How To Have Strong, Healthy, Beautiful Nails from Home

I have been painting my nails from home for over 2 years. I repaint them every week and people always ask questions like: “Are those your real nails?” “Where do you get your nails done?” “You painted them yourself!?!” Yes, I paint them myself and you can too! Here are a few tips to getting the best manicure from home and having happy healthy nails in the process!

Take Your Time

Taking care of your nails is just as important as taking care of your skin and hair! Give them the time they deserve! This is not just a paint-and-go process, there are more steps that many people do not follow because they do not take the time! Each week I take one hour to myself just to care for my nails and while this may sound like a long time it does not have to be that long. It is just my favorite hobby and I am a perfectionist so I take a while.

File To Your Hearts Content

Filing your nails helps prevent breakage and will help them maintain shape to grow long. A key tip for filing, no matter the shape, is to file in one direction rather than scrubbing back and forth, this will keep the edges smooth rather than rough or scratchy. There are many shapes that you can file your nails into, just pick the shape that fits your hand best! My personal favorite is square tip!

Push Back Those Cuticles

Using a cuticle pusher helps keep your nails looking clean! Polish over the cuticles can look lumpy and uneven. (Tip: If your cuticles are really long over your nails you may want to invest in some cuticle remover or go to the salon to have them help you out! Then you can maintain them after the original fix!)

Don’t Forget the Base

When painting your nails, always always always use a base coat! This will help your mani last longer and it will strengthen your nails! My favorite base coat is OPI Nail Envy Original!

Clean Up the Edges

Once you have chosen your polish color you can begin painting your nails. I recommend starting by painting with your non-dominant hand because it is harder once the polish is on! (Tip: Olive and June have a tool called The Poppy and it helps give your nail polish a better grip and makes the painting process easier!) Once you have painted the first nail take the time to clean up the edges while they are still wet! If there is not a lot of polish on your finger you can use another nail to shape it up but if you have painted your entire finger you may want to dip a small brush in nail polish remover to shape up the polish.

Oil Oil Oil

This is what my night routine looks like: brush my teeth, wash my face, and oil my cuticles. Keeping your cuticles soft helps your hands look better and prevents those awful hangnails! My favorite is Sally Hansen Moisture Rehab, while it is greasy it absorbs really quickly! Cuticle oil also stimulates nail growth so why wouldn’t you use it?

I hope these tips are as helpful for you as they are for me! Enjoy your at-home manicure and those strong, healthy, beautiful nails!