Nail Care

DIY Manicure
Doing your own manicures will save both time and money. Here are the steps you will need to follow for a successful manicure:

Before starting wash and dry your hands.
With a double-sided emery board, file nails using gentle strokes.
Start to shape your nails. Most women like an oval shape, but you can choose whatever suits your hand and finger shape.
Check to see how good a job you are doing by running your nails over an old pair of pantyhose. Your nails should not snag.
Apply a softener to your cuticles and wait a few minutes.
Place your hands in a bowl of warm water and soak for a further few minutes.
Gently push the cuticles back. This shouldn't hurt. Cut off any hangnails
Before applying colour to the nails, they must be cleaned, the easiest way being with an cotton bud. Dip it into nail polish remover and rub over the surface of the nail. Look for any creamy residue. As soon as there is none left, your nails can be polished.
Next the colour. With a small amount of polish on your brush, paint one stroke down the center of a nail. Then stroke the sides of the nail and you're finished, the nail being completely coloured in three easy strokes. Allow the polish to dry for a minute or so then apply a second coat.
Wait until polish is dry to the touch and brush on the top coat. This step will increase the life to your manicure and protect your nails as well.
Sterilise all of your equipment with alcohol and store them away for the next manicure.

Healthy Nails
Before you can have stylish nails or long nails it is important to have healthy nails. Without this, any efforts to show off your nails could be spoiled by the nails being weak or mishapen. The main reason for unhealthy nails is poor diet:

Insufficient vitamin A and calcium leads to dryness and brittleness.
A lack of protein, vitamin C and folic acid causes hang nails.
Protein deficiency will cause white bands across the nails.
Low levels of vitamin B12 can cause excessive dryness and darkening of nails.
Insufficient zinc can be responsible for the development of white spots on the nails.
Cuts and cracks in the nails suggest not enough fluids are being consumed.
Bad digestion of fats can cause red skin around your cuticles.

The best way to avoid unhealthy nails is to eat healthy foods.

Try to eat five helpings of fruit or vegetables every day
Drink plenty of fluids
Eat foods rich in B-vitamins