Step by Step - Manicure

Step by step - Manicure - How to give yourself a professional quality manicure in the privacy of your own home.
By Ashley Pinkham

            All around the country, many women today spend up to $30 a week for a salon manicure. The question is why would you fall for this trap when with twenty dollars and these simple “do-it-yourself” steps you could create professional quality results and keep cash in your pocket?  A one-time investment in the proper supplies, a little know how and some practice will last you an entire season of luxury manicures, in the comfort of your own home. 

"Create professional quality results and keep cash in your pocket"

Tools: 2 – 4 hand towels, soaking bowl, hand soap, nail polish remover, cotton balls or rounds, nail clippers, nail file, buffing block, cuticle remover, orangewood stick or cuticle pusher, cuticle nippers (Only recommended for those who know how to use them as they can be dangerous and harmful to a first time user), sugar scrub, lotion, nail dehydrator, base coat polish, nail color polish, top coat polish, polish drying accelerator.

Procedure:

·         Find a comfortable location to do your manicure

·         Set the mood! – Light some delicious candles, bump your favorite tunes, and begin to feel the relaxation

·         Remove and store any jewelry you are wearing

·         Fill soaking bowl with warm water and add a pump or two of the hand soap of your choice

·         Place the soaking bowl and your supplies on one of the towels

·         They key to a great manicure is the prep work, so begin by removing any old polish with your nail polish remover from each nail bed

·         Clip and file nails to functional and desired nail length. – Generally 1/8 inch is recommended and make to work from the outside to center technique while filing. By doing this the possibility of splitting the nail is decreased

·         Apply cuticle remover to the base of the nail bed and soak hands (with remover still on) in the warm, sudsy water for about 2 – 3 minutes or the length of a song

·         Remove your hands and dry slightly with a free towel only enough  to avoid dripping

·         Use your orangewood stick or cuticle pusher and gently push back the cuticles. Do this carefully so you do not cause damage or stunt cuticle growth

·         Buff the nail with your buffing block to remove any loose cuticle

·         Repeat for each nail on each hand

·         At this point, those are properly trained with the cuticle nipper; you can nip away any excess cuticle before moving to the next step

·         Use your choice of sugar scrub and apply it directly to your hands gently massaging for about 30 seconds – 1 minute on each hand

·         Rinse and remove all the sugar scrub off your hands either in your soaking bowl or at a sink

·         Dry hands thoroughly

·         Grab any bottle of lotion around your home and massage your hands and arms up to the elbow. (If you’re looking for an additionally satisfying massage enlist the help of a roommate, boyfriend, or husband to do the honors instead.)

·         Take a cotton ball or round and saturate it with nail polish remover and rub it over each nail bed and apply nail dehydrator on each as well – this is crucial to assure the polish adheres to the nail surface

·         Apply base coat – Don’t forget this step! I know its tempting ladies but the base coat is necessary to avoid discoloration of the nail. You know those older gals who have yellow finger nails? Yeah, the yellow nail is in large part due to skipping this step!

·         Use your ruby red, shocking pink, or whatever nail color you chose and use the 3-stroke technique to cover the nail surface on each finger

·         Apply a second coat of color polish

·         Wait 30 – 45 seconds

·         Apply a generous amount of top coat (Orly’s Sec n’ Dry is my favorite)

·         Nail polish dry time accelerator - This is a product that is available at beauty supply stores that will help to quicken the drying time

·         Wait 10 – 20 minutes before resuming normal activities. The longer you can wait the safer you will be from causing scuffs and dents in the polish

By following these easy steps, you will obtain professional looking manicure results while saving money. Your beautiful hands are sure to be the envy of your next night out on the town. Don’t spend that weekly bundle of cash at a fancy nail salon when you can imitate the feel and results in the comfort of your home for a fraction of the cost. You can even wear your PJ’s if you want. Soak, clip, file, cuticles, scrub, lotion, polish; it’s that easy. Spend your Friday night in this week and try this at home remedy to increase your self-esteem and in the meantime save yourself some money.  I promise, you'll find the soaking and massage are also great stress relievers. It’s so much for so little.

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