How to Clip Long Thickened Toenails
- 1). Soak your feet in warm water, either in a bowl or bathtub, for about 10 minutes. The warm water will soften the nails, making them easier to cut. Remove your feet after 10 minutes and pat dry with a towel.
- 2). Lay newspaper on the floor where you intend to cut your nails. The paper will catch the clippings that you cut off, allowing for an easy clean-up.
- 3). File the surface of your toenails immediately after drying with a nail file or emery board. File away at the top of each of your nails so that the nail is thinned near the edge. This will make cutting the nail easier and cut down on the elbow grease that is needed later on.
- 4). Cut each nail using either a podiatry-grade or barrel spring toenail clipper. These clippers are extra long and made of stainless steel. The cutting blade is also perpendicular, giving the clipper more strength when it comes to tackling large thick nails. Start cutting at the corner of each toenail, moving along the nail in short staccato cuts so that you don't splinter the nail.
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