Knowing how to give yourself an at home manicure is something that can save you lot of money and give you an opportunity to relax by yourself. It can also be something you do with friends or family. This home manicure includes step by step everything you would get if you were to go into a salon and pay someone to do your nails. Having a manicure involves more than just painting your nails and you’re going to know how to do it all!
To start off your home manicure, you are going to get your nails into shape. Start by taking off any old polish and then clipping away any length you don’t want. Remember clipping your nails is just to make them shorter, NOT to shape your nails. That is what the nail file is for. When you are filing your nails try to file in the same direction rather than back and forth. This will help the nails from splitting. Go ahead and file your nails into a more oval shape for a natural look or more square. There are so many shapes to choose from so be as creative as you want!
The next step in your home manicure is the time of relaxation. Grab a bowl and fill it with warm water. Add a bit of facial cleanser or shampoo and lace your nails inside. This is going to make your nails and cuticles softer and prepped for removal. Because your cuticle is that harder protective layer, pushing them back while they are soft with give you the best results. Just sit back close your eyes and relax. Don’t do this too long though! Soaking your fingers for more than 5 minutes isn’t all that good for your fingers and nails as it can actually dry your hands out.
You can push them or you can cut them. However you do it, getting rid of that hard layer of skin around the nails is the next step in your home manicure. You can do this with your finger or you can purchase a tool for cheap just like the ones they use in nail salons. There are several types such as ones made for pushing your cuticle back or clippers to cut the cuticle and your hang nails off. Careful to only cut away anything that is sticking up! No need to remove anything that is not in the way or doesn’t need removing!
This part in the home manicure is essential and it is something you should be doing all of the time. After you have soaked your hands in water, your hands may dry out quite a bit. Moisturizing your hands and around your nails are going to make your hands appear much smoother as it replenishes your skin. You can use your regular lotion or try an oil. Anything to give your hands a bit more hydration!
After both soaking and moisturizing your hands, you have to make sure you remove any water, moisturizer, or oil from your nails. When you soak your fingers your nail beds will expand, so when you put the polish on as your nails dry the nails will retract which could cause chipping. Water left on the nail could also be trapped by the polish which is not something you want either. Moisturizer is tricky to work with as well as it makes it harder for your polish to stick. Make sure you really wash all the moisturizer off of your nails using either water or nail polish remover and throughly dry your nail beds.
It time for the color! Pick a color that you see fit and get ready to pop it on your nails! Make sure you are not choosing a polish that is old. It could be chunky and hard to put on (you can solve this by pouring a bit of nail polish remover inside of the bottle and shaking it up if you are really determined to use a certain color). You can use both gel (or shellac) and regular polish for your home manicure. No matter what you use make sure you are applying your polish in layers. Usually 2 so it is not too thick, but do as many as you need to get your nails the desired look.
Moisturizer should be put on a million times in the day. This is what is going to make your skin and nails look healthy and beautiful. It also needs to be reapplied since you removed it during your prep for nail polish. No matter what keep putting lotion on!
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