How to Give Yourself a Good Manicure
Beautiful looking nails can be yours with a good manicure. You can go to a nail salon and pay to have your nails taken care of, or you can do it yourself for free. If you choose to do the work yourself, what you’ll need is soap and water, a manicure bowl, a towel, a nailbrush, exfoliating scrub, cuticle remover, an orange stick, a nail clipper, an emery board, cuticle oil, hand lotion, base coat, nail polish, and clear top coat. Note that you can omit the last three items if you don’t want to polish your nails. Perform your manicure in a well-lit and well ventilated area to reduce the risk of developing respiratory problems.
Before beginning your manicure, remove the old nail polish from your nails and wash your hands well with soap and water. Dry your hands. Continue with the following steps:
- Choose the nail shape you would like to create. Popular choices include oval, almond, round, square, and pointed. Then, holding the emery board to your nail at a 45ºangle, file each nail from right to center, then from left to center, until all ten nails are filed. Avoid filing your nails using a back and forth motion.
- Exfoliate your hands with the exfoliator of your choice. The product you use should be a mild one. Gently rub your hands with sugar if you don’t have an exfoliator, then rinse the sugar off and dry your hands.
- Buff each nail from the base to the tip to smooth away unevenness. Use a chamois buffer, and lift the buffer off the nail after each stroke so heat doesn’t build up.
- Massage the cuticle cream into each cuticle in a circular direction. Follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the product. Remove the cream when advised to do so.
- Gently push your cuticles back with the orange stick.
- Soak your hands in a manicure bowl filled with warm water. Let them soak for five minutes. Then, dry your hands thoroughly.
- Massage hand lotion into your hands.
- If you decide that you want to apply nail polish to your nails, wipe the hand lotion off of each nail with nail polish remover applied to a lint-free cotton pad before brushing the polish on. Then, apply a base coat to your nails, let it dry, and brush on two coats of nail color. After your nails have completely dried, apply the top coat.
Tips for drying your nails quickly include applying a fast drying formula to your nails, misting your nails with cooking spray, drying your nails with a cool hair dryer, or placing your nails into a bowl of ice water.
A DIY manicure can produce pleasing results, but if you want to sit back and relax while an expert nail technician does your manicure, you may want to go to a nail salon to have this procedure done. Here you will find all types of nail services designed to enhance the appearance of your nails. A nail salon is where you will find nail art at its best. Whether you decide to do your own manicure or have it done by a professional, a manicure will leave you looking and feeling beautiful and well-groomed.