1. Remove existing nail polish. “I’m astounded by how many people never take the polish off their toes and just continue to paint over the top,” Ji Baek, owner of a nail care salon, tells Better Homes and Gardens.

   For a gentle, acetone-free remover that won’t dry out your toenails, check out SpaRitual Fluent Gentle Conditioning Lacquer Remover. About beauty expert Julyne Derrick suggests applying the remover with a lint-free cotton pad rather than a cotton ball to avoid leaving behind pesky fuzz.

   Can’t seem to remove all of your polish? Derrick recommends dousing the cotton pad with remover and holding it against your nails. To remove any stains left behind, she recommends wiping your nails with whitening toothpaste, lemon or lavender oil.

2. Clip nail overgrowth. For the best results, use high-quality nail clippers such as the stainless steel clippers in the Tweezerman Manicure Solution Kit. Careful not to clip too short and far into the nail bed, which can lead to infection, professional nail artist and spa owner Jin Soon tells The Seattle Times.

3. File your toenails. Make sure to file in one direction while rounding the corners, advises Derrick. Filing allows you to easily shorten, even out and shape your toenails without risking infection. To prevent splitting, avoid using a metal file, she adds.

4. File your feet. This helps to soften calluses, writes beauty reporter Melissa Milrad Goldstein in Better Homes and Gardens. “Scrub the balls, bottoms and sides of your heels and around the toes,” Derrick suggests. For a safe, effective product, try Tweezerman Pedicure Ceramic File. You can also use the file to give your feet a mini massage.

   Filing not only makes feet feel softer, but it also combats dry skin that is prone to cracking and letting in bacteria, beauty journalist Mary Rose Almasi writes in Shape. Just make sure to stop if your foot turns red.

5. Soak feet in warm water. Goldstein suggests soaking for 10 minutes. However, “The more cracked and calloused your feet, the longer they need to stay in,” writes Derrick.

   To help loosen dead skin, Derrick suggests adding one-quarter cup of milk to the water. Or, you can use a gentle foot scrub to exfoliate your feet, according to Goldstein. Try H20 Plus Pumice Foot Scrub, which contains marine botanicals that slough off dead skin while conditioning.

   You can enhance your pedicure experience by tossing in your favorite aromatherapy oil or bath salt. For the ultimate in relaxation and rejuvenation, check out L’Occitane Citrus Verbena Fizzy Bath Salts, which calm the senses with the refreshing scent of organic citrus verbena extract.

6. Care for your cuticles. First, Soon advises to apply cuticle remover to the base of each toenail to soften cuticles, and, ultimately, promote nail growth. To easily remove overgrown cuticles, try Trind Cuticle Remover.

   Next, gently push back the cuticles with a manicure stick, which you can also find in the Tweezerman Manicure Solution Kit. Derrick recommends using a circular motion as you push — and don’t forget the sides.

7. Apply ample moisturizer. “Dry feet thoroughly including between the toes and rub in a thick foot cream,” recommends Derrick. One effective option is La Roche Posay Lipikar Feet, which features thermal spring water and shea butter to effectively hydrate even severely dry skin.

8. Remove remaining oils from your toenails using your preferred nail polish remover, Soon suggests.

9. Apply basecoat. Basecoat protects the integrity of your toenails and holds polish in place, according to nail professional Shawn Bingen in Shape. Brush a thin coat from base to tip three times — once on one side, once in the middle and once on the other side. For effective basecoat options, consider the SpaRitual collection, which is free of DBP, formaldehyde and toluene, including: SpaRitual Resurface Smoothing Primer Basecoat to smooth nails and fill ridges and SpaRitual Lacquer Lock Colorstay Basecoat to preserve the polish.

10. Apply the color. Once the basecoat has dried, use the above three-stroke technique to apply two coats of nail polish for longer-lasting color. To prevent chipping, Derrick suggests brushing the polish over each toenail’s edge.

11. Apply topcoat. Topcoat “helps prevent water loss, so nails break less," nail specialist Richard K. Scher, M.D., tells Shape. He also suggests avoiding fast-drying topcoats, instead opting for protective formulas, such as SpaRitual Impeccable Protective Polish Shield.

12. Allow toenails to dry. Experts suggest waiting at least 20 minutes for the polish to dry.

Learn everything you need to know about budget skincare in our Beauty on a Budget Handbook.