At Home Manicure How-To

Did you know that Heidi and I are not only licensed to do hair, but we could also legally do you manicure for you?! Even though we don't perform them on a regular basis, here's our professional how-to for getting an a professional looking manicure at home! 

 Clip the nails, if necessary, after soaking for just a few seconds to prevent the nail from splintering when it is dry, then file them into shape.

Avoid metal or extremely coarse nail files to prevent splintering—opt for a gently abrasive emery board or crystal nail file instead. Smooth the tops and sides of the nails with a slightly abrasive buffer to get an even surface, but don't forget, if you buff the nails too smooth, the polish won't adhere as well. 

Ahh … the relaxing part. Place your hands in a bowl of warm (not too hot) water and add a bit of Epsom salt. Avoid putting detergent or soapy cleansers in the water because they can be drying and make your cuticles look worse. Soaking the cuticle before trimming is crucial to getting that polished nail look. 

When cutting away the thickened skin around the nail, applying a bit of cuticle remover can make all the difference in the world. By far the best and the least expensive one out there is Be Natural Cuticle Eliminator. 

Very gently push the cuticle back away from the nail with a cuticle pushing tool, but don't push it too far because it can damage nail growth or fray the cuticles. Be careful NOT to pull, lift, tear, rip, force, or cut into the cuticle in any way. Do NOT clip into the cuticle; merely nip off the free edge with a pair of metal cuticle nippers. It's better to under-do this step than to overdo it because the cuticle helps protect the nail bed from bacteria and damage. This is also the time to remove hangnails around the sides of the nail as well, but again, be careful not to cut into the nail itself or to cut into the skin too deeply; otherwise, you will look like you were tuning up your car, not giving yourself a manicure. 

Moisturizing ingredients of any kind left on the nail will prevent polish from adhering properly. Using a cotton swab or pad, apply nail-polish remover over the nail's surface to remove any residue. While it helps to avoid getting remover on the cuticle because you want to keep that area moisturized, don't worry if you do because you're going to apply moisturizer on your nails again once the polish is dry.

If you have weak or brittle nails, use a base coat of ridge-filling nail polish to shore up the nail. A base coat also protects nails from staining and prevents chipping. Next, apply your color polish in layers, allowing each layer to dry between coats. Two coats of color polish, followed by a top coat to add shine and luster should do the trick. Use a lighter shade of polish if you're a novice at painting nails- any mistakes will be less noticeable!