I have to make a confession — I’m terrible when it comes to caring for my toenails. It’s just something I do every once in a while and totally forget about for the next couple of weeks. However, once the weather starts to become warmer and warmer, and I’m not wearing fuzzy socks 24/7, I finally start to notice my toes too. So if you’re in a similar situation, and you’re looking for the ultimate pedicure guide to make your feet look fabulous, then you’re at the right place. 

Give your feet a bath

A foot bath is the basis of every good pedicure. Your cuticles and nails become softer and are therefore perfectly prepared for any type of treatment. Simply fill your tub with warm water, and ideally add an essential oil such as lavender or rosemary to help you relax. Then soak your feet for at least 15-20 minutes. 

Peeling

The next step is doing a peeling. Apply a scrub and gently massage your feet with it up to the ankles. You don’t have to use anything fancy, you can even mix up something yourself. For example — brown sugar and coconut oil. This gently removes softened rough skin and dead cells. In the end, thoroughly rinse off the scrub in your foot bath.

Remove your dead skin

Anyone with severely thick skin on the feet will notice that simple exfoliation is not enough. Therefore, it is best to thoroughly remove stubborn thickened skin with a very gentle file. It is important to use the rough side only on the hard parts of the heels, feet, and toes and to smooth the skin with a finer surface. Be careful not to remove too much of the thicker skin, because your feet still need that extra protection layer. 

Shape your nails

Cut your nails short with scissors or a nail clipper, then shape them with a file. The natural shape of the nail should be taken into account here. For example, square nails should not be filed too round, because otherwise get ingrown nails.

Remove the cuticles

The next step is to remove the cuticles. The best way to do this is to use a special stick or a special pusher to push back the protruding skin. Make sure you’re extra careful while doing this, and don’t remove too much of the skin. If you’re unsure about how to do it properly, it would be a much safer choice to simply skip this step altogether.

Paint your nails

The icing on the cake of any good pedicure is painting the nails. It is best to use a toe separator to keep your toes separate while you polish your nails. First, apply a good base layer or nail primer. This not only hides the unevenness of the nail, but it is also much easier to remove the polish later. To prevent the nail polish from chipping so quickly, also apply some polish to the tip of the nail after the base layer has dried. In order to seal everything properly at the end, don’t forget to apply a top coat, thus completing our pedicure guide.

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