A manicure consists of a lot more than just painting your nails. It’s about caring for your hands in general. Think of it as a facial for your hands.
And just as you can give yourself a facial treatment at home, we’ll show you how to do a manicure at home.
What you’ll need are nail clippers, nail file, nail polish remover, body scrub, body wash, moisturizer, nail polish.
Ready? Let’s get right into it.
1. Remove your old nail polish
You need to begin on a clean slate. So using non-acetone nail polish, completely wipe off any nail polish on your nails.
2. Trim & file your nails
Trimming your nails are optional depending on the length you want to have. But filing your nails will keep them in very good shape. There are so many nail shapes to choose from so pick the one that suits you best or feel free to create your own.
(Photo: Wikihow)
3. Soak your hands
This is optional but if you have the time why not? Soak your hands in lukewarm water for five minutes. Add some of your favourite bath gel or some liquid wash to the water. This will soften your hands and prepare it for the next step.
4. Exfoliate your hands
Using your body scrub or even face scrub gentle massage your hands to remove dead skin cells. Rinse your skin afterwards and pat dry.
5. Moisturize
After exfoliating, the next step is to moisturize. So grab your favourite moisturizing lotion and slather it all over your hands.
(Photo: inlifehealthcare.com)
6.Wipe off the excess lotion from your nails
After moisturizing your hands, wipe off every oil from your nails. You might need to use some nail polish remover to do this. It’s important to do this because the oil will prevent nail polish from sticking to your nails properly.
7. Apply nail polish
Here’s a tip to applying nail polish: Make three swipes over the nail, on the right, left and the middle. This way it is less likely to clump. Make sure you’re applying thin coats so it dries fast.
(Photo: bebeautiful.in)
8. Let the polish dry
It’s important that you give your nails enough time to try to prevent smudging. To speed up the drying time, you can use a nail drying spray, nail dryer or just dip your nails in cold water. Wait for about 5 minutes between coats to be safe.
9. Finish with a top coat
Apply top coat to give your nails a glossy finish.
See? You don’t need to go to the salon to get a manicure done. But if you wear acrylic nails, these hacks will make them stay on longer.
(Featured image: womenfitness.net)