How to Buff Your Nails

When fingernails are properly manicured, they look great without the need for colored polish or artificial extenders. The last step in great-looking, naturally manicured nails is buffing, which smooths the ridges that often appear in fingernails and adds a shine to them. Both women and men can and should buff their fingernails for a more finished appearance.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Medium/fine buffing block
• Fine/superfine buffing block
• Chamois
• Beeswax

1. Begin by giving yourself a manicure. Take off all polish, condition your fingernails with cream or oil, push back the cuticles and cut and file your fingernails.

2. Stroke each fingernail a few times with a medium/fine buffing block to take off any ridges on the surface. Be careful not to buff too long or too hard or you'll thin out the fingernail, weakening it and making it vulnerable to injury or infection.

3. Stroke each fingernail with a fine/superfine buffing block to shine them. Go in one direction only to make sure you don't move the buffing block back and forth over the fingernail so quickly that you cause damage before realizing it.

4. Shine your fingernails with a chamois. You can use a buffing cream, but it's not necessary. Instead, use a little beeswax to give your fingernails a high sheen.

5. Skip the fingernail polish. Your fingernails will be healthier if you don't use polish and polish remover. Fingernail polish may contain toxic chemicals that can be absorbed through the fingernail or skin and polish remover dries out fingernails.

Tips & Warnings

• Try one of the many products that buff and shine fingernails without the use of abrasives.
• Don't use a buffer to smooth ridges more often than once a month. You can use a buffer to shine fingernails more often than this.

Resources

• Learn how and why men should also care for their nails.