Hardware pedicure step-by-step guide

A hardware pedicure gives your feet a polished, sleek appearance without soaking, making it a modern and effective foot care method. Using an electric tool with multiple attachments, this method makes it simple to smooth rough skin, remove calluses, and precisely shape your nails.

Knowing the exact steps of a hardware pedicure can help you accomplish salon-quality results at home, regardless of your level of experience. You’ll discover that it’s a simple and comfortable way to maintain the best possible condition for your feet with the correct equipment and a little practice.

This tutorial will take you step-by-step through the entire hardware pedicure process, from prepping your feet to selecting the appropriate attachments for various jobs. You can have soft, well-groomed feet in no time by following these steps.

Tools

You must get a set of tools ready in order to do a decent pedicure. It consists of:

• Pedicure device;
• Files. For natural nails, a file with an abrasiveness of 180 or more grit is required. For artificial nails – less than 180;
• Buff;
• Cutters – for removing the coating, removing pterygium, length, for polishing;
• Curette for lifting the ingrown tip of the nail and cleaning the space in the corners;
• Pusher for working with the cuticle.

These are the primary instruments needed to execute a high-quality pedicure.

For the covering, we’ll require:

Step-by-step instructions

A hardware pedicure is carried out in phases. Let’s examine each in more detail.

1. Removing the coating

First, the gel polish must be removed if the client had a pedicure in the past and covered her fingers with it. You’ll need a ceramic or carbide cutter for this. Turning on the pedicure cutter requires a speed of between 20,000 and 30,000 revolutions per minute. The client may experience discomfort and the nail plate may overheat if the number of revolutions is decreased.

Removal takes place in zones:

1. The central part is removed.
2. The side zones are cleaned from left to right. The work must be carried out with a cutter in a lying position.

We only operate the cutter tip in close proximity to the side ridges. Because the cutter used to remove the coating may harm the cuticle, we carefully clean the area close to the cuticle while avoiding contact with the sensitive skin. The gel polish can be removed in the following step if it is still present at the nail’s base. This also holds true close to the side ridges, particularly if they are sufficiently deep.

At this point, the expert can align the nail plate and use a cutter to smooth out all of the protrusions and dimples. In the peeling areas, you also need to remove the base coat.

2. Filing off the length

Filing off the length is the next step. The master can use a straight-ended nozzle or the same cutter for this. To obtain a precise soft square while working, you can round the tips right away. You can use a file with the required if using a cutter is not practical for this process.

One crucial piece of information the master needs to be aware of is the length of the toenail. If the client requests that enough nail length be left in place, describe the potential negative effects of excessive length, such as cracked nails, early nail coating peeling, and increased pressure on the nail. Leave it if the client insists on the length following this educational program.

It is not permissible for the nail plate to be excessively long. To determine the appropriate length:

1. With one hand, grasp the client"s finger;
2. Place the finger of the other hand perpendicular to the nail;
3. Press on your toe. This is how the shoe will press on the nail while walking.

The ideal length of nail is when you can’t feel anything on it. The nail needs to be filed if there is tingling and other discomfort.

3. Filing the shape

The tips of the toenails should be rounded and square in shape. The tips are not supposed to go into the grooves on the side ridges. They ought to lie down on them. For nails with lowered side ridges, the master only needs to use a file to trim the nail if the shape was created using a cutter. To accomplish this, take a file, position it at an angle against the nail, and begin filing.

Move on to the corners once the end is straight and the appropriate length. Because it only enters from the side by a few millimeters, rounding them with a file presents challenges. The expert should pull the side ridge to the side, place the file under it, and carefully file the side of the nail without rounding it off to slightly smooth out the angle.

After that, the file is positioned parallelly, and lengthy movements are used to round the corners.

It is best to wait to file if the corners are excessively soft until the base or another strengthening substance is applied to the nail.

The remaining nails need to be filed in the same manner as the big toe. The nail bed on the little finger is typically small, and it may not even exist at all. Attempting to file a square out of this is not worth it. The finger will remain essentially undetectable.

4. Cuticle treatment

The first step in cuticle treatment is moisturizing. It is risky to move dry skin because you could break it. To moisturise, use an antiseptic.

The pterygium can then be started to be removed. Either a pusher or a curette can be used to gently push back the cuticle and clean the side ridges.

Using a cutter for processing is the next step. It is preferable to use the "Drop" cutter for toenails. One rule you have to abide by when using it is to avoid touching the skin or nail with its tip. There’s a chance it will saw through the surface because it’s sharp. Using the cutter’s closest-to-end portion is preferable when working in the sinus. In this instance, the drop’s "belly" shouldn’t come into contact with the nail.

It is preferable to begin removing pterygium from the middle of the nail and work your way out in both directions at first. During this procedure, the cuticle should be lifted by positioning the cutter half-sideways. After processing the side ridges from top to bottom, you can scrape off the raised scales by moving the cutter pointwise up and down.

You must begin operating at 10,000 revolutions per minute. Depending on the skin’s density and condition, you can raise the indicator during the process.

The cuticle needs to be brought to its ideal condition after all of the nails have been processed. You will need a "Ball" cutter with a red or blue notch for this. Only the middle of the cutter—which needs to be held parallel to the side ridges or cuticle—is utilized during work.

The cuticle needs to be lifted if it dropped during filing because it was only pushed with a pusher and not pulled away from the nail. The same spherical cutter can be used for this, holding it 90 degrees at an angle parallel to the cuticle.

You must rinse off and remove any leftover processing dust after processing. First, a degreaser is applied to the nails. After that, you can clear the remnants from the sinus and side ridges using a pusher or an orange stick.

Preparation and application of the coating

You can begin coating once the side ridges and cuticle are ready. Nail preparation is required for this.

Sanding the nail plate’s surface is necessary to get rid of any roughness. The ideal file for this is one with 240 grit medium abrasiveness. The nails then need to be degreased and dust-free.

The client’s fingers cannot be straight, so a special separator cannot be used. It is best to use a separator if some fingers overlap in order to prevent the coating from rubbing off and to ensure that it dries completely.

Applying a primer to the feet is advised. It is only used to process the nail’s tip. Considering that a pedicure lasts longer than a manicure, you shouldn’t cover the entire area. Additionally, with continued exposure, the primer dries out the nail plate.

A pedicure’s base can range in consistency from thick to medium. You can also use the liquid option if you know how to quickly align and cover the nail; the liquid base will help to thin the layer.

Applying the base coat

After determining which consistency base works best for you, you can start applying paint to the nail.

To begin, apply a small amount of material to the brush and press one side against the bottle neck.

Without getting too close to the cuticle, place a drop of the base that was obtained on the opposite side in the center of the nail.

Distribute the base on the sides using gentle, pressure-free movements, and move the brush in a direction parallel to the side ridges from top to bottom. The base of the brush will spread and "buns" will appear on the surface if you apply pressure.

Spread the base out in short, tiny movements close to the cuticle. Using a second drop of the substance, lightly press it onto the cuticle, being careful not to get any on the skin. The cuticle should be reached in roughly 0.3 mm.

Use a brush to cover the entire nail once the gel has been applied to the skin. You must look at the nail’s tip to determine whether it is distributed evenly. Where there is an excess or deficiency of material will be readily apparent in this orientation.

Your big toes must be dried right away. You can apply the remaining two nails at a time. The foot in this scenario needs to be as evenly positioned inside the lamp as possible. To ensure that the coating sets and does not flow to one edge, it is preferable to check the client for the first few seconds.

The drying time varies depending on the type of lamp; 30 to 60 seconds for LED models and 120 seconds for UV models.

Coating with color

The same guidelines that apply to covering the base also apply to applying color to nails. A tiny drop of varnish must be applied to the brush so that it does not run off. You start by covering the nail’s base and middle section. After that, the varnish is applied as close to the rollers as it can go, leaving a tiny space in the vicinity of the cuticle.

The initial layer ought to be as thin as feasible without containing any prophecy. You can use a thin brush to apply an even coating, but it needs to be impregnated with color and applied to problem areas. Go beneath the cuticle or rollers deeply. It is preferable to leave a 0.2–0.3 mm gap.

Reapplication of the varnish is necessary if it is not very pigmented. Enough gel polish in two to three layers for a premium covering. Applying each layer requires the same technology as the first. You must completely dry each layer of nails so that the lamp’s rays touch the entire surface. If not, the coating can get smaller and start to peel off.

Top coat

It is advised to use a top with a sticky layer on toenails. More elasticity is needed for a pedicure, and this type of coating provides it. Because of the continuous pressure from shoes on the toes, a non-sticky top creates a dense reinforcing surface that can chip on the foot.

The top layer is applied in the same pattern as the earlier coating layers. Apply the fixing material sparingly in the vicinity of the side ridges and close to the cuticle using a tiny brush.

Design

You can work on the design once the top coat has dried. Stickers, glitter, rhinestones, and rubbing are appropriate for manicures. The most important thing is that the chosen design elements respect the nail’s shape, which should be as square as possible on the foot.

You cannot cover the side areas of the nail when applying rubbing or glitter; instead, the center of the nail will be highlighted. The best arrangements for rinestones are straight lines or geometric shapes. Remember that every component of the design must ultimately be covered with a top coat once more. Should this not happen, the ornaments will peel off the nail.

When in doubt, jewelry fixative or special glue can be used to secure rhinestones, ensuring that the decorations last until the next adjustment.

And do your clients like to adorn their fingers or do they prefer a single-color manicure?

A hardware pedicure is a quick and easy way to get smooth, well-groomed feet with tiny, precise nail shaping and dead skin removal using specialized tools. From prepping your feet to using the equipment safely and correctly, this step-by-step tutorial will walk you through the entire process to guarantee a polished finish at home.

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2 comments on “Hardware pedicure step-by-step guide”

NataliaEditorial team

Greetings, Natalia! Expert Academy academyexpert ru is the authorized distributor of Kart cosmetics in the Russian Federation. They sell cosmetics directly to consumers or through local agents. The Academy website displays the list of representatives. The ParisNail online store offers Kart for sale as well. ADN cosmetics are less common; while there are a few online retailers selling them, we are unable to recommend any particular ones due to our lack of knowledge about their dependability.

Step	Description
1. Preparation	Start by disinfecting the feet and nails. Remove any existing nail polish.
2. Cuticle Treatment	Use the cuticle pusher to gently push back the cuticles, then remove any excess with a cuticle remover bit.
3. Nail Shaping	Shape the nails using a nail file bit, adjusting the length and edges as desired.
4. Foot Smoothing	Exfoliate the heels and soles with a coarse bit to remove dead skin and calluses.
5. Nail Buffing	Buff the nail surface with a soft bit to smooth and prepare it for polish.
6. Moisturizing	Apply a hydrating cream to the feet, massaging it in to keep the skin soft.
7. Finishing	Clean the nails and apply the polish of your choice or leave them natural.

Maintaining smooth, healthy, and attractive feet at home can be achieved by doing a hardware pedicure routine. Without going to a salon, you can take good care of your skin and nails at home with the correct equipment and methods.

Always exercise caution and apply light pressure to prevent any skin damage. To achieve the best results and avoid any discomfort, take your time with each step.

Lastly, to preserve hygiene and preserve the condition of your equipment, make sure to clean and disinfect your tools after every use. A hardware pedicure can turn into an easy and fun part of your self-care regimen with frequent practice.

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