Give Yourself a Manicure at Home

How to give yourself a manicure at home.

I have been a Nail Technician/Salon Owner of 20+ years and I would like to give you information on how to care for your nails at home between nail appointments.

 

Items you will need to give yourself a manicure: Nail Brush, Bowl for soaking, towel or paper towels, cotton, emery board with course and fine side, cuticle oil, orangewood stick with flat end, hand lotion, base coat, a quick dry top coat, and polish color of your choice and polish remover or acetone.

Here are the steps below.

1. Wash your hands and use a nail brush or unused toothbrush to clean under your nails.

2. Remove old nail polish with polish remover and cotton that does contain acetone. (I like using regular polish remover because you don’t have to leave the product on your nails as long.)  You should only be changing your polish about once a week, so the acetone should not be a problem.

       

3. Shape/File. I never like to cut the nails and if they need a lot of length taken down you can use the course side of the emery board to shorten the length down first. Once your length is about where you like them use the fine side of the emery board to smooth them and always file from the side to the center (Never go in a back and forth motion.)

4.  After you have the desired shape to your nails it is time to soak.

Soak your nails in a bowl of warm soapy water for about 10 minutes. (This will soften the cuticle and make it easier for you to remove the excess cuticle from the nail before you apply your polish)

5. After soaking dry your hands and rub the cuticle oil around the cuticles.

6. Gently push back your cuticles with the orangewood stick. ( I like to wrap a very small piece of cotton around the end of the stick and wet it to push back the cuticle and then clean under the nails one last time.) Remove the cotton from the orangewood stick when finished.

7. Cuticle cutting is not recommended. (If you have a lot of excess cuticle I recommend you get a professional manicure.)

8. Rinse and dry your hands.

9. Massage your hands with lotion.

10. Take a piece of cotton with remover on it and clean the oils off of the nails. (This will help your base coat adhere properly.)

11. Gently roll your base coat, color polish and top coat between the palms of your hands. (Do not shake as it will create bubbles.)

12. Apply one coat of your base coat, start a little above the cuticle area and push the polish back toward the cuticle to get a clean edge around the cuticle and not on the cuticle and let dry. (Letting the coats dry a little between coats will prevent you from smudging the other hand.)  Completing all the nails on one hand with all four coats before starting the other may work best.

13. Apply the first coat of your favorite color of polish and let dry. (Always remember your manicure will look more professional if you have your polish a little to far from the cuticle than it will if you get it on the cuticle ;~)

14. Apply your second coat of your polish and let dry. (If you do have some polish on your cuticle this is the time to dip your orangewood stick in some remover and carefully go around your cuticle area and remove any excess polish that may be on the cuticle area.)

15. Apply your top coat and let dry.

16. Now sit back and enjoy your beautiful nails!

TIPS TO REMEMBER:

1) You should only be changing your polish about once a week, so the acetone should not be a problem.

2) If you have excess cuticle on your nail you should go to a reputable salon for a manicure.

3) If the top of your nails are not smooth use a base coat that is also a ridge filler or see a professional as the buffers take of a lot more nail than you may realize.

4) Only change or remove your polish once a week.

5) Always file with a emery board made for natural nails.

6) Always use good quality products.

7) Store your polish in a cool place. Never ever leave it in the heat. (The fridge is a good place.) Update: Chemist review said that the fridge is not a good idea.
8) Polishing all the nails on one hand and let it dry before doing the other hand will help you from smearing your polish.

If you are planning on doing a French Manicure you might want to check the two links below before you start your manicure. It really can make a difference it the final results.
French Manicure don't look right!
How to Shape your Nails