How to Do Male Manicures
While heading to the salon for a manicure is traditionally thought of as something that only women do, it's not uncommon for men to have their nails cared for as well. Men in particular professions, such as guitar players, get regular manicures since their fingers are often front and center. Manicures are easy to do at home, as well, and will save plenty of money in the long run, plus they'll make men look pulled together and polished. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cotton pads
- Cotton balls
- Emery board
- Orangewood stick
- Bowl
- Nail scissors
- Cuticle treatment (oil, serum or cream)
- Dish liquid
- Pumice stone
- Lemon
- Cuticle scissors
- Nail buffer
- Nail polishing paste
- Clear nail polish
Instructions
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1
Remove nail enamel, if any is being worn. To do this, wet a cotton pad with nail polish remover and rub it over the nails until all the polish is gone.
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2
File the nails. Place an emery board flat on the edge of the nail and file at a 45 degree angle, swiping in one direction, toward the center of the nail, instead of outwards. Don't file the sides down too much, which can result in a hangnail.
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3
Rub one drop of cuticle oil, cream or serum on each nail and into the cuticles.
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4
Fill a bowl with dish liquid and warm water. Soak fingers for approximately ten minutes to make the cuticle soft and free up dirt under the nails. Mid-soak, scrub nails with a nail brush to clean. You can also use the nail brush on the skin around the nails and on the hands to exfoliate.
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Push back the cuticles using an orangewood stick after drying hands and nails. Be gentle and wrap a cotton ball around the end of the stick to make it less abrasive. Refrain from cutting cuticles; the cuticle protects the nail and cutting them can lead to infection. You can also use the orangewood stick to get rid of persistent dirt stuck under the nails.
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Trim hangnails using cuticle scissors.
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Wet a pumice stone with warm water and rub over hands. This will take care of calluses and stains. If stains persist, run a lemon wedge over the stain to remove.
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8
Dry hands and smooth on thick hand lotion or cream.
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9
Buff nails using a nail buffer, in one direction. This will smooth the surface of the nails. For a shine, apply nail polishing paste first, and then buff. Alternatively, you can apply clear nail polish for a shine. Make sure that hands are clean and there is no lotion or residue on nails before applying enamel.
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Tips & Warnings
Instead of filing nails, you can also cut nails using nail scissors. This is a great option if you're short on time.
For brittle or thin nails, apply a clear enamel or use nail products that contain liquid collagen, which will strengthen nails.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
