Pedicure help/tips please

[Nats5125]

Hello, I'm mobile and fairly new to nails but feel fairly confident in manicures and gelish and working with nails. I have only recently started doing pedicures and whilst I know it all comes with practice, I'm really struggling and wanted to ask for some tips....

I find positioning the feet awkward so I can get the toes in the right place (currently have their feet resting on my legs).

I also find clipping the nails and filing them hard. Toe nails are so much shorter than nails so I'm finding them harder to shape, possibly again because of the awkwardness of the foot position!?

Lastly, any tips for painting neatly? I find sitting on the floor with their feet on a little step the easiest position for this but because you can't manipulate the toes like you can fingers, I'm finding it hard.

I have only done 4 pedicures so know it will come with practice but any tips would be greatly received.

Thanks
Nat

 

[TPB]

I'm also mobile but not had a chance to do a pedi since I've qualified however I found it awkward also and filing, can't really move twist or bend them about lol. Maybe try it other ways and test it like that? You'll find it will become a second nature soon, it's just getting use to it.

 

[Chickafish]

I'm not sure how you're sitting, but I like to sit lower than my clients so that when they rest their foot on me for clipping and filing, the bottom of their foot is "stepping" on my knee. Imagine the foot position of someone getting the tip of their shoe shined the old-fashioned way. (I hope that makes sense). I only ever need to clip them straight across, so I pull the tip of the toe down (as if I were to cap a short nail) and clip in quick small bits straight across, and smooth with a file. To polish, I found it easiest to weave a piece of rolled up couch roll or tissue through the toes instead of those toe separator things. Again, I have them rest their foot flat on my knee, and because their toes are separated by the couch roll, it's easier to grip each toe just like little pinkies. Toes don't twist, but they can bend down.

 

[squidgernetball]

The only thing I would add is when I polish, I do a horizontal line across the bottom of the big toe, instead of lots of vertical ones. I find it is much easier to get a good finish, especially if someone has really wide nails!

 

[pinknfluffy]

Hi, im mobile and seem to have done nothing but pedicures this last week!
I have found that sitting on a cushion crossed legged works easiest for me, I have a small childs step that the client rests their foot on, and I ask them to put their heel to the floor when Im applying polish, this means the toes are elevated but pointing towards me.

 

[xhoniebunnyx]

The only thing I would add is when I polish, I do a horizontal line across the bottom of the big toe, instead of lots of vertical ones. I find it is much easier to get a good finish, especially if someone has really wide nails!

Me too!😃

 

[xxx]

I have a nail bar within a hairdressers so space is limited. I used to have them sitting with their foot on my knee and then tried sitting on the ground - not very professional I thought! So invested in this foot stool. It was around £50 but defiantly worth it, no back problems, pins and needles in my feet, perfect positioning and very quick and easy to dismantle. You can have your liners ankle resting on the foot rest or have them bend there knee to paint there toes.

 

[xxx]

Forgot the pic!

 

[nicole333]

I bought one of those, but I personally don't get on with it, so am going to bit the bullet and sell it and put the money towards a different chair/set up. If I could raise my clients chair then I think it may be better, but everyone just looked too awkward.

At the moment I sit lower and have them rest their foot on my knee. My ideal would be a pedi station with the full works.

 

[lelu]

I find if client bends their knee when their foot is in my lap it puts the foot at better angle. If their leg is straight their toenails are facing them rather than me.

 

[Nats5125]

Thanks everyone. I have one of those pedicure stools and they are good but I'm trying to limit what I take round to clients, and it's a really big thing that I know I could wack into a wall and damage.

I did another pedi today and I sat on the floor and had them put their heel on the little stool I had, rather than their foot flat and it was much easier. Think I just need more experience x

 

[nicole333]

I have used a little Ikea step thing from the children's department once and covered it with my towels etc and my client had her feet on that whilst sat on my sofa (long story).
I sat on the floor on a cushion and found the step absolutely fine for applying Minx, so polish would be the same. This was a one off, so I accepted being uncomfortable myself.