Do a French Pedicure

Warmer weather means wearing your favorite sandals and open-toe shoes! Having nails that are freshly pedicured can make you feel confident and less self-conscious about your feet. Learning how to do a French pedicure at home can ensure that your feet are always ready for their next adventure. It can also save you from paying salon prices for something you can accomplish at home.

Steps

Grooming Your Feet

  1. Remove any existing nail polish. Soak a cotton ball with nail polish remover and gently rub the cotton ball on the surface of the nail. Keep rubbing until you see that the polish is completely removed. You may need to use a bit of pressure to remove the polish entirely.[1]
  2. Soak your feet in hot water. Grab a bowl or plastic container large enough to place both of your feet inside. Fill it with warm water, taking care that it is not too hot that you could burn yourself. Stir in a cup of Epsom salts, which can be obtained at any grocery store in your area. Take a minute to enjoy the warmth of the water on your feet and relax.
  3. Use a pumice stone. A pumice stone is used to gently slough off rough spots, making your feet nice and soft. Hold it firmly in one hand and use your free hand to hold your foot. Rub the pumice stone gently in one direction over any rough spots or calluses. You can use some pressure but it is not necessary to use a lot; the surface of the stone will take care of removing the rough skin.[2]
  4. Rub lotion into your feet. When finished with the pumice stone, rub your favorite softening lotion into your feet and legs to create soft, silky skin. Squirt a quarter-sized amount of lotion into the palm of your hands, then rub your hands together and begin applying the lotion to your legs. Rub your skin until the lotion has absorbed into the skin.
  5. Trim the cuticles. Use a cuticle trimmer to cut off hangnails and dead skin around the beds of the nails. A cuticle trimmer will allow you to eliminate the dead skin without damaging the live tissue. Use with caution, as these are very sharp tools.[3]
    • Snip hangnails, which are the bits of dead skin that hang off the area of skin close the bed of the nail. Cut as close to the base of the hangnail as possible without damaging the live skin.
    • Trim any cuticles that are beginning to lift away from the nail bed. These are generally lighter in color than your natural skin and can be easily noticeable.
    • Be careful not to cut too deep with the cuticle trimmer, as you could end up bleeding. If this happens, put pressure on the area for a few minutes and and apply a bandage.

Applying the Polish

  1. Place toe separators between your toes. These will prevent the nail polish from smudging against your other toes as you wait for it to dry. Toe separators can be purchased at any drug or beauty supply store near you. If you do not have any toe separators, you can place cotton balls between each toe to achieve the same effect.
  2. Paint the tips of your toenails. Use a white nail polish, such as OPI T71 “It’s in the Cloud,” and paint the tips of each toenail. It does not matter which polish you use for your French pedicure, as long as it is an opaque white. Let the first coat dry and then apply a second coat so that the color is more pigmented and doesn't look splotchy. Let the second coat dry as well.
  3. Dip a brush in pure acetone. Pour 100% acetone in a small bowl. Dip a makeup concealer brush in the bowl containing the acetone. Blot the excess acetone on a paper towel.
    • Both of these things can be purchased at a beauty supply store, such as Sally’s or Ulta.
  4. Create a thin, white line. Use the brush to begin removing excess white nail polish until you create a thin, straight line. The concealer brush is designed to help you create very straight lines. Move the brush slowly along the polished area to create the desired white French tip.
  5. Use a nail strip. Rather than using acetone to fix the white nail polish and create a straight line, a nail strip will help you to create a straight line with less fuss. These can be purchased at any drug or beauty supply store.[4]
    • Apply the nail strip a few millimeters away from the tip of your nail. These usually are made to peel off the packaging paper and stick to the surface of the nail.
    • Apply the nail polish to the portion of the nail above the strip. Don’t worry about mistakes; the strips are there to prevent mistakes and uneven lines.
    • Let the polish dry completely, then remove the strips.

Drying the Polish

  1. Let the white nail polish dry. Take the large bowl or container that you initially soaked your feet in and fill it with cold water. To speed the drying process, slowly dip your feet in the ice cold water after the polish has hardened a bit. Keep them there for several minutes, or as long as you can bear. Doing this will also set the polish and make it more durable.[5]
  2. Clean up the polish. Dip a concealer brush in acetone or nail polish remover. Tap the brush on some paper towel to remove any excess acetone. Use the brush to carefully clean up any edges or polish that got onto the skin. The concealer brush will allow you to effectively clean any edges without messing up the rest of your pedicure.[6]
  3. Coat your nails with clear polish. Use your favorite top coat or a quick-drying top coat to cover the nails in one layer. This will finish off the look for your French-pedicured nails. You can also try a top coat that is slightly pink to go for a softer look. Let the top coat dry completely before putting your shoes on!
  4. Spray the nails with a drying spray. A quick-dry nail spray will help your nail polish dry even faster and allow you to be on your way without worrying about smudging your pedicure. These quick-drying sprays have high levels of solvents that evaporate quickly. Hold the can a few inches away from the surface of the nails and spray over the nails quickly, without getting too much of the product on the nails.
    • You can also use a quick-drying topcoat to ensure that your nails dry quickly, usually within a few minutes. Great brands to try are Sally Hansen and OPI.

Tips

  • Make sure you let your white line dry before applying the clear coat. If it’s not completely dry, the clear coat can ruin the white line.
  • Soak your cuticles in oil or warm water before trimming to make the dead skin more visible and easier to trim away.

Things You'll Need

  • A tub full of water
  • Towel
  • Nail clipper
  • Nail file
  • Nail polish remover
  • A clear nail polish
  • White nail polish
  • Cotton Balls
  • Lotion (Vaseline if preferred)
  • Wooden nail cleaner (you can find them at a near store)
  • Pumice stone
  • Makeup concealer brush

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-use-nail-polish-remover/
  2. ↑ https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-correctly-use-a-pumice-stone/
  3. ↑ https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-use-a-cuticle-cutter-during-a-manicure/
  4. ↑ http://beauty.allwomenstalk.com/steps-for-an-at-home-french-pedicure/9?lastslide
  5. ↑ http://www.instyle.com/beauty/products/how-make-nail-polish-dry-faster-tips
  6. ↑ http://www.lacquerized.com/2010/02/clean-up-in-6-easy-steps.html

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