by Heather Kucenski

Created on: March 19, 2009   Last Updated: March 21, 2009

In order to give yourself a manicure, you need to know what tools to use to get the best results. First, be sure to have cotton balls and q-tips handy to take off old nail polish or to fix new nail polish later. Second, to take nail polish off you will need nail polish remover. This can be found in the makeup/nail area at stores. One of the ingredients of the remover is called acetone, which helps remove the polish.

To actually get started with your manicure, you will first need a small bowl to place your hands in. Some stores actually sell bowls made purposely for doing nails, but any regular bowl will do, usually the bowl is filled with warm water and soap. The first most important tool you will need for your manicure is a nail file. Using the nail file, you rub it back and forth along the nail to shape it to your desired length. Next you can use a nail buffer, which you rub back and forth on top of your nail to make it look shiny. To treat the cuticles, I first use a cuticle pusher. Using this pusher, which looks like a long stick with a smooth end, you take the smooth end to push your back cuticle. Next, there is something called cuticle oil which helps to moisturize your cuticles. This prevents those hurtful hangnails from appearing.

There's also cuticle softening pens and so forth. It is very important to keep your cuticles moisturized and soft on a regular basis so those don't form. If you do have hangnails, you can use what's called a cuticle nipper to take care of those. Gently use the tool to pull the hangnail. Yanking the hangnail off can possibly cause infection, so please use cautiously. If you have bad nails, there are nail polishes that provide strengthening support for the nail. Some polishes even double as cuticle softeners, which include Vitamin E and other healthy ingredients. Hand creme can be used to massage both your hands and arms to help with the relaxation feeling. Lastly, you will need a base coat polish, your prime color polish, and a top polish. Some clear polish can double as both a base and a top. To make drying time faster, a fairly new product has come out to help, a fast drying spray. The one I use in particular is made by Borghese.It helps the color set in, creates a glossy shine and smells nice.

Some of the products listed above, like the nail file and buffer, are sold together to make it more convenient. A lot of polishes can be base/top coats, strengtheners, cuticle moisturizers, etc, so I would try and find those products that are all in one without having to spend more time looking for each individual tool or ingredient. You're all set and ready to go!

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