The best manicure you will ever give yourself

Taking care of your nails should be a relaxing and pleasing experience. And there are a few tricks that will make you next manicure just that, enjoyable. To get started, take a good look at your nails. Are they dry? Do they have lines or ridges? Or do they peel in layers? Are they soft or brittle? What about your cuticles? Are you a nail bitter with hangnails?

This may seem like a lot of questions, but they are necessary in deciding how much or how little you are going to do in your at home manicure. After all, you want all supplies on hand. So, before you begin collect everything you will need (this is very helpful in the long run). Polish remover, a good nail file and orange stick, and your favorite polish are a must!

You might also collect some cotton balls, a bowl of warm water, towels, a soft bristled brush, and a base and top coat to help that fabulous polish last even longer. The more prepared you are the less stressful your pampering will be. Once you have everything collected the steps are oh so easy to follow, just start at step one and end with a beautiful set of nails.

First remove any old polish. Especially when you are in a rush (and we have all been there) no polish is better that chipped. Try to avoid submerging your nail in the polish remover; it just is not good for them. Too much of those chemicals and your nails loose their luster and become brittle. Use as little as you can to get the job done and your nails will be healthier for it.

Then you will want to rinse your nails in warm water immediately after using polish remover. Then scrub them gently, preferably with a soft-bristle nail brush. A toothbrush can make a good substitute. If you can do this the day before you have a great opportunity to treat yourself to a homemade hotoil treatment.

All you need is 1/4 cup olive oil and oil from one vitamin E capsule. Just heat the oil in a saucepan and let cool until warm. Add the vitamin E to the oil then rub it into your cuticles and nails, massaging any extra oils into your hands. Now put on your gloves and your hands and nails will just be soft and refreshed the next day.

Next, filing may be necessary to shape and buff away any imperfections. But only file when your nails are dry and free of any creams. Soft nails with may peel, tear, chip, or even split. Make sure your nails are dry and only move the file in one direction at a time (no sawing). Preferably go in the direction of your natural nail growth to avoid splitting. Oval vs. square tips is totally up to you.

Now you need to gently push back your cuticles. They are what protects the root of the nail; so, best to take care of them. To gently push back the cuticle, use a soft moist towel or orange stick. The dead skin you can trim off, but leave living skin alone. Then clean under your nails so we can paint! But do be cautious, clean too deep and you create space for bacteria to grow, no good.

Now the art begins. It's best to have a base coat for that will fill in any ridges your nails may have and make your polish pop. Wait about three minutes after applying the base cote before adding the polish; you want it to dry all the way. This little step also helps to keep your nails from staining or yellowing from the polish.

The best way to apply polish is to start at up the center, then up both sides from the base to the tip. You should really only need to use three strokes. A warning to the wise, quick-dry polishes mostly contain acetone which is not good for the health of your nails. Try a thicker, slower drying polish that will hold moisture plus give your nails more flexibility. Bottom line; two coats, three minutes apart.

Finally brush on your top coat to seal the polish and help protect it from chipping. And you are done. You just gave yourself a manicure, hopefully enjoyed yourself, and saved money. Talk about a win, win, win! So, the next time you are looking at your hands making excuses about why you can't go get them done, just pull up this page and treat yourself.