Home Manicure Tips
on
04 July, 2012
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How to Polish, File, and Buff Nails Like a Professional Nail Salon
Are
you tired of spending thousands of dollars each year at the nail
salon? If you’re like most of the country budgets are tighter than ever.
To compensate for high gas prices and the rising cost of food, tanning
and massages salons are seeing a decline in customers due to the
economy. In addition, many women are forgoing their weekly trip to their
professional nail technician and are doing their nails at home.
However, knowing how to properly buff and prepare their nails can be a
challenge. If not done correctly, you can actually damage your nails.
So, take a look at these easy steps and learn the correct way to buff
nails.
Use Salon Products and Tools
There are thousands of nail
products on the market today and knowing which tools you need to
properly buff your nails can be tricky. However, if you visit your
local beauty store you will need to pick up only a few products. First,
a handheld nail buffer is essential on your list of supplies. These
look similar to emery boards; however they have several different
colored panels and appear more like a foam block. You may also want to
grab a few bottles of colored polish or OPI polish in French white if
you’d like to give yourself a French manicure.
Before Filing or Buffing…..
Before you start filing away at
your nails, there are a few things you should do first. Be sure to
remove all old polish with a gentle finger nail polish remover. Look
for those without acetone for the gentlest results. After getting rid
of the polish, soak your hands in warm soapy water for ten minutes.
This will soften your nails and skin to allow you to not only buff your
nails better but also remove the unwanted cuticle areas. You can make
your own homemade hand spa by filling a large bowl with warm water and
adding a small amount of scented bath oil to the water. After soaking
your hands, be sure to dry them completely.
Buff Nails the Right Way
To begin, grab your nail buffer and
file your nails as you normally would (rounded, square or oval). With
the roughest side of the buffer, start to buff your nails. Use a gently
side-to-side motion when doing this. The main purpose of this phase is
to smooth out any major ridges your nails may have. Next, use the next
roughest side of your buffer and repeat the process. This will further
work any ridges out of your nail area. To finish the buffing phase,
utilize the smoothest part of the buffer to polish your nails until
they shine.
Be sure not to be too rough when you are using the first few sides of the buffer. These are meant to only be used gently on the nails. Being too aggressive can lead to a split or chip in the nail, which is almost always difficult to repair properly.
Be sure not to be too rough when you are using the first few sides of the buffer. These are meant to only be used gently on the nails. Being too aggressive can lead to a split or chip in the nail, which is almost always difficult to repair properly.
Tips for Professional Salon Results
After you’ve successfully
buffed your nails, consider taking your homemade manicure to the next
level. Grab your favorite lotion (with or without sun block) and a pair
of clean cotton gloves (socks will work if you don’t have gloves).
Lather your hands in the lotion, put them into the gloves and wait for
ten minutes. When you pull your hands out, wash and dry them well. You
will find they are incredibly natural and soft! Be sure to wipe your
nails well, apply a top coat of polish and begin painting them in your
desired color. Allow the first coat of polish to set and apply another
thin coat. Finish with a top coat and allow it to dry.As you can see,
getting beautiful nails doesn’t necessarily require an expensive trip
to the salon. So, instead of spending money on artificial acrylic nails
this season, consider taking the natural route and doing your nails
and toe nails yourself at home!
