Nails on Fleek: The Tools You Need for Professional-Grade Nail Care at Home
When you meet someone for the first time, one of the first things they notice is your nails. Their appearance and condition might influence someone else’s impression of your overall look. That said, on top of paying attention to your hygiene, hair and skin health, having well-groomed nails is essential for looking good.
But, if going to the nail salon is not an option for you, whether you’ve had a bad experience at some point or you’re on a tight budget, your nails can still look and feel amazing with proper care at home. But, what are the necessary tools for nail care? There are several simple and affordable nail care tools you can buy, such as a handy cuticle clipper or cuticle pusher, to groom your nails in the comfort of your own home but still end up with a sleek salon look. So, without further ado, let’s start.
Essential Nail Tools for the Ultimate Nail Care at Home
Nail Clipper
Without a doubt, a nail clipper is one of the most basic nail care tools that everyone should have in their house. It’s great to have, especially when you need to trim your nails and maintain your desired length.
Nail File
Following that, the nail file is used. It is quite a necessity, especially when you want to smooth out the edges of your freshly trimmed nails. Also, if you want to keep the length of your nails but still shape it, the nail file is perfect for doing so. However, make sure you get the right nail file for your nails. Usually, natural nails require fine-grit files, like a 240-grit count file. On the other hand, courser files around 100-grid are better suited for acrylic nails. But, whenever you use a nail file at home, make sure you file in one direction only since back and forth motion can fray your nails.
Nail Buffer
Then we have nail buffing. Nail buffers, which are typically made of fine grit, are great for making your nails look shinier without the use of nail polish. They also clean and smooth out your nails of any ridges and make them perfect for your next application of nail polish.
Cuticle Pusher
For achieving the ultimate salon-quality nails, you will need a cuticle clipper and a cuticle pusher. These tools will make the biggest difference in your manicure.
A cuticle pusher is an essential nail tool that pushes the cuticle skin back and away from your nail plates. There are metal, wooden, and silicone cuticle pushers. They are usually dual-sided with one flat end to push the cuticles and a sharp one on the other end to remove them.
But, before moving to the next essential nail tool, what is a cuticle? The cuticle is a thin layer of clear skin that grows around the edge of your fingernails and toenails. It consists of dead skin cells that serve as a barrier and protection from dirt, bacteria, and fungus getting beyond the proximal fold and causing an infection. That is why you should be extra careful when pushing and removing it.
Cuticle Clipper
A cuticle clipper or cuticle cutter is another nail tool you need to trim or cut the dead skin on your nails, especially if you have overgrown cuticles, annoying hangnails, dry skin around your nails, etc. All nail professionals use them for impeccable manicures and pedicures.
The cuticle clipper is easy to use with its two springing handles and allows precise trimming of the dead skin due to its small sharp jaws. It is perfect for those hard-to-reach areas on the edges and around your nails. However, make sure you always choose a high-quality cuticle clipper. Also, use the one that feels best in your hand since you will be using it for trimming the delicate cuticles of your nails. If you have small hands, go for the smallest – quarter jaw clippers.
Nail cuticle cutters and nail pushers are the perfect combinations for elongating the look of your nails, making a cleaner look without the hangnails, and giving you more nail space for your nail polish.
Cuticle Softener
Cuticle softener is another essential when it comes to your home manicure. It softens the unwanted cuticles while also making them easier to push back and remove.
Base and Top Coat
Your mani-pedi will last longer if you use a base and topcoat. The base coat protects your nails from nail polish staining, while the topcoat prevents chipping and makes your nail polish shinier and lasts longer.
Nail Polish Remover
Any mani-pedi requires a good acetone-based nail polish remover. It removes any nail polish from your hands. It’s also great for wiping dirt or oil off your nails before starting with your next nail application.
Cuticle Oil
The final step of your manicure should include putting on cuticle oil. It can be coconut, jojoba, citrus(vegetable, lemon) oil, or any other vegetable oil that contains vitamins. Cuticle oil, as the name implies is used for moisturizing your cuticles and nails as well. Not only does it help your nails look better, but it also improves their health.
Interesting Facts About Your Nails:
- Your nails are made up of the same protein as your hair – keratin.
- Any changes to your nails’ shape or colour indicate health problems that need to be checked
- Nails grow faster in summer, as opposed to winter
- Your fingernails can’t sweat since they don’t have any sweat glands.
- Fingernails grow an average of 3.5 millimetres per month
- Nail-biting, something you might do when you’re under stress, is called onychophagia
To sum up, getting your nails done is one of the most satisfying things you can do for yourself, even when you do them at home. Sometimes when you’re having a bad day, looking at your nails done, will make you feel better and look sharp. You will be able to handle any social situation with confidence and boosted self-esteem. Not to mention you will definitely flaunt them around, because why wouldn’t you? They look amazing, just like you.
