Hands and nails can reveal so much about a person. Do you invest in a salon manicure or take an at-home approach to nail care?
Well cared for hands and nails can show the difference between being a polished professional or a frazzled mess. We don’t all need to visit the salon every month though. I’m going to give you some basic advice on how to care for your hands and nails at home. Firstly, keep your hands and nails clean. A quick scrub with a nail brush will keep you looking well-groomed. Secondly, make sure you keep your nails trimmed. You can choose the length that suits you but stay consistent – it doesn’t look good if your nail lengths are all higgledy piggledy.
Manicures aren’t just for ladies, men always look more polished when their nails are clean and short too! And let’s face it – the real reason we get manicures? It’s a great opportunity to relax and keeping our nails neat can help us feel good about ourselves each time we look at our hands!
Whether you decide the nail salon or an at-home manicure is the right level of pampering for your lifestyle (and your wallet) let me walk you through a DIY manicure. You know there will always be a time when the nail salon is unexpectedly closed or you have a hangnail and need to tackle your own manicure anyway.
DIY manicure – what you’ll need:
- Nail polish remover
- Cotton balls or cotton pads
- Cuticle groomer or cuticle cream
- Nail clipper and nail file (try to avoid metal files as they can be damaging)
- Nail buffer
- Hand scrub and hand cream
If you choose to apply nail polish, you’ll need:
- Rubbing alcohol
- Base coat and clear top coat
- Colors and nail designs … here’s your chance to get creative!
- Fine paintbrush to add design details or fix up any mistakes
7 steps to a basic DIY manicure:
Start out by cleaning your nails with cotton balls and nail polish remover. This will remove residue from your nails, even if you’re aren’t wearing nail polish.
Gently push your cuticles back with your cuticle groomer or apply cuticle cream. Don’t cut your cuticles yourself!
Clip your nails to your desired length. For men, the ideal length should show about 1 millimeter of white. Some people like to go very short with nail length, but cutting nails too short could expose skin under your nail bed. Women can get away with having longer nail lengths as a fashion statement, but women should also consider shorter nail lengths to help nail polish last longer. Nail polish on longer nails tends to chip faster.
After cutting your nails, make the edges smooth with a nail file. You could file your nails just to smooth the edges, or you could choose a particular nail shape to create a look. Some common nail shapes are oval, square and squoval (square with rounded edges). The latest nail trends; round and almond shape are also gaining popularity. To determine the best nail shape for you, look at how wide your nail bed is. If you have a wide nail bed, a round or oval shape may complement your nail shape. If your nail beds are narrow, try a square or squoval shape.
Continue to smooth your nails by using a nail buffer on the surface of your nails.
Now that your nails are smooth, it’s time to focus on your skin. Use an exfoliant or hand scrub to get rid of any rough skin. If you want to keep this manicure completely DIY, try making a hand scrub with sugar and olive oil.
Complete your DIY manicure by massaging your hands and forearms with hand cream to keep your hands soft.
5 extra steps for a polished DIY manicure:
Prepare your nails for polish by removing excess oils with rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or pad.
Apply a base coat on each nail. This will protect your nail from staining and can help nail polish ‘grip’ so that it lasts longer.
Now the creative part: nail polish! You can use any color you’d like, mix and match colors, attempt French tips, or try one of this year’s most popular nail trends: ombre nails.
After your nail polish dries, seal it with a clear top coat to increase shine. To protect your nail polish from chips try to paint along the front of your nail to really seal the color.
The last step to a professional looking manicure: dip your paintbrush in nail polish remover and remove any excess polish or tidy mistakes!
Tips to make your manicure last longer
Now that you’ve accomplished this great DIY manicure by yourself, here are some tips on how to make your manicure last longer.
Long lasting manicure tip 1
If you’ve applied polish, wait until your nails are completely dry to go on with your usual activities. Even though nails may look dry, it could take up to hours for nail polish to completely harden.
Long lasting manicure tip 2
Keep your hands and cuticles moisturized. This will help your hands look well cared for and will help your manicure last longer.
Long lasting manicure tip 3
Wear household gloves when washing dishes or doing chores. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I’m guilty tackling the dishes with no gloves and drenching my poor nails. Our nails are porous so too much time underwater can weaken them. Wearing gloves will protect your nails from harsh detergents and can help prevent chipping.
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I hope these nail and hand care steps and tips created a fabulous DIY manicure for you. Let me know how your DIY manicure turned out in the comments section.
Written by beauty expert, Jacquie Carter. Jacquie is Director of Outer Nutrition at Herbalife.
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