They’re your most dependable form of transportation and the perfect excuse for buying a closet full of cute vegan shoes. Don’t your feet deserve a special treat? A pedicure is the perfect way to show them some love and put more pep in your step. So put your feet up (literally) and give your toes some TLC with a spa-quality, at-home, cruelty-free pedicure.
What You Will Need
*All products available online at time of writing. Please check your local stores for similar products.
You’ll need to gather the following supplies:
Pillows
A stool or chair
A clean towel
A hair dryer (optional)
Cotton balls
Q-tips
A basin or tub:
Foot soak:
Nail polish remover:
Nail clippers
A nail file:
A small brush:
Cuticle treatment:
Foot scrub:
A pumice footstone:
Lotion:
Base-coat nail polish:
Nail polish
- 100% Pure Nail Polish
- Acquarella Nail Polish
- Adesse New York Nail Color
- ncLA Nail Lacquer
- Pacifica Nail Polish
- SpaRitual Nail Lacquer
Top-coat nail polish
Procedure
Set aside approximately 45 minutes for your pedicure. Before you begin, set up a comfortable, well-lit area and gather down-free, nonshedding pillows (fluff will stick to polish) and a chair or stool to prop your feet on. Consider playing soothing music for a relaxing ambiance. Then follow the steps below:
- Fill a basin or tub with warm water. Add Epsom salts or cruelty-free commercial salts and soak your feet for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Gently pat your feet dry with a clean towel.
- Thoroughly remove any old nail polish.
- Clip your toenails straight across with clippers.
- File the toenails to smooth any rough edges.
- Gently buff and smooth your feet with a small brush. Make sure to pay special attention to your heels, the balls of your feet, and the outsides of your pinkie toes.
- Push your cuticles back with the edge of the nail file. Use a cuticle treatment if the cuticles do not push back easily.
- Exfoliate any dry skin with a foot scrub. Use a pumice stone on rough patches.
- Apply a generous amount of lotion to your feet. Gently massage it into your feet and calves.
- Wash away any excess moisturizer from your nails and then separate your toes by placing cotton between them.
- Apply one layer of base coat. Allow time for it to dry, or use a hair dryer set on low heat.
- Apply two coats of color. Use a Q-tip moistened with nail polish remover to remove any mistakes. Again, let your toes dry.
- Apply a clear top coat to add shine and to protect the color from chipping.
- Apply foot spray in order to cool and soothe fatigued, overworked feet (optional).
Tips for Happy Feet
Here are some ways to keep your feet happy:
- Don’t toast your toes! Protect them from the sun with a cruelty-free sunscreen.
- Trim your toenails straight across at least once a month.
- To give dry feet some extra lovin’, lather them up with lotion, cover them with clean cotton socks, and let them moisturize overnight.
- Now that your feet are happy and your toes are pretty from your pedicure, show them off with a pair of sexy summer sandals from Moo Shoes.