How to prolong your pedicure and prevent toenail polish from chipping
"Treating your feet to a little TLC before the summer is the single most important thing to do in order to prolong your pedicure", explains global nail technician, Marian Newman. She shares her top tips on how to keep your feet looking perfect for longer.
1. Get rid of hard skin
"To refine and revitalise your feet, massage a gentle exfoliating product like No 7's Beautiful Skin Softening Foot Scrub, £8, into your whole foot at least once a week. This will keep them super smooth and free from rough edges.
"To remove additional dry and hard skin, use your foot file before or after your bath, so that you can feel what needs to be taken off. You have to be careful not to remove all hard skin down to the baby soft skin underneath as your soles still need some protection from damage, soreness and even infection." This is especially important when you are wearing flimsy shoes like flip flops.
2. Cut your toenails correctly
"Use a good nail clipper, that is sharp and clean. When cutting your big toenail, don't cut it in one go or straight across as this puts too much stress on the nail plate. Instead, make several small cuts across the nail, but avoid cutting it too short as this increases the likelihood of ingrown nails."
3. Even out any ridges
"You might notice that your big toenail has slight ridges on it. If your nails are thick and strong, these ridges can be smoothed out slightly with a buffer. Then, use a gentle nail file to slightly round the corners of your nails. This will remove sharp edges and give them a shiny surface which will make polish stay put for longer."
"For menopausal women, however, their nails can often be weaker and more prone to ridges. In this case, avoid filing your nails if possible, as this will only make breakages and chips more likely, spoiling your pedicure."
4. Treat your cuticles well
"Toenails always have a lot of cuticle on them- the skin around the base of the nail- but this should never be cut. Instead, use a gentle cuticle remover, like Sally Hansen's Instant Cuticle Remover, £6.95, to soften the dead skin and gently wipe away with a cuticle tool or even your thumb inside a towel, to keep your feet looking tidy for longer."
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5. Use foot cream and nail oil
"When feet are no longer in your sweaty winter boots, they tend to dry out really quickly and cracked heels can spoil the appearance of even the nicest varnish. Use a foot cream every day in the summer to solve the problem.
"A nail oil can help keep your feet healthy and your nails shiny when applied every day, even when you are wearing nail varnish. While some types of oils sit on the surface of your nail as a protecting balm, others go deeper to treat your nail below the top layer. Shellac gels can affect this process but OPI's Nail Replenishing Oil, £16.50, will penetrate even this type of polish."
6. Understand your top and base coats
"People often skip applying a top and base coat to save time but using them is actually time efficient as they can help your pedicure last longer. Importantly, though, I would avoid a two-in-one base and top coat as the two products are designed to do different things.
"The base coat is thinner and often matte, helping your varnish bind to the nail, like a thin layer of primer, so you can apply your chosen colour smoothly (and prevent discolouration of the nail). In contrast, the top coat is like a coloured varnish without the pigment, with ingredients to provide shine and prevent chipping. The three step process of base, varnish and top coat are there for a reason and will make your pedicure more effective."
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7. Forget about drying between layers
"While it is often recommended to leave each layer to completely dry before applying the next, you don't necessarily gain anything as the polish is full of solvents that will make the dry layer wet again as soon as you apply the second coat. In fact, it can take anywhere from 24 hours to 72 hours for the solvents to fully evaporate, making the varnish truly dry. For those in a hurry, therefore, remember that in general the more pigment a nail polish has, the longer it will take."
8. How to avoid streaks
"If your nail varnish contains titanium dioxide- common in white and more opaque shades- it is harder to avoid streaks. A simple trick to overcome patchiness is to apply a matte base coat between each of the coats you apply. This will give the varnish something to hold onto."
9. If your pedi does chip...
"Wash and dry your hands to remove oil, before placing a big blob of polish- in a colour matching your pedicure- over the chipped area. You want to apply what almost seems like too much as the varnish will shrink when it dries as a result of the polymers in the solution going from 'standing' to lying flat on your nail. Then, apply a top coat over the top to finish."
10. Quickly refresh your colour after a few days
"Reapplying your top coat a few days after you paint your nails can help to refresh them, by adding additional shine and reinforcing your nails against the risk of chipping."
For a immaculate manicure to match your toes, you can find even more expert advice from Marian Newman here and follow Boots' #Feelslikesummer campaign.
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