Most people randomly grab a nail clipper and chop their nail off, risking cracking or jagged edges. The method described below leaves you with healthy, smooth, sealed nails, so it’s a better way to do it.
Tools Needed For Toenail Clipping
1) You’re going to need specific tools for this procedure, and what I recommend is you’re going to need a basin or tub or maybe a big dish pan full of hot, soapy water.
2) You’re going to need an actual toenail clipper, of course.
3) Also, you will want a file with several different grits on the file. It can go from a fine grit, to a medium grit, to a coarse grit, to a very aggregate grit.
4) Then also a three-way buffer; this is very similar to the file but actually much finer and will impart a shine on the toenail when you’re finished and it will keep the layers of the nail down, so that there’s no peeling after clipping the nail.
Clipping the Nails
1) To start, most toenails are generally a little thicker than a fingernail, so my recommendation is that you would soak the toenails for a minimum of ten minutes. When you’re finished soaking the toenails, dry them well, just use a soft towel.
2) Begin and proceed with it by clipping the toenail from the outside of the nail.
3) Start from the outside of the nail and work your way across the nail until you get to the center of the nail.
4) Start again on the outside on the other side of the nail and work in small sections again until you meet that same cut in the center of the nail.
What this is going to do for you is, if you were to place the actual clipper on the toenail in the center and then go ahead and clip all at once, you would run the risk of cracking the nail, and cutting it off in a very jagged fashion.
So it’s really important to start and use small steps moving toward the center of the nail, and then start on the outside again and just meet that center cut.
5) When you get to the center and you clip off the excess of the nail, throw it in the garbage.
6) Take your file with the finer grit, and use the finer grit to actually file from the outside towards the center, on each side of that toenail. What you’ll do in that case is just seal down the nail.
You want to use it on a slight angle, coming underneath the nail. Again, the reason for this is so that you’re not going to cause the layers of the nail to be opened so that they peel.
7) And to seal those down further, you can then take the buffer as I described, and start with the heaviest grit on the buffer and just file in a downward fashion, to seal down those layers even further.
When you’re finished, you’re going to impart a nice shine to the nail, and you’re going to seal it down very well and you’ll have a very healthy toenail after clipping; rather than a jagged edge.
You can find some more nail care tips on our blog or on this page.
