How To Clean And Polish Your Nails:Prepare your hands by removing old nail polish with an acetone-free polish remover. Acetone tends to be harsh on the nail’s surface, making it weak. Dip your hands in a bowl of warm water for five minutes. Add a cup of fresh milk to give your hands a moisturizing boost.
STEP 2: EXFOLIATE
Using a very mild hand stone, lightly slough off dead cells and those hard edges behind your knuckles to reveal new skin. As much as possible, do this in one direction to avoid cuts. Don’t give in to the temptation of slicing off your callus because that’s more likely to leave you with a harder surface.
STEP 3: CLEANSE
Dip your hand back every now and then, without leaving it in the water for too long. Wrap your arms with a warm towel for five minutes to suck out dirt from deep within your pores. You can use your usual facial mask.
STEP 4: MOISTURIZE
A slather of moisturizer will lock in the softness. Massage the back of your hands in a circular motion, then move on to your palms, and all the way to your elbows. This will help stimulate blood circulation and renew the layers of your skin.
STEP 5: TRIM, FILE, AND PUSH
Trim your nails over just a few millimeters beyond your fingertips without cutting deep into the sides. Square-shaped nails help avoid ingrowns. Smoothen edges by filing them down. Again, do this in one direction to keep the edges of your nails smooth and clean.
A lot of women are used to cutting their cuticles from the sides all the way to the nail bed. This leaves them growing back and pushing hard skin out onto the nail surface. If you must cut your cuticles, leave a thin layer on the nail bed. This also prevents you from accidentally cutting the skin around your nails. Gently pushing your cuticles with a stick promotes nail growth, which is healthier. Massage on a cuticle softener everyday to keep your cuticles soft and healthy, and to allow for healthy nail growth.
STEP 6: BUFF OR POLISH
Buffed nails, rather than polished ones, are easier to manage. Buffing stimulates the oils from underneath your nails, leaving them with a healthy glow. Don’t skip this even if you opt to top it off with polish.
The perfect polish begins with a steady hand relaxed on a flat surface. Apply two coats of your polish and dip several cotton buds in polish remover to quickly wipe off smudges. Top it off with a fast drying top coat, but do relax for five to ten minutes to allow the polish to settle.
