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Ultimate Guide To DIY Manicures

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There are many tools needed to give a manicure. Whether doing an in your home manicure or actually being a manicurist, the supplies can be as endless as you want them to be. If your to be a real manicurist, the initial thing you need is some training and a license. Thankfully, this type of skill does require licensing. It is a massive relief to know that the girl scraping that razor blade over my foot is in reality certified and licensed for doing so.

Cuticle Remover and ManicuresCuticle Remover and Manicures

I am astonished at how many people actually get regular manicures and pedicures. It can be a treat, I must admit. But unfortunately it is one of those things that for most of us, we can’t have the luxury of every week.

When visiting the nail salon for nail service, I noticed, how many supplies were actually necessary. They had several pedicure stations. These were nice leather massage chairs. They had tiny little hot tub tubs in the bottom of each chair. These were for feet soaking, and felt great.

The manicurist had a little stool at the end of the pedicure station. In in between each of the pedicure chairs was a little storage bin. These bins held everything from polish to razor blades. The manicurist needed cotton and some sort of acetone to take off my old polish. She needed scissors and clippers for trimming my fingernails and toenails. She also had a large assortment of buffers and shapers, scrubbers and boards. All of these tools seemed confusing to me, but I think that she used every tool in that bin on my feet. After a thorough cleaning and shaping, she applied lotion to my legs and massaged my feet. It felt great and was much needed.

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Now it was time for the polish. The salon had those little foam items that they stick between your toes to keep them separated while painting. They also had these cute little disposable flip flops for me to wear home. This way my toes could dry and I wouldn’t need to fret about smudging the polish when I put my shoes on. After my toes were polished, I was taken to another station entirely for the manicure.

At this station there was this funny little dryer thing for me to rest my feet on. This was also going to help in the drying process and prevent smudging. At the nail station there were even more tools than at the pedicures station. The process was essentially the same. First I had to soak my hands. The reason for this is to soften the cuticles to make it simpler to trim them. If was kind of awkward though.

Each time I put one hand in, she would take the other hand and either trim or shape my nail. Then she would put that hand back in the water and take my other hand. Half the time, I had no idea what to do with what hand and my arms were overlapping one another everywhere. Anyway, I was astonished at just exactly how many supplies and tools were used during the manicure process.

How to Reduce the Cost of Having a Regular Manicure

Having well manicured hands can be an expensive habit to maintain. A bi-weekly manicure can work out to spending $60 or more a month, depending on the salon or nail bar you go to. At that rate, the yearly bill will come up to $720. If spending $720 a year doesn’t sound appealing to you, perhaps you should consider doing your own manicures at home for a fraction of the cost.

You can do your own manicure at home at a time that is convenient for you, all you need to do is ensure you’ve got the right tools for the job. Having the right tools for the job will save you money in the long run, and if you buy good quality equipment, it’ll serve you for many years to come.

So what tools are needed to get the job done?To do your own manicures at home, you’ll need:

To do your own manicures at home, you’ll need:

*You can find all of these things combined in a kit here.

These will allow you to keep your cuticles tidy and your nails polished week in and week out. Using a primer before applying any polish dehydrates the nail allowing the nail polish to stick to your nail better. A top coat should also be used whenever you paint your nails to protect whatever color you’ve applied to your nails and add shine to your manicure. The top coat should be followed by applying cuticle oil which should then be massaged into your cuticles to keep them soft.

If however you don’t have the time to polish your nails every week the alternative is to opt for a longer lasting solution. Using UV gelish nail polish instead of regular nail lacquer will reduce the amount of times you’ll need to paint your nails as UV gel nail polish lasts for up to two weeks or longer. Gel nail polish is often also referred to as shellac. Be sure to check out these great designs for short acrylic nails as well, here.

If you choose to go down the UV gel polish route, you will need additional tools to get the job done. Apart from the items listed above, you’ll need UV gel polish – a base coat, top coat and color or colors of your choice. A nail lamp to cure the polish and acetone will also be required. The nail lamp cures or hardens the polish while the acetone is for soaking off or removing the polish. You can find a lot of different brands with gel nail kits. Just check different reviews to find which ones are best.

Regular nail polish can be combined with UV gel nail polish. After the base coat and top coat have been cured, regular nail polish can be painted over it so you can use your existing colors without having to splash out on new ones.

The biggest expense involved if you choose to go down the UV gel polish route is the cost of the lamp. While lamps are available online, it is worth noting that you get what you pay for. Cheap isn’t always best in the case of UV lamps. Lamps that are cheap are the price they are for a good reason. The materials used are usually inferior in quality and important safety features the lamps should have like a timer are conveniently left out. iii

Ensure you familiarize yourself with how to apply UV gel nail polish and remove it before purchasing anything. You have to understand the application and removal process before you start investing in equipment. Read as much as you can get hold of on the application and removal process. Watch videos on the internet to make sure you are fully conversant with all the steps involved. Even if you bought the most expensive lamp on the market buying an array of colors and equipment, it still works out far cheaper than getting a manicure at a salon every couple of weeks. If you’ve got friends, sisters, or daughters who are interested, you could all chip in together and do each others nails, bringing down the costs even further.

Manicure Tables A Necessity for Beauty Salon Industry

Manicure tables are a great requirement for the six bn. dollar worth salon industry. If you’re in this industry, you would desire your manicure tools and apparatus to be of the finest quality in order to set your nail salon apart from all of the other salons.

Many makers of tables for manicure offer a selection of ready-made and custom-built tables for manicure that provide relaxation to consumers by soaking their hands in the manicure bowl incorporated in the tables.

It’s widely known that girls have been getting their nails spoilt thru a manicure session for the previous years. today, more men have been visiting salons to have manicure and even pedicure. Therefore , the manicure tables today are built to provide comfort both for men and women clients, and also for the manicurist.

Tools and Supplies Used Along with Manicure Tables It is important not only to invest on quality manicure tables, but also on top quality tools and supplies used along with the tables. The sharpest tools and supplies will help manicurists to provide a professional quality manicure on their customers. On the other hand, if you have these quality manicure tools and supplies at home, you may also do a good manicure on yourself. Personal manicure will allow you to keep your nails in good shape at the surroundings of your own home.

Tools and supplies used along with manicure table sets can include :

To accommodate different tools and supplies used for a manicure session, the manufacturers make sure that drawers and drawers are included in their design for the manicure tables, to make it easy to keep everything together.

Caring and Cleaning of Manicure Tables Caring and cleaning of manicure tables will depend on the kind of material and finish they have. If the tables are made of wood with natural and stained finish, you will need extra job to care and clean them than those tables that are sealed with polyurethane or plastic coatings.

Generally, if the tables just have some dust on them ; you can make them dust free with a static duster or cloth. This kind of duster or fabric can attract dust to leave your tables clean and free of any chemical residues. You may also use regular furniture polish to make the manicure tables shiny and clean.

Home Manicure, Home Pedicure

When you need to do manicure or pedicure in your own home, it is very important to have understanding of it in general, and the requirements particularly. If you feel the need of a system of manicure / pedicure and wandering, then the following mentioned system will be of great help to you. So for making the best manicure / pedicure system in your own home, you will need the following:

Now you certainly would be curious to know how the previously listed things will help you in doing manicure / pedicure.

Nail polish removing:

Take cotton balls as numerous as you need them, soak each finger properly with nail polish remover, so that your fingernails true color begin showing up. Use a very less quantity of nail polish remover to remove the nail polish. Because nail polish is extremely drying, never soak the nail in it, particularly the cuticle. Keep the good contacts of your nails with the nail polish.

a woman;s hands holding a cotton pada woman;s hands holding a cotton pad

Soaking and removing cuticles:

Your cuticle is like a fore skin. It is found at the bottom of your nail, where by finger nail cartilage and skin meets. To remove cuticle, soak your nail in warm water for three minutes or less. Now use cartilage remover to push the cuticle down. Find out how to here.

Trimming your fingernails:

To trim out fingernails or toenails, make use of nail clippers. To reshape or shorten nails, simply use nail clippers. If your nails are hard, soak them in water prior to trimming. If you have soft nails, do not trim after bathing or washing, since in doing so, you might cause damage, which sometime may lead to infection. Do not cut too short toenails, due to the fact doing so increase the chances of acquiring ingrown toenails.

Filling Nails:

Use emery board to make your fingernails smooth and good looking. You can make use of emery board to smoothen the ends of your fingernails. Do not use emery board to scrap your natural nail surface at all. This will make the nails surface rough.

Exfoliating & Moisturizing Hands and Feet:

Now use sugar wash to massage your feet, legs, arms and feet. Rinse your hands first and then use pumice stone to rub away callus and other rough surfaces on the bottom of your feet. Now, rinse the scrub of your feet and legs. At this time, make use of moisturizer or some other soothing cream for your hands and feet which might heal a cracked and rough, dry skin.

female hands moisturized with hand creamfemale hands moisturized with hand cream

Polishing Nails:

Get rid of excess moisturizer by using polish remover. Polish your nails and dry them between coats, ideally the very least of 4 coats. If you have weak or brittle nails, place 1 or 2 coats of ridge filling nail polish on the nail as base coat to shore up the nail. 2 coats of a colored nail polish are next, followed by a topcoat to add luster. Use foam toe separators to fingers, while polishing. Allow drying the polish. There are some really great brands of polish out there, some people prefer one brand over another. 

Steps To Give Manicure

If you are interested in learning how to give a professional manicure, then you ought to enroll in classes, as this type of profession does require a permit. If all the same you just want to learn to give an at home manicure, then I have some great tips for you, here’s the easy step by step:

First, when giving a manicure, you should start by getting rid of any existing polish. You will need cotton and fingernail polish remover. Some heavy duty salon polishes have acetone in them, and will need a heavier sort of remover, most polishes, yet, can be removed with a basic non- acetone remover. If you happen to have an aversion to cotton ( some individuals do) you can utilize those plastic jars that include finger nail polish remover. Most cosmetic businesses have there own adaptation of them, like Sally Hansen or Revlon for example.

Next you should soak your hands in water. You may add some oils or cleaning solution to the water, or you could simply use tap water. Allow your fingers to soak for a minimum of five minutes. The aim of this soaking is to let your cuticles to soften in order to make it easier to push them back.

Once your fingers have soaked, you ought to dry them thoroughly before trimming and shaping your nails. Some people like to make use of a buffer on the nail to smooth it, before shaping. Next, while your cuticles are still soft, use an orange stick to gently press your cuticles back. This won’t only give your nails a more groomed appearance, but will also allow your nails to grow longer. Also use the orange adhere to clean any remaining debris from under nails.

Cuticle PusherCuticle Pusher

The next part of giving a manicure is to shape the nails. You may shape your nails any way that you like. Some people prefer to round their finger nails, while others prefer a more squared off look. Whichever you choose, be careful to only use the emery board in one direction. If you go backward and forward with the board, it may damage the nail. This may take some longer, but the outcomes will be worth your patience. Now, you ought to apply a moisturizer to your hands. There are tons of different moisturizers to pick out from. Just choose one that works well for you.

Now you are ready to polish those digits. I would advocate at this stage if you are going to polish your toes as well, do the toes first. This way it lessens the chance of you breaking the freshly polished fingers. Before using color, you ought to first apply a base coat to the nail. This will smooth out any imperfections and help the color bond safer to the nail. Wait for several minutes for the base coat to dry, and then apply one layer of color. When applying color, less is more. You don’t want to put it on too thick. You can always come back and apply another coat later. Lastly, you may wish to apply an obvious coat to avoid chipping and add extra shine. Try to sit still and touch nothing for about an hour in order to keep your nails from smudging.

The Wonderful Life Of The Manicure

A manicure is the act of upkeep and maintenance of ones hands and nails to make them clean and nice as can be. Manicures are done for various reasons either to just make the hand look nice for ones own sake or when you have to go to a formal setting or ceremony.

The other ways to make ones nails look nice is to attach fake nails and using special gels. Another way is to use special nail paints on them with small pictures and even attach precious stones on them. Because beauty salons are dealing with the cutting and trimming nails and sometimes skin, they have to adhere to safety standards, to prevent infection.

The Chinese, Indians and French have been doing manicures for thousands of years and the women of those times grew and maintained their nails and took care of their hands with all types of herbs. Manicuring of the hands in the present sense started much later, in 18th Paris. The act of maintaining ones hands for beauty purposes became popular.

In this day and age there are so many different ways to enhance the looks of ones nails. From artificial nails to different types of gels and not to mention tools it is not difficult to get those perfect nails. But some of these new products like gels are not very healthy for the nail and can make them brittle causing breakages. Especially when filed.

One of the before mentioned tools includes the nail file. This tool is extremely useful in giving your nails that perfect shape that you really looking to achieve when doing your nails. Files come in different models such as the emery file, steel and ceramic files and the newest addition is the glass file. Glass files are considered the best because they don’t harm nails are cleaner and last the longest.

You can create your own home manicure treatment by combining a tablespoon of olive oil with an equal amount of sea salt. Get your towels and moisturizer ready, and prepare to indulge yourself with your specialized nail spa.

a cosmetic specialist doing a woman's manicurea cosmetic specialist doing a woman's manicure

Before you begin, remove any polish from your fingernails, and wash your hands thoroughly to remove any oil or dirt. You can shape or shorten your nails using an emery board, being careful to file in one direction at a time. The back and forth sawing action damages your nails and reduces their strength, which can lead to splitting or breakage.

Soak your nails in warm water for a few minutes to soften the cuticles. Next, apply your homemade spa mixture of olive oil and sea salt. This works to exfoliate the skin and cuticles and reveal new skin cells. Let your exfoliant mixture set on your fingernails for about ten minutes or so before thoroughly rinsing it off. Follow up by using a warm, damp, flannel cloth to gently push back the cuticles to reveal the crescent of your nails. Apply your favourite nail oil or moisturizer, and allow to soak in for a few minutes, before carefully removing any excess from the nail itself.

Once you have finished and thoroughly dried your nails with a soft cloth, you will have clean fresh nails and healthy cuticles, ready and waiting for your favourite nail hardener or nail polish.

Home manicures are a great way to pamper yourself any time of the day. It’s also a fabulous activity for bridal showers or baby showers, as your guests can all enjoy a little relaxing nail treatment, without the expense of traditional nail salons.