Tips For Salon Pedicure

When a lady has a fresh pedicure on her nails, you can notice her flashing her hands around. So ladies, if you always want to have those nice-looking nails to show-off, there are some notes to always remember, whether you are doing it at home or in the office. BLESSING UKEMENA writes.

If you do your nails at the salon, go early – Schedule a pedicure in the morning when fewer people have used the salon’s footbath or make sure you find a salon that cleans their footbath thoroughly between customers.

Bring your own pedicure tools to the salon to ensure you don’t get toenail fungus or bacterial infection.

Be adventurous and try some nice nail art on your fingers. Some of them can be really cool, and no, it is not childish to wear nail art. Just don’t take the ones with puke colours, but when in doubt, ask for help of the person doing your pedicure.

Try it yourself. In your house and at your own time, begin by completely removing any residual nail polish from your last pedicure.

Soak your feet prior to exfoliating and trimming your toenails to soften the skin and enamel. Add a little milk to the water so that its lactic acid can loosen any dead skin. Five minutes is usually a good rule of thumb for how long to soak your feet, but the more cracked and callused your feet are, the longer they will need to soak.

Use a pumice to gentle smooth away calluses and rough skin patches. We recommend the Personal Pumi Bar because it is gentler on sensitive feet than a pumice stone or steel callus file. After exfoliating, dry feet thoroughly, including between the toes.

Apply moisturising foot cream, being careful not to put moisturiser between your toes or you run a greater risk of getting a fungal infection such as athlete’s foot.

Cut nails straight across just above the skin to prevent ingrown toenails. Never clip the sides of your toenail and make sure your toenails don’t extend beyond your toes.

When rounding sharp nail edges file lightly in one direction being careful not to scrape the nail’s surface. Use an emery board rather than a steel nail file. A steel file is more likely to rip your nails.

When choosing nail colour – try to get the one that will go well with your skin colour and not one that makes your fingers look withered.

Apply cuticle remover to the base of each nail and rub it in. Leave on for a minute.

Use a wooden or rubber cuticle stick (often called an orange stick) to gently push back the cuticles. A properly designed cuticle stick should be relatively small with rounded ends and a flattened tip.

When pushing back the cuticles, hold the stick at angle to prevent jabbing motions and use slow, gentle pressure. Be careful to remove skin only on top of the nail. Do not touch the toe flesh. Pushing back your cuticles should not be painful and should not bleed. If it hurts, you’re pushing them back too hard.

If you have never trimmed your cuticles before it is probably a good idea to have a professional pedicurist show you how to do it the first time. If you have a foot condition, ask your doctor before trimming back your cuticles.

Don’t apply coloured toenail polish to conceal toenail fungus as it will only protect the infecting bacteria causing the infection to last longer. Apply a coat of clear antimicrobial nail polish instead. Prior to polishing, remove any traces of cuticle remover from the nails by applying a non-acetone polish remover.

Roll your nail polish bottle between your hands rather than shaking it, to avoid air bubbles.

When applying nail polish, keep away from fans, air conditioners, and drafts which can also cause bubbling. When applying nail polish, use the three stroke method. One stroke on either side with the final stroke in the middle. Try not to paint the cuticle. If you accidentally paint your cuticle or skin, you can remove the blemish with a Q-tip dipped in nail polish remover.

If you don’t wish to colour your nails, apply a clear coat of polish or use a nail buffer to remove surface enamel imperfections.

Moisturise your feet regularly; not just when you give yourself a pedicure. A recent AMPA survey revealed that only 41 per cent of women moisturise their feet frequently, even though it’s the easiest way to prevent cracked heels and peeling skin.