[VIDEO] The perfect gel polish pedicure - see how to do it step by step

Most nail salon customers - especially in summer - dream not only of beautiful hands but also of well-groomed feet. In the next episode on our YouTube channel, Katarzyna Glińska - Young Team member from HQ and winner of 14 medals at the championships in Madrid and Poznań - presents how to perform the perfect, classic pedicure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR-GveUddfw We emphasize that the tutorial relates to a cosmetic pedicure treatment only - it includes nail prep, smoothing the skin and getting rid of dead skin. Some customers coming to the nail salon need much more attention, which requires broader medical knowledge. Customers with diabetes, ingrown nails, wide blisters or people with limited mobility should visit a podiatry for specialist treatments, going beyond the standard cosmetic pedicure. Let's remember! Our task is to care for nails and skin of the feet, not to treat them. These are two different things.

And one more thing! The effect of a pedicure treatment - even the best one - will not last long if we do not take daily care of of our feet - regular body peeling and hydration. Remember this if you want to have beautiful feet.

The list of products used:

The perfect pedicure step by step

We are going to start the pedicure by milling the heels, metatarsal, instep and toes with a lower gradation cap. Then we smooth the skin with a 240 grit sanding band and use a smaller one around the nails. After smoothing the skin, we are going to trim the nails with nippers and use a 180/240 file and a 180/220 buffer. We'll use a laser file for more precise and accurate work. Apply Acid-Free Primer, Pedicure Base, and paint the French tip with Mr. White, and secure it whole with Pro White. Finally, peeling and massage the Foot Lover foot cream.

Removing callouses - how to mill your feet?

1. We start by soaking our customer's feet. In the past, feet used to be moistened to soften the skin. Today you work with a milling machine, so we don't need to soften the skin in water. However, there is definitely a need - on both sides - for the customer's feet to get a bath before they reach the stylist's hands. It's simply about comfort.
2. We disinfect the customer's feet and our hands, then put gloves on and start milling.
3. We mill from the bottom up - first the heel, then the metatarsus, the instep and toes.
   Why are we working from the bottom up? There is more work to do on the heels, so we start with the most time-consuming things and then move on to other parts of the feet.

   We are going to use the sanding bands, the grit of which depends on the thickness and condition of our customer's skin. If the customer has thick, cracked skin, we start with the 80 or 100 grit. Our model has quite delicate skin, so we start with the 180 grit. We mill the heels one way, with short movements.
   The speed of the e-file is also an individual matter, although it can be assumed that we do not go below 15,000 revolutions. If the epidermis is severely calloused, we will work at a higher speed to speed up the work. Short and quick movements are pleasant for the customer - they will not cause discomfort or heat the skin.

4. We move on to the metatarsus and instep. We mill the arch by stretching the top of the foot - so, we hold our customer's fingers, tilt them back so that the skin is perfectly stretched - then we will have easy access to the calloused surface.
5. Moving on to fingers, we reduce the speed to 10-15 thousand revolutions. The toes are a small area, so you need to be more careful. At lower speeds, we can be sure that the milling machine will not rotate and rotate around the toe. Regardless of whether we use a sanding band or a bit, the nail stylist should always have control over the equipment.

   Remember not to overdo it and not to remove all the dead skin from your heels. After all, it's the layer that protects our feet. We remove more or less 90% of the dead epidermis, which will give us satisfaction with the treatment but also protects the feet from abrasion.

   Freshly milled feet are a luxury! But too much-milled feet can turn out to be a problem - such very soft skin that ends up in a shoe will soon be torn, corns and unpleasantness will develop.

6. Change the sanding band to 240 grit to smooth the freshly milled skin and get rid of the noticeable burrs. If we do not remove them, our customer's feet may get caught - e.g. on a sheet. The smoothing sequence is the same as milling - bottom-up - heel, midfoot, instep, toes. We must remember - short movements to one side so as not to heat the skin.

Nail and skin prep

1. It's time to mill the skin around the nails. We change the mandrel to a smaller, cylinder-shaped, 240 grit to ensure more precise access to the periungual shaft line.
2. We start cutting and prepping the cuticles. We start with Bit No. 9, which we use to push back and remove the dead skin from the nail. We work with a pushing-sweeping movement, starting with the toe and moving to the smallest.
3. After pushing back the cuticles, change the Bit to No. 3 to get rid of the burrs that were left after the previous milling. Lift the cuticles and with a sweeping, non-pushing motion, clean the surface, getting rid of all residues. This is an important element of a milling manicure or pedicure treatment. You need to remember that if we apply the gel polish on an uncleaned surface, firstly, we make the work difficult, and secondly, we can be sure that air pockets will appear. If this topic interests you, please refer to the episode where you'll find out what are the 8 most common mistakes that cause air bubbles.
4. The next step that brings us closer to beautiful feet is to remove the cuticles with nippers. We work carefully and delicately - it may seem odd, but the cuticles on the feet are not as strong than on the hands. And not only that, the feet have more blood supply than the hands, so we should be even more careful not to cut our customer.
5. It's time to shorten the nails. We get rid of nail lengths with pedicure nippers. Their contoured handle allows you to maintain full control over the activity performed.
6. We prep shortened nails with a 180/240 file. We work on a natural nail, so we do not need a lower gradation. We file the nails straight, remembering to file the corners lightly so that they do not grow into the skin. For this, we use a laser file - a thin and more precise tool will more easily fit in the gap between the free edge and the tip. A conventional file would be too thick for this task.
7. We smooth the surface with a 180/240 buffer.

How to perform the perfect French pedicure?

1. We wipe the surface with Purple Cleaner. Then we apply the Acid-Free Primer and Pedicure Base.

   What's important in the Pedicure Base is that it's flexible, adheres very well to the nails and that its consistency allows you to apply thin layers. Thanks to this, the nails will look as if they would be painted with regular nail polish - natural and slimmer, but they'll be more durable. If the natural nail plate has some defects, the base - despite the fact that it's thin - lets you make some infill, and even slightly build up in the case of concave nails.

2. Everyone paints their nails the way they like. Kasia starts with the second finger, moves to the third and cures both for 30 seconds. Then applies the base coat to the fourth and fifth fingers and cures both again for 30 seconds. Finally, she applies the base on the toe and cures separately, also for 30 seconds.
3. We put the white gel polish on the palette and start to paint the french ends with a 006 brush. You need to remember that the toenails are cut straight, so paint the French straight as well, gently rounding its moustache on the right and left side. When painting French, we also use the method of every two fingers: the second, third - cure for 30 seconds, the fourth and fifth - cure for 30 seconds, and the toe separately. The Mr. White gel polish is the perfect product for French on feet. One layer is enough to create a clear cut line in a snow-white shade. It's best to use gel polish for french on feet - nail art gels may crack or chip after 2-3 weeks, and sometimes even the next day. Why is this happening? Because the nail art gel is a much harder product and we don't use it on the built-up surface. We do not want to build up or extend our toenails. Here you need to use a product that will do well on a flexible surface, i.e. gel polish.
4. After application and curing all french ends, move to apply the topcoat. We use Pro White, which visually highlights the snow-white tip of the French even more.
5. Pro White is a top coat that leaves a dispersion layer. You have to wait at least 30 seconds before you can clean it. Only when the top cools down, we wipe the dispersion with a dust-free cotton swab soaked in Cleaner Supershine.

Indigo foot cream and body scrub

1. We proceed to peel our customer's feet.

   If you like moisturizing peels - we have something for you. Our Indigo Scrub contains Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Macadamia Oil, Almond Oil and Coconut Oil. A total of 37% of the entire recipe consists of highly moisturizing ingredients of natural origin. A large jar will certainly be enough for many uses. The product smells beautiful and is available in four different fragrances, so each of you will surely find your favourite. Most importantly: it can be used on the feet as well as on the whole body.

2. After a short massage, use water to remove the remains of the body scrub from the skin. We wash the customer's feet again and dry them with a paper or disposable towel.
3. Finally, we apply a foot cream with urea, e.g. Foot Lover, to the skin. Indigo foot cream effectively nourishes, smoothes and softens the skin, ensuring the right level of hydration. It's all thanks to the rich formula, which includes, beeswax, allantoin and vitamin E. The Foot Lover delights with the beautiful scent of Seventh Heaven, which will surely convince girls who love fragrant cosmetics.
4. If the customer comes to us in flip-flops, we can wipe the soles of the feet from the excess cream so that they do not slip.
5. AND ALL DONE!