How to Give Yourself An At-Home Pedicure
Photo: Gemma Booth/Trunk Archive
If you want to make me squirm — I mean, really feel out of sorts — just send me to a nail salon for a pedicure. As soon as I settle into a pedicure chair, the worries begin: Were these tools properly sanitized? How can this nail tech be making enough money if a mani/pedi costs only $20? Oh god, what if the person before me had toenail fungus? Suddenly, I want to bolt out the door, except it’s too late because my feet are already soaking.
It’s not that I don’t like how glossy my toenails look after a pedicure. Quite the contrary. But the actual process of sitting in a plush chair, dipping my feet into a basin of water, and having someone paint my nails? I’d really rather not.
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Hands are another story. Go for it, let’s have a manicure! At least then, I can sit with my nail tech eye-to-eye, woman-to-woman. But my pedicure discomfort is rooted in a belief—ridiculous, maybe, but held with deep conviction—that feet are inherently gross. I like to think mine aren’t too ogre-like, but still, it can’t be fun to spend an hour tending to them. It’s weird, I know. The in-salon situation clearly stabs at my neuroses, so I’ve decided to go the DIY route for the most part. Taking care of my feet at home doesn’t take much longer than having it done at a salon. It’s cheaper, too. These at-home essentials allow me to do a nearly-as-good job myself.
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Diamancel Foot Buffer ($49)
It’s pricey, but you’ll buy it once and easily buff away even the roughest calluses with very little effort for the rest of your life.
Revlon Shape ‘N’ Buff ($4)
This inexpensive tool lives up to its name. Sometimes I’ll skip polish entirely and just buff my nails to a shine. So rebellious.
Butter London Nail Foundation ($19)
It’s a base coat, yes, but it also fills in nail ridges — so you get a smoother overall finish.
Jin Soon Nail Polish ($18)
Jin Soon offers the most innovative colors, but more importantly—the formula just doesn’t chip. This fall, my favorite shade is Farrago, a reddish purple with tiny flecks of gold.
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat ($6)
This topcoat dries in less than a minute. Because why would you sit around waiting for your nails to dry if you didn’t have to?
All of this doesn’t mean I’ll never hit up a salon again, since special occasions call for perfectly polished toenails. But if I go, it won’t be often — and you can bet I’ll leave a big tip.
