Nail Color

When a woman thinks of beauty products, what is one essential product that comes to mind? Nail products! Women have been caring for their nails since the dawn of civilization. Before nail products were invented, women dyed their finger nails with minerals. Today, we’ve got the technology to give ourselves the perfect manicure at home. Starting from the base up, nail care, cuticle care, filing, shaping, smoothing, painting, and hardening products are abundant. Some nail products come cheaply, but only maintain the nails for a short period of time. Others are more expensive, but the finished result lasts longer.

When purchasing nail products, it helps to know which products you’ll need and the order in which they should be applied.

The start of nail care begins with the cuticle. This is the thin film of skin that creeps up the nail bed. A tough, resilient skin, the cuticle requires the most frequent care. Cuticles are meant to be removed.

You’ll need cuticle cream, which usually comes in a small jar. This nail product softens the skin well enough to withstand what’s to come. Now it’s time to choose between pushing the cuticle back, or removing it. To remove it, the next nail product you’ll need is a cuticle clipper. Like a tiny pair of scissors, these are meant to snip of the cuticle. Before using this tool, pour rubbing alcohol over it, to remove any germs. Gently start snipping. When finished, dab with a cotton ball saturated with hydrogen peroxide to sterilize any bleeding spots.

Now that you have smooth cuticles, its time to move on to the nails. The majority of the work to be done now can be completed with your next nail product, a nail file. Buy a cardboard file that comes with four sandpaper surfaces of varying coarseness. First to be filed is the nail surface. The nail has naturally occurring ridges that are quite unattractive. To file these away, use the second weakest sandpaper on the nail. In a side-to-side motion, file away. Now that the ridges are gone, its time to buff and smooth the nail. The weakest sandpaper is really more like a leather. When rubbed against the nail, it produces a glossy, glass-smooth surface.

Just because the nail is smooth doesn’t mean you’re done. This is the time for the final stage of filing. Using the strongest sandpaper, file all edges of the nail into a perfectly straight-edged look. The shaping, filing and buffing are now complete. Time to add some color.

With all the available nail polish colors, choosing one may be the hardest part of the operation. Once you’ve made your choice, apply it. Viola. Nail products are good friends to a pretty manicure!

If you want to take it a step further, buy nail wraps. The nail wrap is designed to help prevent breakage, prolonging your manicure. Applied as a gel, this nail product allows you to enjoy your manicure for weeks to come.