6 Tips You Need to Know About Pedicures

It's that time of year when we begin to bare our toes in sandals or while lounging at the beach. Regardless of your footwear choices, it's definitely time to get a pedicure ritual started. Whether you're going the DIY route or leaving it to a professional, celebrity manicurist and Dermelect color curator Elle shares six important things you should know about pedicures.

• Keep the area in between toes free of moisture — otherwise, it can become a growing ground for fungus and bacteria.
• Not shaving before a pedicure is a myth. Elle debunks this by raising a good point: "There is no difference between shaving before or after a pedicure. If the products and salon are clean, you are good to go."
• Every single tool at a professional nail salon must be properly sanitized and some must even be discarded after one use. "Nail files should always be fresh for each client — in many states it's the law! Don't let anyone use a nail file unless it's a fresh one from the beginning," advises Elle.
• If you want baby-soft feet, soak them before you file off that excess dead skin. Elle says, "Always file your foot when it is damp, not dry. This will remove skin without making feet rougher."
• Whirlpool foot soaks are a big no-no at salons. They're harder to clean and bacteria can easily accumulate inside the pipes after a while. "Pipe-less foot baths or not using a pool at all are what you should look for at a salon," says Elle. New York City-based salons like tenoverten and JINsoon are known for their cleanliness and use freshly-scrubbed and disinfected individual tubs of water for each client.
• Extend the life of your pedicure by prepping for nail polish correctly and using a foot scrub once a week. Elle recommends scrubbing nails clean with an antibacterial soap and using Dermelect Immaculate Nail Cleanse Prep before applying that base coat.