Remove polish from nails

Remove the old polish from your nails. Use a lint-free cotton pad. Don’t use cotton balls
Saturate the cotton pad with acetone remover & rub off the old polish. If the color isn’t coming off easily, press the saturated cotton on the nail & let it soak in first. Rubbing Whitening toothpaste helps in removing stains from your nails. You can also rub a drop of lemon or lavender oil on each toe & rub a buffer back & forth over the nail. This will remove the yellowed outer layer.

Cut & File Nails

It’s best to use high quality clippers made for clipping toenails. To avoid ingrown nails, cut nail straight across to just above the skin. Make sure your nail doesn’t extend over the tip of your toe.

To get a soft square shape, file nails in one direction until they are even & slightly rounded at the corners. (Hint: Don’t use metal files, they’ll rip your nails). Basic emory boards work great. Don’t clip the sides of nails, that can cause ingrown.

Emory board tip: The fine-grade surface is for smoothing the nail edge, while the coarser surface is for shortening & shaping nails.

Soak Your Feet

Fill a large flat-bottom bowl with warm water. Throw in bath salts, your favorite aromatherapy oils or Epson Salt & let your feet soak 10 minutes. The more cracked & calloused your feet, the longer they need to stay in.

Tip: Add a quarter cup of milk to your bath along with the essential oils & salts. The lactic acid in the milk loosens dead skin.

Trim Cuticles

Apply cuticle remover to the base of each nail & rub it in. Leave on for a minute, then use an orangewood stick to gently push with a circular motion everywhere where skin meets the nail (including the sides). Be careful to remove skin only on top of the nail, don’t touch the toe flesh.

Use cuticle nippers to trim any loose skin. Be careful not to nip your toe flesh.

Scrub Your Feet

Apply an exfoliating body to slough away the dead skin on the balls & heels of your feet. You’ll want to scrub the balls, bottoms & sides of your heels & around the toes. To get the most leverage, sit on the side of a bathtub, facing inward. Remember the pedicure motto we read about once, “smooth, don’t remove.” You’ll want to stop if your foot turns bright red (this means you’ve scrubbed too hard). Remember, that tough skin is there for a reason.

Moisturize

Dry feet thoroughly including between the toes & rub in a thick foot cream like Rub the feet & the calves. Rehydrate cuticles by rubbing in a dab of cuticle oil.

Polish Your Toes

Use acetone remover to get rid of any excess oils on the nails (including the cuticle oil you just applied). Apply a thin base coat using 3 strokes, one down the middle, then one on each side. Don’t paint the cuticle. Wait a minute before adding two coats of your favorite polish, then finish with a thin top coat. Clean up any errors with an orangewood stick wrapped in cotton & dipped in acetone remover.

Let nails dry for at least 40 minutes.

Tip: It’s good to paint any polish remaining on the brush over the front nail edge. This prevents chipping.

After nails have dried, spritz with moisturizing oil. This sets your polish & moisturizes your cuticles.

Courtesy: http://beauty.about.com/od/perfectnails/ss/pedicure101_8.htm