Do it Yourself Toe Nail Designs

Toenails can be painted with a variety of designs and patterns.

Pedicures help keep feet feeling soft and refreshed, and can help you relax after a stressful day. They often end with a fresh coat of nail polish on toenails. Whether you want a nail art design to top off your pedicure or you just want to paint your toenails, there are simple patterns that you can do yourself without having to take a trip to the salon.

Things You'll Need

• Nail base coat
• Nail polish
• Nail top coat
• Nail art brush or toothpick

Instructions

Zebra Stripes

1. Prep your toenails by trimming them to the proper length. Use an emery board to file the edges, if necessary.

2. Add a base coat to your toenails. This will prevent the nail polish from staining your nails.

3. Apply a layer of white (or light-colored) nail polish to each toenail, taking care not to go over the edge. If you get color on the nail bed or finger, use a tissue to wipe it off. Allow the polish to dry completely.

4. Dip the tip of a toothpick or nail art brush into black nail polish and use it to draw zebra-print lines on top of the nail. Be careful not to press too hard. Remember that it is okay if your lines aren't steady, because zebra stripes are not uniform and come in an array of shapes and sizes. Refer to a zebra photo, if necessary. Allow this layer to dry completely.

5. Apply a top coat to your toenails. This will help prevent the nail color from chipping and cracking.

Polka Dots

1. Prep your toenails by trimming them to the proper length. Use an emery board to file the edges, if necessary.

2. Add a base coat to your toenails to prevent the nail polish from staining your nails.

3. Apply a layer of nail polish to each toenail, taking care not to go over the edge. You can use any nail polish color for this design. If you get nail polish on your toes, use a tissue to wipe it off. Allow polish to dry completely.

4. Choose a contrasting nail polish color for your polka dot design. For example, if you chose black for your previous layer, white can be used. Other combinations include white with red dots and contrasting shades of neon (such as electric blue with fuchsia dots). Using a thin nail brush or a toothpick, drop multiple small spots onto each nail. Use fewer spots on smaller nails (such as the pinky toe) and more on larger toenails. Heavy layers of dots will require more time to dry, so plan accordingly.

5. Apply a top coat to your toenails. This will help prevent the nail color from chipping and cracking.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not try to apply additional layers of color before the previous layers are dry. This will result in blotting and smudged polish.

• Alternatively, you can apply these designs to a French pedicure by painting the tips of your toe nails white and painting the patterns on top of the tips.

• If you are uncomfortable with painting details on your nails, consider using nail decals that can be purchased at your local retailer stores.

• Nail polish should not be applied to toenails that have a fungal infection.

References

• Pedicures and Foot Care: A Pedicure, Some Foot Care and Everything Else In Between
• Pedicures and Foot Care: Nail Fungus
• Beauty Lish: Hot Pink Zebra Nail Design
• Nails Mag: Summer Nail Trend: Yellow Polka Dot Finger or Toenails
• Youtube: Easter Polka Dot Nails/Toe Nails
• Youtube: Zebra Print Toe Nails