The image of a modern woman cannot be imagined without manicured hands and beautiful nails, so manicures become almost a daily activity for each woman. The term “manicure” comes from the Latin manus (hand) and cura (care), i.e. literally “manicure” means “hand care”. Regular sessions of manicure just do wonders – your hands and nails will be manicured and beautiful. Currently there are many salons that offer the service of manicure. But don’t worry if you cannot use the services of a professional – a good Manicure can be done by yourself at home.
First of all you have to prepare everything you need (tools and supplies) for a manicure. So you need:
- Tools:
- Bowl of warm water
- Nail scissors
- Nail clippers
- Nail file or emery board
- Nail buffer
- Cuticle pusher or Orange stick
- Cuticle knife and clippers
- Supplies:
- Cuticle remover, oil and cream
- Scented Oil or Salt
- Nail polish remover
- Base coat polish
- Nail polish and enamel in your choice of color
- Top coat or sealant
- Hand cream
- Cotton pads
- Hand towels
Prepare enough space for all this and follow the next procedures.
Clean up
- First, wash your hands, using plenty of water and soap. This is important – just to wash, but not soak, because wet nails are too soft to work with properly. Any dirt under the nails may be gently removed with a nail cleaner or the blunt end of a nail file.
- If neсessary, remove any old nail polish from your nails with polish remover and cotton pads. There are acetone and no acetone removers.
- You may need to trim your nails with scissors or clippers. If you do manicure on a regular basis, then simply file the nails through. For the best look, all the nails must be the similar length.
Shaping the nails
Let’s give the nails a groomed and attractive look with filing and shaping.
- Nail shapes and sizes are unique to the individual. You should follow the nail bed when choose the nail shape. There are some basic nail shapes: pointed, oval, round and square. Petite hands and fingers look best with almond-shaped nails. Short and stocky fingers look best with squoval-shaped nails. (There’s a manicurist term to impress your friends with – it means “squared-off oval”). Heavy-set hands look best with squared-off ends. This is also true for fingers with wide nail beds (the main body of the nail that defines its shape).
- Use a quality nail file or an emery board.
- Start filing your nails gently and in one direction from edge of nail to the top (a back-and-forth motion can damage the nail). Don’t file too deeply on the sides to avoid damaging the cuticles and finger pads.
- When you finished filing you can use a buffer block for smoothing the nail plate surface.
Cuticle
Now your nails are the desired shape. It is time to treat your cuticle. Soak your hands in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes for making the cuticles easier to work with. You can add some mild soap, salt or scented oil to the water to make hand even softer and a more enriching experience. Gently dry the hands on a towel. Apply some cuticle oil to each fingertip on the cuticle to soften them. Carefully and gently push the cuticles back with a cuticle pusher or an orange stick. Carefully trim away dead skin or remain hangnails (as closely as possible without damaging living tissue; never cut off any cuticle). Keep your cuticles well-maintained and your hands properly moisturized and you will not have trouble with hangnails.
Now is good time to give a massage to your hands and fingers using some hand lotion. Wipe nails with a damp cloth to remove excess oils.
Color
- First, apply a base coat in thin layer (so that it dries fast). Use three strokes on each finger to apply base: one on each side and one in the middle. There are polishes designed specifically for use as base coats. The base coat protects the nails and helps your color go on smoothly and last longer.
- Now, when a base dried completely, apply the first coat of color. Let it dry completely and then apply a second coat.
- Finally apply a single layer of clear top coat (there are polishes designed specifically for use as a top coat). The top coat will seal the color and will help the rest of your polish last. Dry your nails. Renew this topcoat every two to three days to keep the color longer.