Going to the salon too often is quite cost-efficient and time-consuming too. Although, doing manicure at home requires a lot of skill and practice, and it doesn’t last as long as the actual professionals do it, but you can do it anytime whenever convenient. Also, you must learn to do manicure so that you can treat your hands and fingernails after every 15 days.
Things you’ll need for a DIY manicure include:
- Nail polish remover and cotton pads
- Nail clippers
- Nail buffer
- Cuticle remover
- Hand and nail moisturizer
- Base-coat
- Nail paint
- Clear top-coat
Now, follow the professional manicure tips given below that will beautify your hands.
- Remove the current nail polish if applied
To give your nails a fresh look, first of all, clean the nail paint (if applied) with a remover. Non-acetone based removers are gentler than the acetone-based, but acetone-based removers work faster and remain in touch with the skin for a short period of time.
- Shape your nails
Trim nails if required, and then shape them. You can be as creative as you want but slightly-rounded shape and square-rounded edge are generally the best. Just don’t be too harsh while shaping your nails and avoid metal or extremely rough nail files as they can hurt.
- Buff them
After filing the nails, don’t forget to buff. Buffing the tops and sides of the nails lightly with a buffer gives them a smooth surface. Just remember a pro tip! File the sides of the nails in one direction, so that the nail fibers do not get disturbed.
But don’t over-buff the nails, otherwise, the nail paint would slip off. Hence, just make an even surface.
- Soak your hands for a while
The most relaxing part where you have to soak your hands in warm water. Add a small amount of shampoo or face cleanser into the water and dip your hands for atleast 5 minutes. This softens your hands and the cuticle which is to be removed in the next step.
- Remove cuticle by applying callous remover on the nails
Although cuticles protect the nails from bacteria and all sort of problems, they obstruct the beauty of the nails too. So it is better to push them back gently. Cuticles are a bit hard, so soften them by applying a lotion or oil, then with the help of cuticle removing tool, push them back gently and don’t do it too much as it can affect the nail growth.
- Exfoliate your hands
At this point, exfoliation is important to remove the dead skin and debris from your hands. Use a hand scrub and apply it on your wrists and forearms. With the help of nailbrush, clean the area under nails. Then wash your hands, and let them dry. Doing this cleanses and moisturizes your hands.
- Prep your nails before you paint them
Dry nails help the nail paint to last longer. Don’t apply nail paint on the damp nails, dry them properly because when they are soaked in water they expand, and on drying they contract. Therefore, it is better to clean the nail with the nail polish remover or alcohol before applying the polish so that it does not chip.
- Apply the base coat of nail polish
Two-coats of nail polish give the nails a beautiful look. So apply a base-coat to hydrate and protect nails from chipping. Nail gurus say that it is good to wait for two minutes between each coat.
- Time to apply the second coat now!
After passing two minutes, hold the nail brush and apply the second coat now. Do not forget to bring the brush down to the cuticle and apply the nail paint properly. Let it dry and you are ready to go!
