You can’t deny that whenever you get your nails done in a salon you feel good about yourself. Your hands and your feet feel light and pampered. The relaxing ambiance of a nail salon also helps remove all the tension and stress away. Likely at LA they have lot of Nail Salon Las Vegas , that provide luxury spa manicures and pedicures from the comfort of your own home or office. However, the luxurious treatment you get in a salon comes with a price. If you add up all the services you avail in one year, you’ll be surprised at how much money you are spending on manicures. Well, if you are tight on budget or if you simply want to save you can always do your manicure at home. How do you do it?

The following are helpful steps that will enable you to clean and clip your nails at home like a pro.

Step 1: Make Sure You Have All the Tools Ready

It’s impossible to manicure your nails if you only have a nail cutter in your house. Manicure is more than just cutting nails. You have to have all the tools in a nail salon to do a professional manicure. In this step, you’ll be compelled to shell out cash for these tools. Think of it as n investment because once you know how to do it yourself; you will no longer have to spend money on regular salon visits.

You will need the following: nail clippers, nail polish remover, cotton pads or swabs, nail cutter, cuticle nippers, cuticle pusher, cuticle or callous remover, nail moisturizer, hand moisturizer, nail polish, base coat and clear topcoat.

Step 2: Remove Previous Nail Polish

Before you start manicuring your nails you must first remove the nail polish you’ve previously applied. Many want to know if they should use an acetone nail polish remover or a non-acetone-based remover. Well, non-acetone is gentler but it doesn’t work as fast as an acetone-based nail polish remover. In order to know what brand to choose we highly suggest that you do your research because once you get inside the store the wide range of brands will overwhelm you. Doing prior research and reading about product reviews will help you decide what brand of acetone or non-acetone-based polish remover to get.

Step 3: Shape Your Nails

After you’re done removing the nail polish your next step is to shape your nails. There are different nail shapes. Knowing what shape flatters your hand is important. If your frequent nail salons you probably already have an idea what shape suits you best. There are actually nine different nail shapes: round, almond, oval, square, squoval (cross between square and oval), stiletto and ballerina. Find out what you want and gently file your nails to achieve the perfect shape. Most women prefer the squoval or the square and rounded edge while others prefer the round shape. You can experiment until you find what shape you want.

As much as possible, don’t use metal nail files to avoid splintering but rather choose a crystal nail file. Gently and carefully smooth the sides and the top of your nails to get an even surface.

Step 4: Soak, Soak, Soak!

Perhaps the most relaxing part about manicure is when your nail technician soaks your hand in warm water. You can also do that at home. Get a bowl, it doesn’t matter if it’s plastic or glass, just be careful not to break it if it’s glass. Fill it up with warm water and add a few drops of shampoo or cleanser to moisturize your hands. Soaking your hands is not just for relaxation, it’s actually more on softening your cuticles before you trim them. It’s important that you only soak your hands for at least three minutes otherwise it could damage your nails and your skin. Over-soaking is never advised.

Step 5: Put on Cuticle or Callous Remover

After you have soaked your hands it is now time for the next step – the application of a cuticle remover. Applying a cuticle remover will make it easy for you to remover the thick skin or the callous around your nails. Don’t let the solution linger too long around your nails. A few seconds of it are enough.

Step 6: Remove Remaining Cuticle or Callous Remover

The next step is to remove excess callous remover around your nail. Get a cuticle pusher from your nail kit and carefully push the cuticle away from your nail. Make sure you don’t push the cuticle too far as this can compromise nail growth. It’s also worth mentioning not to pull, rip, force or tear the cuticle and never clip them. Remember that your cuticle functions to protect your nail bed removing them forcibly can do more harm than good. This is also the step when you are expected to cut hangnails on the side of your nail. Just be careful not to cut the skin to avoid injuries.

Step 7: It’s Time to Moisturize

After the sixth step the next step is to moisturize. Apply rich and silky oil in your cuticles and in your hands to replenish the moisture in your skin. Again, in order to know what brand is best we recommend you read product reviews.

Step 8: Prepare Your Nails for The Polish

Since the previous step is moisturizing your nails, the next step is to remove all traces of the moisturizer because the ingredients in the moisturizer will prevent the nail polish from adhering to your nails. Use a cotton pad or a cotton swab to remove residues. If in the process you also remove the moisturizer in the cuticles, don’t worry about it because you’ll moisturize it again when the polish has dried out. What’s important is that you keep your nails emollient-free.

Step 9: Start Painting in Layers

For individuals who have brittle or weak nails we recommend that you use a base coat. The purpose of a base coat is to protect your nails from getting damaged or getting stained. After the application of the base coat the nail polish comes next. The application of the nail polish is done in layers. You have to be patient with this step because after applying one layer you need to let it dry before you apply the next layer. Usually you’ll need to apply two coats of nail polish. Afterward, the last coat is the topcoat. The purpose of the topcoat is to give your nails an elegant gloss.

Step 10: Apply Moisturizer!

When your nail polish is completely dry your last and final step is to moisturize your hands. After all the steps your hands went through moisturizing them will help keep them looking healthy and fresh.

There you have it, the ten important steps to achieving perfectly manicured nails just like a pro! You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars visiting nail salons. As long as you have the tools needed and as long as you know the steps, you can do it at home and save a lot of money. However, if you have the budget, it’s perfectly fine to pamper yourself in a salon because you get professional treatment and you can be confident that the technician handling you is trained and skilled to give you the best nail service.

If you’ve done a DIY at home manicure and have tried the services of a nail salon you can easily tell the difference between the two. After a successful manicure at home you can then decide if you want to do it again or if you’d rather allocate a budget for regular salon visits. Of course, the decision is entirely up to you but if you were to ask us, going to a nail salon for a manicure offers a lot of benefits just as long as you find the right nail salon for you.

First of all, nail technicians employed in nail salons are trained and certified that means they are careful and they know what to do to keep your hands and feet safe. Another thing that nail salons offer that you probably can’t do on your own is nail art. Nail art requires creativity, precision and skills and even if you have all three, it would be impossible to do nail art by yourself. So, if you’re the type of person who loves nail designs, we recommend that you visit a nail spa and salon.

Sterilization is also a plus in nail salons because all their tools are sterilized reducing the risk of infection. You’ll know this by asking their nail technicians or by simply observing the environment of the nail salon. Aside from manicure, when you’re in a salon you get to choose from a wide range of products and services. Unlike in your home where your choices of nail polish are limited, in a salon the colors are varied.

So, think about it. If you’re so stressed out and so tired from work you can always pamper yourself once in a while and get a manicure in a salon because you deserve to relax. But on ordinary days, you can choose to do it at home. At least now you know what to do.