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Best Tips for doing a Home Manicure |
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Written by Jessica Smith
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Sunday, 20 September 2009 |
It is possible to have a great home manicure and save money from going to the salon.
Another option is to give yourself a home manicure in between trips to the salon, which can make a salon-quality manicure last longer. The most important tips are to take your time when giving yourself a manicure, and to make sure you have all the tools you need ahead of time.
There are a few tools that are necessary to give yourself a great manicure at home. You will want a nail file, a cuticle stick, cuticle scissors, cuticle cream, nail polish remover, and of course, nail polish. Some also use a nail buffer to make the nails extra smooth before applying polish.
The first steps when giving yourself a home manicure are to gently remove any old polish with a cotton ball, and then to file and shape your nails. If you need to trim the nails with nail clippers, do this first. Then, file the nails with the nail file in one direction only. Do not see-saw back and forth with the nail file, which can cause the nail to become fragile and to crack. You may file the nails in a square or oval shape, but a square shape gives a more modern look.
Next, experts advise soaking the nails in warm water to soften the cuticles for a few minutes. You may add liquid soap to the water. When you take your hands out, apply a cuticle cream to your cuticles, and use the cuticle stick to press the cuticles back. At this point, some choose to clip their cuticles, while others advise against it because of potentially injuring the cuticle or damaging the nail. The cuticle scissors may also be used to trim painful hangnails from the sides of your fingers. If you need to, you can now buff out any rough spots on the nails.
After this, you can thoroughly wash and moisturize your hands. Some recommend using an exfoliating scrub to remove any dead skin and to make the skin on your hands more receptive to moisturizer. When your hands and nails are clean and dry, you can begin applying nail polish. Apply the polish in three smooth strokes, using as little polish as you need to get the color. Apply a base coat and one to two coats of polish. To make your home manicure last longer, you could also apply a clear top coat. It is a good idea to let your manicure dry for 20 to 30 minutes before trying to do anything else. 
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