How to Really Treat Them, Now That Toenails Are Out and About

Toenails can be everything from whimsical to demure, but they should always be healthy. Archive photo.

FOR the next few months, toes will be front and center. Whether turned out in nude or a full riot of color, toenails should look good.

Like fingernails, which are exposed year-round and are generally less an afterthought, toenails should also look healthy and be healthy – even under four coats. A true professional – podiatrist Coleen Napolitano – discloses how this can be achieved.

An associate professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, CN says toenails, unlike fingernails, should be kept short for good reason. Toenail contact with the a of the shoe can cause an escalating series of problems: discoloration, blisters, infections and – yikes!, ouch! – toenail loss. (See video below).

“By following a few simple guidelines, you can keep your toenails healthy while also looking great in sandals,” says CN.

For instance, since the toenail should extend no farther than the end of the toe, cut so that only a sliver of white is left at the end of the nail. Go shorter, if you do high-impact activities such as running and Zumba classes.

Nail salon professionals always advise using a base coat to preserve the manicure / pedicure. Another reason that goes to aesthetics is to avoid discoloration. This is especially good advice to heed for those who favor bright colors like Heartbreaker red from the new company, Chrome Girl, launched last year by Melissa Ravo and Jaime Boreanaz.

Chrome Girl's Heartbreaker and other bright nail polishes should go on after the base coat. Photo from Chrome Girl Web site.

Incidentally, Heartbreaker and all Chrome Girl product are 5-free. That is, sans the harmful, harsh and dangerous Camphor, DBP, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin and Toluene.

Ever wonder why technicians ususally cut the nails when they are wet? Because they are softer, thus more pliable. In other words, easier to cut. For home pedicures, a cut is ideal after a bath or shower.

CN recommends cutting nails with clippers that look like wire pliers because they don't leave jagged edges or cut deeply like those old clippers that often come in nail care kits. Any beauty supply store would carry the plier type.

Now that the nails are cut use an emery board to smooth edges and be sure to file in one direction instead of back and forth. OK, clear away nail dust and get ready to coat and polish.

Keep toenails short to avoid blisters and other problems. Archive photo.

So you rely on a nail salon for the care of your toes, do you? Then you won't be doing any polishing. For salon jobs, CN offers some common-sense caveats:

* Patronise only salons that are clean. If you have doubts about cleanliness when you walk through the door, turn around and walk back out;
* Ask management what method is used to clean the salon's instruments. The best is autoclave, a high-pressure steam process. A solution is fine, too, as long as instruments are sterilized after each use;
Plier-shaped nail cutters do the best job. Archive photo.* Do not use the whirlpool footbath if you have open sores;
* Let salon management and staff know if you are a diabetic or are taking a blood thinner.

Now, it's toe and tell time.

Visit http://www.chromegirl.com/index.php?route=common/home to learn more about Chrome Girl products.