How to Give a Manicure

With certain supplies, and this easy-to-follow step-by-step guide, both woman and men can give themselves manicures without visiting expensive beauty salons.

Here are everything you need for a perfect manicure. You can buy manicure supplies in beauty supply stores, either online or locally.

A nail file and/or nail clippers
Hand moisturizer
Cuticle stick/orange stick
Warm, soapy water
A shallow bowl
Nail polish
Nail polish remover
Cotton balls or Q-Tips

First you'll need to remove all old nail polish, if any. Take a cotton ball or Q-Tip and soak in nail polish remover. Apply to nails with polish and rub until no nail polish is left.
Wash hands.
Cut or shape nails. If you have extra long nails, you may want to cut or file them down. If you are just shaping your fingernails, take your nail file and file the corners of your nails. Avoid a "sawing" motion; this causes nails to become brittle and may break. Instead, take the file to a corner, and use an upward motion to the center of your nail. Repeat for the other side. Shape your nails into ovals, or, if you choose, file the top and leave the corners pointed for a square shape.
Soak fingertips. Fill your bowl with warm, soapy water. Any soap will do, but I would recommend an anti-bacterial hand soap or one with some moisturizers. Dip in your fingertips and let soak for a few minutes. This softens up the cuticles and loosens any dirt under your fingernails. Dry off hands when done.
Remove dirt from under nails. Make sure the whole area looks and feels clean.
Push back cuticles using the stick. Push back gently as far as possible. You may cut the cuticles if you wish, but sometimes this may cause infection.
Moisturize hands and cuticles. Use a good lotion to make your hands nice and soft. Take your time with this step; it is very relaxing.

If you're a man, that was your last step to a self manicure. If you're a woman, read on:

Carefully apply nail polish. Use even strokes and take your time. Let first coat dry, then add second coat for more shine. For even more gleam, a top coat will finish the job. Just make sure your nails are completely dry between coats to avoid clumping and smearing.
Let nails dry completely before touching anything. If you mistakenly smudge one of your nails, you can either remove all the polish from that particular nail and start again, or try to touch it up as best as you can. After you're sure they're dry, you have the option to moisturize again, then you're ready to go.

You can give yourself a manicure every week. But if you do it right, it'll last a lot longer than that. A good tip is to find a good, solid brand of nail polish and stick to it.

How to Give a Manicure

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