at Beauty Bar

Clean and Soak

It’s so important to clean and soak in hot or warm soap water! Not only does this step relax the aches and pains you may have in your feet, it also preps the toenails for the cleaning you’ll be doing. An added treat to this step is if you have Epsom salt which acts as a fantastic healing agent. Besides reducing stress, epsom salt foot soaks also treat fungal infections, gently exfoliate, give pain relief (from sore feek or corns), and even help remove splinters or debris.

Clean and Soak

Use a basin that lets you soak both feet at the same time. Fill it with hot soap water, with or without some Epsom salt for its added healing benefit. Lay a towel down on the floor, place the basin on top, and make sure you have the rest of your pedi supplies within reach. Sit in a comfortable chair in front of the basin and soak for 5-10 minutes—allowing the soap water to cleanse, relax, and soften up the cuticle and rough skin.

Photo Credit: Dr. Teal's Revitalize & Refresh Pure Epsom Salt Foot Soak with Cooling Peppermint at BeautyMNL

Clip

Dry one foot and keep the other in the foot soak for the next three steps: clipping, filing, and buffing. It is encouraged to clip only if you have excess length and to keep toenails straight across to avoid painful ingrown toenails.

Photo Credit: CALA Pro Nail Clipper at Beauty Bar

File

Use a nail file to smooth out the rough edges, still keeping the toenail straight across and not too short. (When toenails are too short, they show too much skin at the end of the nail. This is not a cute look! Plus, it makes applying polish onto them difficult.)

Photo Credit: ANNY 2 in 1 File at BeautyMNL

Buff

Toenails tend to have ridges and a buffer is an essential way to make the top of each toenail smooth. Start with the roughest part of your buffer, working your way to the smoothest side of the buffer (the one that gives a nice, healthy shine to nails afterwards!)

Photo Credit: ANNY Pink Manicure Buffer

Push

After both feet are clipped, filed, and buffed, it’s time to push back the cuticles! This can seem a bit daunting but it is easy (after a few tries) and necessary for a nice pedi. Dry both feet off and then, apply cuticle remover (which is very different from a cuticle oil!) to aid in dissolving dead skin.Then, using a cuticle pusher or stick, gently push back the overgrown cuticle. Use the instrument to also get any dirt out from under the toenails. After, use the soap water to rinse and keep everything sanitized and clean.

Photo Credit: Dual End Stainless Steel Nail Pusher at Shopee

Trim Cuticle

When trimming cuticles, take care making sure to not over trim. (Only do this step if you have excess cuticle!) In this step, remove any hangnails.

Photo Credit: Timeless Manila Stainless Steel Cuticle Nail Nipper at Zalora

Exfoliate

Using your exfoliator of choice, rub the mixture into both feet and up onto the ankle. If you so desire, you can exfoliate as high as the knee. An easy exfoliator to make at home during quarantine lockdown (and if you’re out of your body scrubs at this point!) is a simple combination of coconut oil mixed with some sugar, with a drop or two of essential oils for scent. (Tip: I like to use equal parts white and brown sugar, the latter of which has bigger granules, so the scrub is not too harsh.) Rinse thoroughly!

Photo Credit: Earth Therapeutics Charcoal Purifying Foot Scrub at Beauty Bar

Smoothen

Keep feet soft and smooth with your favorite smoothing tool. I like to use a foot file or foot pumice, as well as a callus remover, alternating between the two where needed. I finish with the pumice to smoothen completely.

Photo Credit: Earth Therapeutics Natural Sierra Pumice Brush at Beauty Bar

Moisturize

Give both feet another good, thorough rinse, and dry them off. Moisturize all the way up to the knee, if you desire.

Photo Credit: Burt's Bees Peppermint Foot Lotion at Beauty Bar

Prep

It’s so important to remove the moisturizer from your nail beds before adding polish. If you skip this step, the polish simply won’t stick and could chip easily. Use nail polish remover to remove any leftover oils from the nail bed. This step is crucial for any good nail polish adhesion.

Polish

Apply polish in this order: Base Coat, 2 Coats of Color, Top Coat. Ensure that each coat is dry before the next. A good guesstimate wait time in between coats, whether base, color, or tip, is 2 minutes. For the color coats, try to make sure the coat is thin and even.

Photo Credit: Deborah Lippman Natural Mystic Nail Polish Set at Rustan's

Remove Polish

Using a nail polish remover and cotton balls and buds, thoroughly clean and remove all nail polish on your fingernails. Even if you don’t have polish on, it’s still great to run a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover over each nail to get rid of any oils or dirt that could ruin your manicure. Wash hands after.

Photo Credit: Deborah Lippmann The Stripper Lavender Nail Lacquer Remover at Rustan's

Clip

Clip nails, if necessary, to your desired length and shape.

Photo Credit: Watsons Nail Clipper with Miniature File

File

Gently file nails, moving in one direction to get your tips square, round, oval, or squoval, or whatever shape you desire. (Use this time to experiment and see what fits you best!) If you have thin nails, hold the nail file to your nail and then tilt it slightly underneath, ensuring less potential for breakage!

Photo Credit: Neal's Yard Remedies Nurture Winter Hands Wild Rose Hand Care Gift at Rustan's

Buff

Buff the tops and sides of your fingernails with a nail buffer to create a smooth surface. This step helps nails look healthy and shiny, while simultaneously removing the natural oils in your nails which can build up over time.

Soak

In a bowl of hot or warm soap water, soak hands for five to ten minutes.

Push

Dry hands and apply cuticle remover onto cuticles to dissolve dead skin and soften the area. Then, using a cuticle pusher or stick, gently push back the overgrown cuticle. Use the instrument to also clean underneath nail tips. Rinse hands and pat dry.

Photo Credit: Dual End Stainless Steel Nail Pusher at Shopee

Trim Cuticle

Take care in not over trimming cuticles, as they protect nails from bacteria and keep them soft. Again, just as with the pedicure, only do this step if you have excess cuticle.

Photo Credit: Timeless Manila Stainless Steel Cuticle Nail Nipper at Zalora

Exfoliate

Using your exfoliator of choice, or the coconut oil and sugar one we made earlier, rub the mixture all over hands, wrists, and forearms. In using a gentle scrub, you get to eliminate dead skin cells and replenish moisture. Wash the hands, wrists, and forearms afterward and dry thoroughly.

Photo Credit: Skin Revolution Raspberry Gentle Hand Scrub at BeautyMNL

Moisturize & Prep

Using your preferred hand cream or other moisturizer, massage your hands, wrists, and forearms. Take this time to give yourself a mini-treat in the process, paying attention to the tense or meaty parts of our hands that are overworked whether behind the computer or doing daily activities. Add some wrist rotations and arm stretches, to relax muscles, should you desire.

Photo Credit: L'Occitane Lavender Hand Cream at Rustan's

Moisturize and Prep

Before the final step, which is applying the polish, do take the time to prep the fingernails by swiping out leftover oils and residue with a cotton ball soaked with nail polish remover.

Polish

Just as with the pedicure, apply first a base coat to hydrate and protect nails from chipping. Follow with two coats of color. Remember to get the brush all the way down to the cuticle and into the corners of each nail. A tip in applying the coats of color to nails is to load just enough polish onto the brush to cover the nail in one single coat. Try stiping your nail three times in this order: once down the middle then once on each side. Finish it off with a topcoat, which protects the manicure from chipping and adds extra shine to nails. (Extra tip: make sure to carefully apply the topcoat because a messy application can ruin the entire manicure. Because topcoats tighten as they dry, you may see shrinkage and ridges if you don’t apply it properly.)

Photo Credit: Orly Nail Lacquer in Oranges at Rustan's