Pedicure on a Budget: 10 Tips and Tricks

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Part of a woman’s grooming ritual is getting a manicure or a pedicure, or both. This is in addition to hair styling, hair coloring, facials, spa treatments, waxing, massages and other self-pampering activities. Naturally, you’d want to look perfectly groomed and be the best version of yourself – but if you will run to the pros for all these treatments, it will cost you a lot of money.

Let’s delve a bit deeper on how much you would have to pay for pedicures. You’d want to have perfect posies, but the cost of getting one from salons range from $15 to $50 – not including the tips. Multiply this to the number of times that you are getting professional pedicures in one year, and it will cost you a pretty penny. The good news is that here are ways for you to save money when getting pedicures, which we will learn more about in the next sections.

How Much Do Women Actually Spend on Pedicures?

To give you an idea about how much women actually spend on pedicures, here are a few figures from Statista.com:

• From 2010 to 2014, the average prices for a deluxe pedicure in nail salons in the US are as follows: $42.66, $44.70, $43.71, $44.62, and $45.37.

• From 2010 to 2014, the average prices for a basic pedicure in nail salons in the US are as follows: $30.99, $32.24, $31.69, $32.63, and $33.26.

• In a survey conducted from January 2013 to March 2014, it shows that about 24,000 or 5% of the respondents have gotten a professional pedicure 2 to 3 times in the last six months.

• Specialty manicures are the most commonly offered services in nail salons in 2014, being done by almost 96% of such establishments.

Top 10 Tips & Tricks to Save Money on Pedicures

If you will spend a couple of hundred dollars per year getting pedicures from professional salons, you will be making quite a big dent in your wallet. This is especially true if you are getting deluxe manicure-pedicure combinations. So how can you save money when getting pedicures? Take a look at the top ten tips and tricks for you to get frugal pedicures.

DIY!

Perhaps the most frugal way to have a shiny pedicure is to do it yourself. There are many step-by-step guides and video tutorials online that you can use as reference on how you can do your own toenails.

In order to give you an idea about how easy it actually is, here are the steps that you can follow when doing a simple pedicure:

• Wet a cotton ball with nail polish remover solution and remove your old polish.

• Soak both feet in a tub or any shallow container which has warm water mixed with Epsom salt or baking soda. Do this for five to ten minutes.

• Rub one drop of cuticle oil on each toenail, then use a cuticle pen to push back cuticles.

• Use an emery board to file nails straight or shaped as you’d like (example: straight then round at the edges).

• Use a commercial foot scrub or prepare a natural foot scrub recipe at home, then exfoliate your feet. Rinse them clean.

• Use a pumice stone or metal foot file to remove the calluses on the heels and balls of your feet, as well as the toes.

• Moisturize your feet with lotion or a foot mask, leave on for up to ten minutes then rinse off.

• Pat dry your feet, massage with a foot cream and start applying nail polish. Make sure to use toe separators so that the newly applied polish will spread smoothly without getting bubbles on top.

• Apply a base coat, a second coat and a clear top coat. Let dry.

Obviously, going for a DIY pedicure will save you a lot of money. Depending on where you live, you can save a hundred dollars or more per month for a twice or thrice-a-month pedicure. If you live in a city like New York where cheap nail salons are abundant, then you can definitely splurge on professional pedicures. But still, there are lots of ways for you to be frugal about it, which we will find more about in the next items.

Hold a mani-pedi party

A spa session at home where a bunch of your girlfriends can do manicures on pedicures on each other is another way for you to save money. Have the attendees bring their own at-home manicure/pedicure kit so there will be enough tools for everyone’s nails to be done. Go crazy with mixing and matching colors, or if one of you has an artistic hand, you can play with nail art.

Organize an area so that there will be a foot soaking station, scrubbing station, and nail polish application station. Since everyone will bring their own pedicure kits and nail polish colors, you won’t have to spend a single cent to have your nails done. You can even save on food by having a potluck so that you can munch on enough snacks during your mani-pedi party. 

If you must go to a nail salon, skip the fancy ones and try cheaper ones

You won’t believe how fancy nail salons can charge twice as much as backwater nail salons – for practically the same treatment. Sure, you will be treated to a free drink and maybe a bunch of rose petals on the water where your foot will be soaked – but these luxuries come at a price. If you want to save money while having a pedicure, skip the fancy salons and try out the local ones in your area. You should also be on the lookout for coupons or discounts, which are usually offered by local spas or nail salons near where you live.

Basic is best

Unless you’re attending a fancy party, you can easily skip the French manicure or frugal nail art. Opt for basic pedicures, skip the extras and be as straightforward as possible with your nail pampering session.

Go for buffing instead of a full pedicure

Buffing is a way to stimulate the growth of nails by increasing the circulation of the nail bed. If you’re in between manicures and you do not have the time to do your nails yourself or barely have the energy to visit a nail salon, all you have to do is buff. Instead of a full pedicure, buffing will keep your nails shiny, gorgeous, clean and natural-looking. The downside is that it may cost around $5 more than getting a basic pedicure. But when you consider the fact that it lasts for a long time and you have a pretty organic way to beautify your nails, it will be worth every cent.

Save money on pedicures by visiting a local beauty school in your area

If there’s a local beauty school in your area, you can definitely go there to get cheap or even free pedicure. The rate is nominal because the work is done by students, and you won’t have to worry about quality because the procedure is overseen by professionals.

Purchase the polish and re-apply it yourself on a weekly basis

While you’re in the mall, buy your preferred nail polish and bring it to the salon. What’s good about going for this option is that you can use coupons and discounts to save money on the nail polish itself. You can also take your pick from different nail polish brands which are free from chemicals which may harm your health. By buying your own polish, you can bring it home with you and reapply the coat after one week or once the old coat has chipped away. This will save you a lot of money in the long run, and make your pedicure last longer.

Apply a topcoat

Just like buffing, there’s usually an extra charge for a topcoat. But if it’s the long-lasting kind, you’ll be more than happy that you did shell out the extra amount. Another option is for you to apply your own clear topcoat every three days to make your pedicure last longer.

Pay less by asking for a color change

If you’re in between pedicure sessions and you want to have a different color on your toenails, you can save money by asking for exactly that: a color change instead of a full pedicure. These can cost anywhere from $5 to $10 depending on where you live. It’s definitely a more frugal option than getting a full pedicure again when all you need is a different color.

Make your pedicure last longer

Finally, the best way to save money on pedicures is to make each one last longer. If you’re wearing shoes which you know might chip the top layer of your pedicure, wear stockings or socks to protect them. The same thing holds true for manicures which are more likely to get chipped because of the amount of work that the hands do.

With these ten tips and tricks, you won’t have to spend lots of money getting the perfect pedicure to achieve pretty feet.

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