How to treat your feet at home. Treating your nails before a manicure at home. What do you need for a manicure at home?

Manicure is a very important procedure that many women do to make their hands especially beautiful and complete their look. But a manicure is necessary not only for aesthetic, but also for hygienic purposes, since during a manicure, dirt and dust that accumulate under the regrown nail are removed, and the regrown cuticle is also processed.

For a manicure at home you will need:

• nail polish remover;
• nail brush;
• cotton swabs;
• thin wooden stick;
• a bath with warm soapy water with the addition of vegetable oil;
• special nail cream;
• cream or lotion for removing nail skin;
• hand cream;
• soft towel.

How to properly do a manicure at home

Wash your hands thoroughly, it is advisable to clean your nails with a special brush, and remove any remnants of old varnish from them. To remove nail polish, it is recommended to use special products containing oil. This prevents your nails from drying out. It is advisable that the nail polish remover does not contain acetone and toluene, as they damage the nails. And one more thing: it’s better to remove nail polish with cotton swabs rather than synthetic cotton.

After removing the old polish, give your nails the desired shape. You should not leave long nails: they break easily. But if you like long nails, it’s worth considering that they require impeccable care.

It’s beautiful when the free edge of the nail protrudes 3-4 millimeters. If you cut your nails shorter, their shape changes, they look wider, and your fingers appear shorter and thicker. After trimming your nails, be sure to smooth the sharp (scratching) edges with a special file. Move it lightly, without pressure, only towards the middle, trying not to grind down the smooth surface of the nail.

If your nails are not very long, it is better to do without the help of scissors. It's enough to just file them down. You should not use metal nail files; it is better to purchase more delicate and more modern ones - gentle files with a rubberized base or springy soft plastic and a special coating on top. Depending on the density of the nail plate, you need to select a file with a certain coating.

The length of the nails on both hands should be the same: discrepancy gives the impression of untidiness.

Beautiful nail shape is, of course, a relative concept. A lot depends on what impression you want to make. It's one thing if you are a respectable lady with a hint of elegance, another thing if you are a young maiden with extravagant tastes.

Not too long oval nails are considered classic and really look great at all times. Rectangular nails have been very popular in recent years. So there is a lot of choice. The shape of your nails should be chosen according to the length of your fingers, the natural shape of your nails, your taste and appearance. Most importantly, remember that it is dangerous to file the corners of the nails deeply, because this can cause an inflammatory process.

There are little tricks to create the effect of longer and narrower nails. For example, with short square nails, the nails are cut straight, slightly rounded at the edges, but not reaching the point of contact of the nail with the skin, and then painted not with colored varnish (it visually shortens the nail), but with transparent, and a strip of white is first applied to the free edge of the nail varnish - the so-called “French manicure”.

Rules for performing a manicure

• The skin around the nails is lubricated with a moisturizing or special cream, rubbing it in with light circular movements of the thumb. Then the fingers of one hand are placed in a bath of soapy water for about three minutes to soften the skin. The hand is dried with a soft towel.
• Apply cuticle remover cream to the skin around the nails and rub it in with your thumb. Then the lotion is applied using a pipette.
• Using a stick wrapped in cotton wool, carefully scrape off the skin around the entire circumference. Try to remove all its remnants from the surface of the nail.
• Using a special wooden spatula, gently push the remaining skin towards the base.

• Rub nourishing cream into the nail bed.
• Wrap the sharp tip of the stick in cotton wool and gently clean the inside of the tip of the nail. Do not try to get as deep as possible: this may damage the base of the nail. And under no circumstances use scissors or other sharp objects for this purpose: you will scratch the nail from the inside, and it will be less protected from fungal infections.
• The tips of the nails should be lightened from the inside with a white pencil.
• After this, wet and treat your other hand. You should not process two hands at once, since during the process of processing the first, the second will have time to dry and the skin will no longer be so soft. If you have noticed, we do not recommend using traditional nail clippers: it is too easy to injure yourself with them, and your fingers do not look particularly neat after home treatment. As for hairdressers, we especially do not advise you to allow your hands to be treated with cutting instruments: in addition to the danger of being wounded, there is a much more serious danger of contracting AIDS or hepatitis through a wound. Especially if this is a random hairdresser and you are not sure about the sterility of the instruments.

• Cut off the burrs with scissors and lubricate with hydrogen peroxide. To give your nails a healthy shine, buff them with a soft piece of leather. In addition to improving the appearance, this procedure causes a rush of blood to the nails, which strengthens them and promotes better growth.
• Rub the nourishing cream into your hands. Massage your fingers especially carefully, rubbing the cream in as if you were removing a tight ring from your finger. This will improve blood circulation. Remove the remaining cream with a sanitary napkin.
• If your nails are uneven, you can polish them with a special polishing device. Gels are also produced specifically for polishing nails, some of them with medicinal properties.

Nowadays many different nail files are sold, including those for grinding and polishing. A coarser file intended for sanding can only be used in two cases. Firstly, if the nail plate is not smooth, but has longitudinal and transverse grooves. Secondly, if pigmentation appears after poor-quality varnish. However, even with this, the procedure is done no more often than once every six months, when the plate is completely replaced. Otherwise the nail will become thinner.

How then to achieve shine? If you are not satisfied with the result that can be achieved with a polishing file, you can use a special polishing gel or oil. Apply the product evenly to the nail before polishing. The shine increases several times. You can afford this procedure once every 7-10 days.

Manicure at home is not a difficult ordeal, but quite an easy and pleasant procedure if you know some subtleties and tricks.

Any nail care involves several stages:

• shaping;
• removal of cuticles and hangnails;
• strengthening the nail;
• varnish coating

Each of them has its own rules, let's look at them in order of execution.

Rule #1

The best shape is oval or square nails. This manicure will look advantageous and neat on any hands. Stilettos on long or thin fingers will look awkward, and those with short or chubby fingers should avoid a square shape and opt for an oval shape.

You can give the shape using nippers or scissors, and then bring it to the desired contour with an abrasive stick.

Rule #2

When starting to file, visually imagine the intended edges. Move the nail file in one direction only: start from the edge (corner) and move towards the center. There is no need to perform multidirectional actions - this spoils the nail plate. Try to keep the tool perpendicular to the nail.

At home, it is most convenient to work with fine-grained files with rounded ends on a cardboard or plastic base. They will carefully and accurately create the shape you need. Coarse and coarse files are used only when working with artificial nails.

Rule #3

Shine and a smooth surface can be achieved using a polisher - a nail file with a “velvet” coating. They typically have 4 different coatings on them, each one following the other when sanded. The sequence is indicated by numbers on its edges. You should not treat your nails with ordinary files, since the effect from them is short-lived or absent altogether.

Proceed with manicure only with dry hands: damp or wet nails are easily injured and deformed. Because of this, both the form and the top layer may suffer.

Rule #4

Removing the cuticle requires preparation: it should be softened and moved to the edge. Any special product (liquids, oils) for the cuticle and a spatula that gently moves it can help. Before this, you can perform a light peeling: massage the area at the root with a soft brush with soap or glycerin. A warm bath also perfectly softens and prepares the cuticle.

As for the spatula, it is better if it is a tool with a rubber tip. Wooden and metal ones are quite rough and can damage delicate skin. Sometimes simply moving the cuticle is sufficient and does not require further trimming. If this is not your case, then use nail clippers and carefully cut off what is unnecessary.

Do not use a manicure fork; if used incorrectly at home, it will only cause harm.

Rule #5

Removing burrs is a delicate and responsible procedure, but it can be easily done at home. First, make a bath of hot water with 5 drops of olive oil and a pinch of baking soda. 10-12 minutes after steaming, dry your hands and begin removing with tweezers. Pre-treat them with alcohol to avoid infection.

When trimming, do not pull the burr, but carefully bite it off with tweezers. Rough skin along the nail can be removed with a nail file.

Rule #6

You can strengthen your nails in various ways: apply oil, take a paraffin bath, use medicated varnish. Strengthening products should contain calcium and fruit acids. Strengthening varnish can also act as a base for regular varnish.

Proper nutrition, which contains sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals, plays an important role in the beauty of nails. Thus, vitamins A and B are the foundation for nail growth. Iodine is necessary for strength and strength, and silicon and calcium create a healthy and elastic nail plate. In addition, you should add foods rich in sulfur and iron to your diet.

Rule #7

Short but very important. Manicures should be done at home in good lighting. This is often forgotten, but it is the lack of light that can ruin all your efforts when you see the result of your work in sunny weather outside.

Rule #8

Always follow with a base coat before applying color. It performs the function of creating a smooth surface and protects from harmful influences. Thanks to the base coat, the main color goes on evenly and has a more saturated color. Be sure to dry your nails completely before the next step.

Rule #9

Before painting, shake the tube of varnish and wipe the brush on the edge to avoid excess flow. You should start painting from the middle of the nail, smoothly painting and moving towards the edges. Today there are a large number of options for the type of manicure: from simple French to complex designs and patterns. Color and painting are a matter of taste, choose at your discretion.

Rule #10

All that remains is to correct and correct those “blots” that have gone beyond the edges of the nail. This can be done using a cotton swab previously soaked in nail polish remover, or a special pencil with a solvent on the rod. For quick drying, you can use a stream of cold water or a hairdryer.

The final touch to the manicure is applying moisturizer to your hands. It will make them softer and more delicate, thereby completing a pleasant beauty creation procedure.

Treating your nails before a manicure is the initial stage of any manicure, both in a beauty salon and at home. Today, many women prefer to cope with this caring procedure on their own, in order to save the family budget or out of fear for their own health. After all, it is no secret that many diseases of a viral nature, which are very difficult to treat, are transmitted through blood.

Coming to a beauty salon, every woman plays roulette. No matter what reputation the salon has, no matter how much the masters talk about their integrity, the “human factor” will never disappear from our lives! The disinfectant ran out, the sterilizer broke, they forgot to treat the surface of the table or hand rest, etc. There are plenty of options. Hepatitis and HIV can be an additional “bonus” to a great manicure.

The rules for manicure at home are quite simple, and today in stores there is a huge assortment of all kinds of products for hand care and manicure. What a woman might need if she decides to do a manicure on her own:

How to treat your nails at home? Very simple. First you need to remove the old nail polish and use a nail file to make the desired shape of your nails. The file must move in one direction, otherwise you can injure the nail and it will begin to peel.

The shape of the nails is chosen depending on the woman’s preferences. If the cuticle shape is oval or round, then oval or round nail shape is recommended. If the cuticle is shaped closer to a square, then a square nail shape is recommended. The variety of nail shapes allows a woman to create a new nail design every time, depending on her mood.

How to properly treat your nails?

After the chosen nail shape is made, you need to prepare a bath. Pour a little vegetable oil into warm water, add a tablespoon of sea salt and a slice of lemon. Apply a cuticle softener to the cuticles and immerse your hands in water for five to ten minutes. Such a bath will not only soften the cuticle, but also strengthen the nail plate, reducing the impact of the varnish coating. Then the hands are wiped with a clean cotton towel and they begin to push back the cuticle with an orange stick or a special steel spatula.

It is worth saying that before treating your nails at home, all the tools you purchased in the store should be treated with alcohol. It is also important to remember that your tools should be yours alone. You don’t need to let your friends or even your family members use them. Many viral infections are transmitted through blood, for example, herpes, cytomegalovirus, etc. Not all people are fully informed about the state of their health, therefore, it is advisable to have an individual manicure kit.

A small cut during the procedure can leave a virus on the instruments. A sterilizer is an ideal solution for disinfecting instruments, but not everyone can purchase it. After each manicure, the instruments are treated with an alcohol solution. If there is a child in your family, then you need to purchase separate scissors for him. For a young beauty, a manicure set in a beautiful package is an excellent gift and a reason for her not to take “mom’s” scissors. And mom will always tell you how to properly treat your nails at home.

Treating nails at home can consist of moving the softened cuticle with an orange stick or cutting it off with scissors or tweezers. The length of the blades of scissors and tweezers is selected individually - depending on the size of the hand, fingers, nails, etc. Straight scissors are used to trim nails, and curved edges for cuticles.

If a slight injury to the skin occurs during cuticle trimming, then you need to use hydrogen peroxide. All places where hangnails are removed are also treated with peroxide. This prevents infection!

Products for manicure at home

Products for manicure at home must necessarily include hand skin care products, because a manicure is not only beautiful nails, but also the delicate skin of women’s hands, without “chicks” and rough areas on the fingers from exposure to chemicals, processing vegetables, work in the garden or vegetable garden. After all the manipulations to remove the cuticle from the nail of each finger have been completed, you can use a hand scrub. Apply it to the skin of your hands and massage. Rinse with warm water and wipe dry. Then you need to apply hand cream and give it time to absorb.

Massage movements help to do this perfectly. If a woman is not in a hurry, then you can give your hands a little time to just rest from work, and your nails from coatings. This is how a hygienic manicure is performed. In order to give the manicure a more well-groomed look, when the nail treatment is finished, apply nail polish.

To ensure that the varnish coating lasts a long time, the following steps must be performed before applying it:

Many women are interested in how to treat their nails at home so that the cuticle stops growing? The process of getting the cuticle accustomed to the fact that it will not be cut, but will only be pushed back, is quite long, but possible. It is the orange stick that will become an active assistant in this, as well as cuticle care products.

Also, many women are interested in the possibility of performing a hardware manicure at home. Nothing is impossible! To do this, you need to purchase special equipment and complete a minimum training course to operate such a device.

Home hand care treatments can be performed no worse than in an expensive spa center, but much cheaper.

Hand mask

Paraffin masks for the skin of the hands are an ideal remedy for their restoration. The skin becomes hydrated, soft and smooth. To carry out this procedure at home, you need to purchase special paraffin at the pharmacy. Following the instructions, melt it until liquid. Paraffin should not boil; the skin should feel “pleasantly warm” when applied. Paraffin is applied in several layers. To do this, you can simply dip your hand in paraffin several times.

Then put a plastic bag on it and wrap it with something warm, for example, a terry towel. It’s good to do this procedure together with a friend to help each other cope with the second hand. You need to keep this mask for 15-20 minutes. Then remove the paraffin along with the package and your hands will be simply magical. This mask can be done once a week after a hygienic manicure before applying varnish.

Do you dream of beautiful and healthy nails? A hardware manicure will help keep your hands in perfect condition - simple, effective and safe. Today, this is the most progressive method of treating the nail plate and adjacent areas, which almost eliminates the possibility of injury.

Manipulations are carried out using a special device - a milling cutter with several interchangeable attachments. It allows you to quickly and easily: get rid of the old decorative coating, give the desired shape to the edge of the nail plate, remove the cuticle, pterygium and deeply clean the lateral sinuses, sand the nail and, if necessary, level its surface before applying a new layer of varnish.

Which is better – edged or hardware manicure:

We are constantly looking for the most gentle ways to get our hands in order. The aggressive trimmed manicure was replaced by the European one, with its careful processing of the cuticle without removing it. However, this technology is not suitable for everyone.

Hardware manicure is the next step towards the development of the nail industry. Its undoubted advantages:

• The cutter carefully removes only dead skin particles without damaging the cuticle, as often happens when trimming with tweezers. As a result, there is no danger of wounds with further possibility of infection. Not only thin, but also denser cuticles are effectively removed, leaving the nail hole smooth and neat.
• To perform a classic manicure with high quality, hands are first steamed in a bath, which provokes the spread of fungal diseases. Hardware treatment is performed on dry skin, so it is much more hygienic.
• After gentle removal with a cutter, the cuticle grows longer and does not become rough, as with a trimmed manicure.

• Problematic nails are treated delicately: brittle, flaking, uneven, damaged by improper extensions. As a result, any gel polish then fits and lasts much better on them.
• The skin around the nails looks healthier and more well-groomed. You can also use a cutter to remove calluses from your fingers if they have formed from work.
• The procedure is easy to carry out at home. It is enough to go through video training, watch relevant lessons and step-by-step photos from professionals, and then practice a little to achieve tangible success. The machine for hardware manicure is so easy to use that high-quality nail treatment will not be a problem even for beginners.
• All necessary operations are performed in 30–50 minutes. For a trimmed manicure, the master will need 1.5 hours.

Machine processing is often called the improved European method. Problems can only arise if the nails are in very poor condition. It will not be possible to bring them back to normal in one session.

Types of hardware manicure

We can do it:

1. Classic nail treatment with a cutter.
2. Treatment with further coating with gel polish under the cuticle.

The first method has already been discussed above.

Hardware manicure “Combo”

Removing the coating.

Alignment of the nail plate (if necessary).

Shaping.

Cuticle treatment.

Cuticle trimming.

Cuticle polishing.

Coating application technology: primer base gel polish top.

For more detailed information on performing a hardware manicure at home, see the step-by-step instructions in the photo below.

The second is a combination of hardware and edged manicure. In this case, the cuticle is first processed with a cutter and then adjusted using tweezers or scissors. There is no need to hold your hands in the bath to soften the skin; all the preparatory work is done by the device.

The main advantage of a combined hardware manicure is the complete removal of the stratum corneum, even if the nails have not been cared for for a long time.

Having tidied up our hands, we usually strive to decorate them with fresh nail art. But even the most fashionable manicure will look ridiculous if the nail hole is not completely or unevenly painted. This occurs either due to poor adhesion to the coating and subsequent slipping of the varnish during polymerization, or due to nail regrowth.

As a preventive measure, the technique of applying gel polish under the cuticle is used. The pterygium is lifted with a proximal roller, the pterygium is carefully cleaned, and then coloring is done close to the base of the nail.

Gel polish under the cuticle can be applied using a thin brush.

Important: An effective result is only possible with an unedged manicure, when the cuticle grows along with the plate and covers the emerging gaps. Processing with a milling cutter in this case is considered optimal.

What do you need for a hardware manicure at home?

First of all, we need a router and a set of attachments for it. In addition, you will need additional tools:

• Orange sticks or pusher to push back cuticles.
• A special brush that is used to remove dust while processing nails.
• A file (preferably glass or ceramic) with a hardness of 180 – 240 grit.
• Often craftsmen buy a special desktop vacuum cleaner for the convenience of sawdust extraction.

How to choose a router for home hardware manicure?

1. The power of the device must be at least 35 W. If you plan to do manicures not only for yourself, but also for clients, the optimal value will be 100 - 120 W.
2. Another important indicator is speed. For a hardware manicure at home, a cutter rotation speed of 20 thousand rpm will be sufficient, and a pedicure will require 35 - 40 thousand rpm.
3. The device should not be too expensive, but you should avoid cheap models as their quality leaves much to be desired.
4. A machine with reverse is preferable.
5. It is important that the handle of the router has a collet clamp - it is the most convenient and reliable, and is also equipped with a cooling system.

Description of cutters for hardware manicure

Diamond tips work best with thin cuticles; you can “trust” them with the most complex nails. However, the cost of such products is high. When performing hardware manicure at home, two cone-shaped diamond cutters of different diameters will be quite sufficient.

Diamond cutters

Ceramic cutters

Advice: Ceramic attachments are ideal for beginner craftswomen. They are considered the safest because they do not injure the skin and do not heat up during operation.

Pay attention to the markings of the cutters. For manicure, you usually need a tool with a red and blue line, which means low and medium abrasiveness, respectively.

Which attachments should I use for what?

How to properly do a hardware manicure at home

Attention: To treat your own nails, it will be enough to read the step-by-step description of the hardware method on the Internet and watch the corresponding video materials intended for training beginners.

However, if you plan to serve clients, you should complete professional courses where they will tell you about the secrets and intricacies of this procedure.

Hardware manicure for beginners step by step

Apply disinfectant solution to your hands.

We give the free edge of the nail plate the desired shape with a file with an abrasiveness of 180 grit.

Before doing a hardware manicure, carefully push back the cuticle using a pusher or a wooden stick (the second method is more delicate).

We remove the pterygium and lift the cuticle using a cone-shaped cutter with a rounded tip.

Important: The nozzle must be positioned parallel to the nail plate so as not to accidentally make a cut.

We work in reverse. When moving the cutter to the right, move your hand to the left and vice versa. Correctly performing a manicure involves first treating one side of the nail on all ten fingers and only then, after switching the cutter, the other.

At the same time, we grind the side rollers.

Manicure for beginners at this stage is optimally done at 15 - 17 thousand rpm.

We thin the cuticle with a spherical bur, d 1.2 mm.

Important: Hold the cutter perpendicular to the nail plate. We move the ball only along the skin so as not to leave scratches. It is very important, when going through the sinus, not to change the position of the cutter, following the shape of the nail, otherwise you can snag and tear the cuticle skin. We guide the nozzle all the time in one direction, turning not it, but the finger.

We cut the cuticle with a round bur, d 3.0 mm, with fine abrasiveness. Here you need to move parallel to the nail, repeating the shape of the hole. We work at 17 thousand rpm.

Using a rough grinder, we process the nail plate for a decorative coating. You can replace the cutter with a buff with the same abrasiveness.

Use a gray polisher to go over the skin adjacent to the nail. The rotation speed of the cutter should be no more than 7 thousand rpm. We work only with the tip of the polisher, making light pushing movements and moving along the cuticle growth zone.

Using oil with regenerating properties, we nourish the nails and, at the same time, remove sawdust from them. Remove excess with a napkin.

The main mistakes in performing a manicure

1. Careless attitude towards the router and other working tools. Poor quality, poorly cleaned of sawdust, undisinfected attachments can lead to problems with nails and skin of the hands.
2. High speed. While we are just undergoing training in hardware manicure, we cannot work at high speeds, this is fraught with injuries.
3. Incorrectly selected cutters when removing pterygium. “Bullet” and “flame”, loved by many beginners, do not open the cuticle enough and also leave cuts on the nail.
4. Working with a polisher. Do not hold the cutter in one place for more than 1 second or bring it close to the edge of the nail.
5. Incorrectly selected abrasiveness. Nozzles with blue markings are suitable for coarse cuticles, while those with red markings are only suitable for thin or weakened cuticles.
6. Continuous operation of the device. It is necessary to stop every 6 - 8 minutes to allow it to overheat.
7. Cuticle remover oil should not be applied before the procedure, as its effectiveness will not increase, but will decrease.

Nails after a hardware manicure should be ideal in shape and retain their original appearance for a long time.

Next, we offer a step-by-step video tutorial “How to do the right hardware manicure”

Take it to your wall:

The condition of nails is one of the important details of a person’s appearance. Every day, fingernails are exposed to a variety of adverse effects. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to go to an expensive beauty salon with professional procedures. However, it is quite possible and necessary to care for your nails at home.

Rules for self-care of fingernails

• When doing everyday things (cleaning, laundry, washing dishes), it is advisable to protect your hands from exposure to aggressive factors using rubber gloves;
• if it is inconvenient to work with gloves, you can apply silicone protective cream to your hands, which creates a waterproof film;
• for washing your hands, it is better to choose mild detergents with natural ingredients;
• Every time after washing your hands, you need to apply a moisturizing or nourishing cream - this will avoid drying out the skin and nails;
• to maintain normal water balance you need to drink 2 liters of fluid every day;
• You need to choose the right care products. When purchasing nail polish remover, it is better to give preference to an acetone-free variety;
• After removing decorative varnish, the surface of the nail plates should be lubricated with special oil.

Before starting homework, lubricate hands with silicone cream

Nail care in different seasons of the year

At different times of the year, nail care may have some differences. In summer, skin and nails are exposed to the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation and dry hot air. In addition, many actively work in the garden in the summer. During this time, it is advisable to adhere to the following principles of care:

• Residents of large cities are advised to cover their nails in hot weather with a double layer of medicated varnish - this will protect their nails from drying out and splitting. These products can be applied weekly;
• Those who spend a lot of time in the garden or vegetable garden should definitely wear gloves. Depending on the type of work, you can wear rubber or cloth household gloves;
• the skin of your fingers that has become rough and darkened from working in the beds can be whitened and softened by massaging with a piece of lemon or lime for a few minutes;
• When going to the sea, it will be useful to remove nail polish. Sea water contains a colossal amount of elements that are beneficial to nails;
• after being in salt water, hands should be rinsed with fresh water or wiped with a damp cloth;
• In the summer heat, nails and cuticles need to be additionally moisturized with a nourishing cream.

When working in the garden or vegetable garden, you need to wear rubber household gloves.

In winter, skin and nails suffer from frost and wind. Those with dry, sensitive skin feel this especially strongly. Features of winter nail care are as follows:

• when going outside in cold weather, be sure to wear warm gloves;
• Every day you need to apply nourishing cream to your hands, especially carefully treating the nail plates and ridges around them;
• It is very useful to make paraffin masks - they improve blood circulation in the capillaries of the hands, nourish and moisturize the nails.

Nourishing hand and nail cream is applied after each wash.

Manicure at home

It is quite possible to do a manicure yourself. To do this you need to prepare the following equipment:

• wooden sticks;
• small scissors;
• cuticle nippers;
• nail files.

Which nail file to choose

There are different types of nail files. They are distinguished by the amount of abrasive coating, that is, grit.

When choosing a tool in a store, you should not buy those files whose grit is not indicated. With this tool you can “ruffle” the edge of the nail and damage it.

Nail files come in different types depending on the amount of abrasive material

Table: types and purposes of manicure files

Nail treatment

To shape your nails, it is better to use tweezers. They damage the structure of the nail tissue less. File processing is carried out taking into account the following rules:

• movements should be made in one direction so that the edge is smooth;
• Nails can only be processed when they are dry: wet nails become flexible and it is not possible to make an even cut;
• You need to complete the trimming procedure with a polishing file.

It is better to cut your nails using special tweezers.

To make your hands look attractive after a manicure, it is very important to choose a beautiful nail shape. You should definitely trim your nails in length, especially if you plan to apply transparent varnish - under it, the free edge of the nail shows through, and all the errors in the manicure become visible.

There are several shapes that can be given to the nail plate:

• square - to create it, first remove the length of the nail, then make several movements with a file from the sides;
• soft square with rounded corners;
• oval - to obtain it, the corners are cut off and smoothed at an angle of 45 degrees;
• almond-shaped - when the corners are cut at a slope of 60 degrees.

Photo gallery: nail shapes

The square shape of nails is increasingly common among modern girls. Oval nails look very gentle and feminine
One of the main advantages of almond-shaped nails is that they are universal.
Rounded corners are best for short nails

Trim manicure

The procedure for performing a trimmed manicure at home is as follows:

1. Wash your hands thoroughly and remove the old coating from your nails.
2. Give the nail plate the desired shape with a nail file.
3. Place a container of hot water on a spread napkin, to which a few drops of liquid soap have been added.
4. The left hand is immersed in water for 15 minutes.
5. Take 1 finger out of the water and wipe it with a towel.
6. Pull the skin away from the surface of the nail with a special tool (pusher) or a wooden stick, and clean out the overgrown tissue (eponychium).
7. Using scissors or tweezers, cut off the dead edges of the skin in the cuticle area on the nail folds.
8. All nails are treated in the same way.

Treated nails can be coated with varnish or a colorless base, which will protect them from drying out. At the end, do a light massage with oil.

Video: cutting manicure technique

Unedged manicure technique

Unedged manicure is done on dry fingers without pre-soaking. To do this, you can use the following tools:

• a set of files with different grit levels;
• file for European manicure;
• ceramic “hoof” - a special tool for pushing back the cuticle.

To remove cuticles, preparations are produced on an acid or alkaline basis or containing fruit acids. With their help, you can easily soften the skin in those places where it is very keratinized. Some of the products, according to the instructions, need to be washed off after use. These preparations can be applied between manicures to prevent the eponychium from growing too quickly.

The sequence of actions for trimming manicure is as follows:

1. Wash your hands first and dry with a towel.
2. Apply cuticle remover.
3. Push back the cuticle with a wooden stick.
4. Remove the overgrown skin with a “hoof”.
5. Treat rough skin ridges with a 180–200 grit file.

Video: unedged manicure at home

Baths and masks for nails

Oil baths are considered one of the most useful home remedies for nail care. Any vegetable oil is suitable for their implementation:

• olive;
• linen;
• burdock;
• almond;
• coconut;
• castor;
• apricot.

The procedure is carried out as follows:

1. Heat the oil to a temperature of 38–39 degrees.
2. Dip your fingers into the container with oil for 10 minutes.
3. Blot your fingers with a napkin. There is no need to wash your hands with soap.

You can add lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the bath.

The course of treatment is 10 days. Then you need to repeat them once a week for preventive purposes.

Oil baths are very useful for nails

Salt baths are no less effective and useful. Pour 1 teaspoon of sea salt without additives into a glass of warm water and immerse your fingers in the solution for 20 minutes. The course of treatment consists of 15 procedures, followed by baths once a week for maintenance purposes.

Sea salt baths strengthen and nourish nails

I managed to significantly improve the condition of my nails with the help of salt baths. After a course of home treatment, the effect lasted for six months. However, it should be noted that the effectiveness of this procedure may depend on the composition of the salt. After relaxing at sea and “bathing” my nails in sea water, they pleased me with their strength and health for more than a year.

You can improve the condition of your hands and nails with the help of herbal decoctions and infusions:

1. Dried chamomile flowers in the amount of 2 tablespoons are poured with a glass of boiling water and simmered over low heat for 15 minutes. The resulting mixture is filtered and allowed to cool. Add the same amount of fresh blackcurrant juice to 100 ml of decoction and make a bath for 20 minutes.
2. Mix a tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers, St. John's wort and burdock root. Brew a glass of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes and let cool. Immerse your fingers in the bath for 15 minutes.

Herbal baths are done every other day for therapeutic purposes or once a week for prevention.

Chamomile decoction is an excellent remedy for improving the condition of nails.

A very effective nourishing and whitening bath can be made from the following components:

• 50 ml almond oil;
• juice of one lemon;
• 3 drops of iodine.

Fingers are immersed in the heated mixture for 15 minutes. Remaining oil is wiped off with a napkin or washed off with water without detergent.

Homemade nail masks

For therapeutic and caring masks, you can use available home remedies.

Cabbage mask with cream:

1. Using a blender, grind a leaf of white cabbage and half a banana or a raw potato.
2. Add a teaspoon of cream and honey to the resulting mixture.
3. Apply the mask for 15–20 minutes.
4. Wash off with a cotton swab or disk, moistening it in warm milk.

This procedure has a whitening effect and nourishes nails and skin well.

To whiten yellowed nails, you can take a teaspoon of almond oil and add 3 drops of essential oil:

• pine;
• cedar;
• sandalwood;
• patchouli;
• ylang-ylang;
• bergamot.

The mixture should be rubbed into the surface of the nail plates in the evenings.

With the help of essential oils, you can restore your nails to a healthy appearance, shine and transparency.

To get a healthy glow, you can make a mask from the following components:

• jojoba oil - 2 teaspoons;
• rose oil - 2 drops;
• lemon oil - 3 drops.

Rub the resulting mixture on your nails every evening.

You can lighten your nails with a mixture of equal amounts of lemon and thyme oils. Rub this mixture on your nails at night with light massage movements. If you replace thyme oil with eucalyptus oil, the marigolds will become transparent.

The influence of nutrition on nail health

The condition of nails and skin is one of the important indicators of the general condition of the whole organism. There is a whole direction in medicine that allows you to identify many diseases by the appearance of the nail plates. To keep your nails healthy and strong, you need to pay attention to your diet. Experts recommend adhering to the following rules:

• the menu should contain as many fresh products as possible and a minimum of pickles and preserves;
• Regular consumption of fresh vegetable juices will help improve the condition of your nails and give them a healthy shine. You can mix cucumber and carrot juices in equal quantities - this mixture is rich in sulfur and silicon, which are necessary for nails;
• You need to include fresh greens in your diet. The more of it on the menu, the better your nails will look;
• You can increase the amount of magnesium in the body with celery and parsnip juice. Magnesium ions improve not only the condition of nails, but also the nervous system, which means that juices will help get rid of the neurotic habit of biting nails.

Table: substances and products useful for nails

How to properly care for your toenails

The rules for caring for toenails include, first of all, personal hygiene. Since feet get dirty quite often, they need to be washed and cleaned regularly.

Toenail care includes the following rules:

• feet should be washed daily with mild toilet soap;
• In the evenings it is useful to take baths with a decoction of oak bark. To carry out this procedure, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water into 1 teaspoon of oak bark and cook for 5 minutes over low heat, then filter and allow to cool. The resulting decoction is diluted in 10 liters of water. You need to keep your feet in the bath for 15 minutes;
• You can remove accumulated dirt without damaging the tissues using a wooden stick;
• The edge of the nail is cut in a straight line. With this form it will not grow into the skin;
• After cutting, the edge of the nail plate is treated with a nail file and polished. You need to move from the center of the nail to the edges - this way the stratum corneum will not crumble. Metal files should not be used.

Toenails also need regular care

One of the problems associated with toenails is delamination of the plates. There are several ways to deal with it:

1. Lubricate the nail plates with alcohol tincture of iodine. The medicine is applied before bedtime using a cotton swab.
2. Take foot baths with sea salt - the recipe is similar to that for hands.

You can lighten your nails with lemon juice. Take juice from 1 fruit for 1 liter of water.

After the baths, a special nourishing cream should be applied to your feet. There are a wide variety of foot products on sale today - it is important to choose the most suitable option for yourself. You can consult a pedicurist or dermatologist.

It is very important to choose the right shoes. It should be the right size and fit comfortably on your foot. This prevents foot deformation and ingrown toenails. Shoes must be kept clean to avoid fungal or bacterial infections.

Shoes should be comfortable and not deform the foot.

For those who wear socks, it is better to choose high-quality cotton products. Socks and stockings should be changed daily to avoid contamination and the development of infectious diseases.

If your feet sweat excessively, you can use special cosmetics and medications - antiperspirants.

To avoid the development of fungus, you should follow the rules of personal hygiene:

• Do not wear someone else's shoes under any circumstances;
• when going to the beach, swimming pool or public bath, wear special rubber shoes, since nail fungus spreads very quickly in warm, damp rooms;
• do not use other people’s manicure and bath accessories;
• wear comfortable shoes made of high-quality material that provides your feet with sufficient ventilation;
• maintain a normal immune system of the body - this will allow it to successfully resist fungal diseases;
• Promptly combat sweating of the feet, treat any cuts and scratches that have arisen.

If there are areas of peeling and redness on your toes, wet areas, nails have changed color, or an unpleasant odor appears, you should definitely seek help from a doctor. He will recommend special antifungal medications for the skin and nails.

How to do a pedicure at home

You can get a pedicure once every 10 days. If your nails grow very quickly, you can repeat the procedure weekly.

To carry out the procedure you will need:

• container with warm water;
• sea ​​salt without additional additives;
• glass or ceramic nail file;
• tweezers for cutting the edges of the cuticle;
• wooden sticks;
• nail polish remover that does not contain acetone;
To perform a pedicure at home, you will need a set of special tools.

The procedure should be as follows:

1. Warm water (about 5 liters) is poured into a basin and 2 tablespoons of sea salt are added.
2. Cleanly washed feet are immersed in a salt bath for 30 minutes.
3. When the legs are steamed, remove excess keratinized epithelium using pumice.
4. Using a wooden stick, move the cuticle to the base of the nail and cut off the overgrown edge of the skin with tweezers.
5. Trim the edges of the nails so that they form a straight line.
6. Grind the edges of the nail plates with a high-grit file.
7. Wipe the surfaces of the nails with nail polish remover to degrease.
8. Apply varnish and let it dry. You can put special soft pads between your fingers.
9. At the end, lubricate your feet with nourishing cream.

Nail care should be regular. In this case, not only external procedures are important, but also maintaining the whole body in good condition - proper nutrition, strengthening the immune system. Using simple home remedies, therapeutic and preventive measures are carried out at home that will give your nails strength and a beautiful, healthy appearance.