Pedicures aren’t always just a spa treatment—for many people, feet treatments are an important part of maintaining their overall health. Many foot pedicure tools double as medical supplies for feet. The good news is that many of these pedicure tools and podiatry products are available in a home pedicure kit.
Pedicure kit tools names and uses can be overwhelming at first, but once you get to know these pedicure tools and uses and what conditions they can treat, you’ll have a better understanding of what to include in your own pedicure kit at home. So let’s look at some common issues and the best pedicure tool for each one.
Thick nails
Some people have toenails that are too thick for regular toenail clippers. If this is the case for you, you’ll want to make sure your self pedicure kit includes a good toenail nipper. Nippers are designed to be easy to handle—their long handles can provide both extra reach (less stretching and bending!) and leverage for cutting through thick toenails, which can be helpful for people who have arthritis or other issues with hand strength. GERmaniküre’s high carbon stainless steel nippers have a razor-sharp edge, which means you’ll never have to struggle to trim thick toenails.
Ingrown toenails
Ingrown toenails happen when part of the toenail, usually the side or corner, grows into the surrounding skin instead of over it. If you suffer from ingrown toenails, adding the right kind of toenail nipper to your pedicure home kit is non-negotiable. A nipper with a curved or tower point can reach into tight corners without breaking the skin, helping you trim nails and get some relief without making the problem worse.
There are also several implements that are worth adding to your pedicure set for feet with ingrown toenails. GERmaniküre makes an double-sided excavator—one side is designed to lift the ingrown part of your toenail away from the skin for easy cleaning and maintenance, and the other side has a tiny spoon that makes it easy to apply medication in hard-to-reach spots.
You might also consider enhancing your pedicure tools kit with a set of straight and curved double nail files designed especially for ingrown toenails. Files like this can reach into narrow crevices and file away the ingrown part of your toenail.
Fungus
Toenail fungus can be an extremely annoying problem to deal with, but fortunately, there are some at home pedicure tools that can make handling it a bit easier and keep it from getting worse. When you suffer from toenail fungus, it’s important to keep dedicated tools that you use only on the affected toe(s) in order to avoid spreading the infection to healthy toes. It’s also essential to sterilize those tools in between uses—if your fungus improves, you don’t want to re-infect your toenails by using less-than-sterile tools.
GERmaniküre makes a mycotic nipper that’s designed especially for toenails affected by fungus. If your toenails have become thickened, brittle, crumbly, or otherwise difficult to cut with regular nippers or clippers, these are a great addition to your set of pedicure tools for feet affected by fungus. Another tool to consider for your DIY pedicure kit is a double-sided curette scraper—this implement features a flat end that can be used to scrape out fungus as well as a spoon edge that’s small enough to clean under the nail and apply medication where it’s needed most.
Delamination
Delamination can affect both fingernails and toenails—when toenails delaminate, the cause is often fungus. But if fungus isn’t present and you’re still dealing with toenail delamination, there are a few possible causes: overuse of nail polish remover can lead to dryness, causing the layers of the nail to peel apart. Repeated stress (running, walking, dancing, or stubbing your toes) can also cause delamination. Emery board nail files can make this problem much worse because they shred your nails, and they can often cause peeling and delamination just on their own. The solution is to add a glass nail file (sometimes called a crystal file) to your collection of pedicure tools. Glass files seal the edge of your nail while they smooth it, which can be all you need to protect against delamination. Put some cuticle oil on your toenails after filing to help keep them moisturized, and, barring other underlying problems, delamination will be a thing of the past!
Callouses and cracked heels
Dry, cracked heels and callouses can happen to anyone, especially in warm weather when you’re not wearing socks and your feet rub against your shoes. Luckily, there’s an easy solution to this problem: the pedicure bar! It looks like a giant glass nail file, and it’s etched with a coarse texture on one side and a finer one on the other. Using the side with the coarse texture, smooth it over your cracked heels and callouses every few days.
After only a few uses, your feet will be baby smooth! Keeping your pedicure bar in the shower is a great idea—once your feet have been soaking in warm water for a few minutes, it’s the perfect time to work on callouses and cracked heels. You can even use the fine-textured side to file your toenails, making this one of the best tools for pedicure you can add to your DIY pedicure kit.
Overgrown cuticles
We often give a lot of care and attention to our fingernail cuticles while neglecting the ones on our toenails. Cuticles are an important part of both finger- and toenail health—they’re the thin layer of skin that keeps dirt and bacteria out of your nail bed. But when they’re overgrown, they can be prone to dryness and cracking, which can make them less effective at keeping your nail bed sealed off and lead to infection. Even if overgrown cuticles aren’t dry and cracked, they can interfere with a neat polish job. The best pedicure tool for this job is a glass nail stick. This handy little implement is double sided, featuring a flat end and a pointed end, both etched with a fine texture, just like a crystal nail file. Use the flat end to push cuticles back—the texture will buff away dead skin while leaving healthy tissue intact. The pointed end is great for getting into tight, hard-to-reach corners or even cleaning underneath nails.
In general, trimming cuticles is not recommended, as it’s easy to cut too close to the skin, but sometimes, if cuticles are especially overgrown, you may need to. The best tool for this job is a combination scissor—the curved blade helps you make close, precise cuts in one long snip instead of using a cuticle nipper to make short, jagged cuts.
Now that you’re familiar with some specialty pedicure kit tools names and uses, you’re ready to start building your own home pedicure kit. Or if you’d rather buy a pedicure tools kit that already contains everything you need, GERmaniküre has a wide selection of self pedicure kits that cater to many different issues, including diabetic foot care as well as the problems described above.
Remember: the best pedicure kit for home is the one that meets your personal needs and preferences.
