Step-by-step manicure and pedicure at home
Step-by-step manicure and pedicure at home
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It may be one of those simple things to do in your daily life,
but spending some time on a nail treatment will certainly make
you look better and it says something about personal hygiene.
Let's start from here: We may not realize that our routines
have a damaging effect on our hands and feet until we notice our
nails cracking or becoming brittle and our skin drying (hopefully
it's not during a cocktail party).
If it happens, we need more than just the basic routine like
cutting our nails and rubbing hands with moisturizer to revive
these particular body parts.
The treatment manager at Dharmawangsa hotel in South Jakarta,
Ida, shared her secrets on the proper way to perform manicure and
pedicure at home. Ideally these treatments are repeated every two
weeks.
The basic tools include nail clippers, nail file, gentle brush
or unused toothbrush, foot file to remove dead skin from the sole
of the foot and a pencil-like cuticle pusher. Optional: cuticle
clipper, credo (which can be substituted with foot file).
Other stuff includes (ordinary) shampoo, alcohol, cotton, body
lotion (preferably those with vitamin E) and aromatherapy essence
oil, such as relaxing lavender (or go with your favorite ones).
Optional: cuticle cream.
Basic pedicure techniques:
1. Use cotton soaked in acetone solution to thoroughly remove
nail polish. Clip toenails slightly above the flesh area and
leave the shape of the top square to avoid ingrown toenails. Then
sand the nails to smoothen the top (photo 1).
2. Soak the foot in a small basin, filled with warm water, add a
little shampoo/shower gel and a few drops of essence oil. Let it
soak for five to ten minutes and sand the sole with food file to
remove dead skin and soak it again. Repeat the procedure on the
other foot (photo 2).
3. Gently brush the toes of one foot with an unused toothbrush,
soaked in a shampoo solution. Make sure that all dirt trapped
under the toenails are thoroughly removed using the tip of the
nail file. Rinse and pat the foot dry. Repeat the procedure with
the other foot (photo 3).
4. Dab a little cuticle cream/body lotion on each toe and gently
push the cuticle to the base of each nail to enable proper nail
growth. Carefully cut cuticles on each side of the nails with
cuticle clipper. Clean the toes and the nails using cotton soaked
in alcohol. Repeat this procedure with the other foot (photo 4).
5. Apply body lotion up to the knee. Gently massage it to improve
blood circulation and soothe fatigue (photo 5).
The same technique can be used for manicure.
Start with clipping the nails, filing them, soaking the hand
in bubble bath, brushing the fingernails with shampoo, then
applying cuticle cream/body lotion and push the cuticle toward
the base of the nails, clipping the cuticle from each side of the
nails, removing the cream/lotion residue with alcohol and
applying hand and body lotion. Then you're ready to polish your
nails.
If you want to apply nail polish:
* Make sure the nail is clean and dry.
* Apply base coat first to protect the nails. Let dry.
* Gently and carefully apply the nail polish. Allow it to dry
completely before the second application. Let it dry again.
Double applications will give a better result than single, which
is too thin, or triple, which is too thick.
* Once it is set, finish with the top coat to protect the nail
polish from scratches and other damage.
Tips:
* Remove nail polish at least every week.
* While polishing your toenails, insert a cotton bud between each
toe to protect them from possible damage due to touching.
* Change nail polish color periodically. Alter dark color with
pale one for variation. It is also advisable to let the nails
"breathe" without any nail polish for a week.
* Use foot file instead of hard pumice stone to remove dead skin
which can lead to painful skin irritation.
* Start eating healthy food and stop smoking, which may lead to
dry skin and brittle nails. Lack of potassium can lead to layered
toenails. When you have this problem, Ida advises you to eat
potassium-rich bananas.
* Instead of using expensive commercial buffing, try a dried
banana leaf. Use it to polish the surface of the nails and you
will see them glow.
* When doing household chores, protect your hands from strong
detergent, dirt by wearing gloves.
* After showering, dab baby oil all over your legs and hands and
pat them dry with a clean towel.
* To soothe very dry and often painful cracked skin, Ida advised
the use of raw egg whites 15 minutes before rinsing it with warm
water while showering or before sleeping. Use lotion to
moisturize the skin.
* Brittle nails can be strengthened with garlic. Just polish the
nail with fresh garlic and let dry for five to ten minutes. Rinse
with warm water. Do it twice a day.