How to Give Yourself a Manicure, Step by Step

Manicure Stuff

A good manicure at home is mostly patience and preparation. The polish itself takes ten minutes. What decides whether your nails look good and stay healthy is everything before it: clean tools, soft nails, a careful trim and a gentle hand around the skin.

This is the whole routine in order, using the safety advice from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the FDA and Poison Control, with a few ordinary craft tips where no health body has anything to say. I have marked those.

Before you start: set up and check your nails

Gather what you need: a nail clipper or scissors, a file, remover, cotton pads, a base coat, color, a top coat, a moisturizer and a bowl of lukewarm water. Make sure the clippers and scissors are clean (the nail tools post has the AAD’s cleaning routine).

Then look at your bare nails. The AAD recommends checking your nails for changes whenever the color comes off, because most nail problems that are caught early are treatable or clear up. Look for a nail lifting, swelling or discoloration in the skin around it, a thickening nail or a discolored nail. The AAD says if you see a change, skip the polish, leave the nails bare for 2 to 4 weeks, and see a board-certified dermatologist if it is still there after 4 weeks. If the skin around a nail becomes sore, red, swollen and warm, the NHS says to see a doctor, because it can be a sign of infection.

Step 1: take off old polish safely

A small clear glass bottle of nail polish remover with a tan cap standing on a desk

Image: A small bottle of nail polish remover by Kaushik Narasimhan, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Polish remover is usually acetone, and Poison Control is clear about the risks. Acetone can irritate skin and cause brittle nails with repeated use. It can be absorbed through the skin and lungs as well as swallowed, and swallowing it is dangerous. Its advice is simple:

  • Use remover in a well-ventilated area.
  • Keep it away from flames, cigarettes and heat. The FDA also warns that nail products can catch fire.
  • Keep the bottle up and out of sight of children. If anyone swallows some, call Poison Control on 1-800-222-1222 in the US.
  • Apply it to the nails only, and wash it off skin straight away with soap and water.
  • A thin layer of petroleum jelly on the cuticles and skin helps protect them.
  • A remover that contains a moisturizer is a reasonable choice. Acetone-free removers exist, but Poison Control notes that they are usually slower and less effective, so be prepared to take longer. The APMA recommends non-acetone remover for toenails.

After the remover, wash your hands and moisturize. The AAD points out that most removers contain chemicals that dry the nails.

Steps 2 and 3: trim, then file

Soften, then trim

The AAD says the best time to trim is straight after a bath or shower. If that is not practical, soak your nails in lukewarm water for a few minutes to soften them. Then:

  • Cut fingernails almost straight across.
  • Round the corners slightly with a file. This keeps them strong and stops them catching on clothing.
  • Do not cut down the sides of the nail (NHS).

File in one direction

Use a medium or fine file, held lightly, and stroke from the outside edge toward the center. The AAD says to always file in the same direction, because filing back and forth can weaken nails. Smooth any rough edges so they do not snag. If you do not have a preferred shape, a squoval (straight across, with slightly rounded corners) is the closest match to what the AAD describes. The nail tools post explains the other shapes.

Step 4: cuticles and the skin around them

Leave the cuticles uncut. The AAD says never to cut them or push them back forcefully, and, if you do push, only gently after a shower or bath. The cuticle post goes through the disagreement between sources on pushing.

What you can do is moisturize. A little petroleum jelly or cuticle oil on the skin around each nail is the AAD’s recommended way to soften dry cuticles. If you need to clean under your nails, the NHS suggests a soft nail brush and says not to use sharp objects, and the APMA says to use a wooden or rubber manicure stick, gently.

Step 5: prep and polish

A hand with long nails painted periwinkle purple, with small red flower designs on some nails

Image: Nails with purple polish and a small floral design by Köttbulleledaren, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

These steps are craft tips rather than health advice, so use them as you like:

  1. Wash and dry your hands and wipe each nail with a little remover on a cotton pad, so oils and lotion are off the nail surface. Do not put moisturizer or oil on the nail plate until the polish is dry.
  2. Apply a base coat. It is not just for looks: the AAD says wearing red polish without a base coat can turn nails yellow, and recommends an extra layer of base coat under bright red or orange. If your nails turn yellow, thicken and seem to stop growing, the AAD says that could be a sign of something else, so see a doctor.
  3. Apply color in thin coats. Thick coats stay wet longer and smudge more easily.
  4. Let each coat dry until it no longer looks wet before the next one. Brands give their own timings, so check the bottle.
  5. Finish with a top coat, and run the brush along the free edge of the nail.

If you get polish on your skin, clean it with a small cotton swab dipped in a little remover. That is another reason to keep petroleum jelly on the skin around your nails.

The AAD warns against nail strengtheners that make nails stiffer: it says polishes that contain strengthening ingredients increase nail stiffness, which may make nails break more often. If your nails are splitting, do not simply layer on a “strengthening” polish. See the nail problems post for the possible causes.

Step 6: aftercare

Fingertips with pink glitter nail polish holding the bottle

Image: A finished manicure in pink glitter polish by evhoffman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The look lasts longer if the nails are looked after:

  • Moisturize. The AAD says to moisturize after washing your hands, and suggests petroleum jelly or cuticle oil for dry cuticles.
  • Wear gloves for wet chores. The AAD says too much water exposure can weaken nails and recommends gloves for cleaning and washing dishes. The NHS also says to wear rubber gloves if your hands are often in water.
  • Do not use your nails as tools. The AAD notes that prying and scraping can chip, split or lift the nail.
  • Give your nails breaks. MedlinePlus says long-term exposure to moisture or nail polish can make nails peel and become brittle, and Cleveland Clinic suggests regular breaks from polish. If polish leaves your nails stained, the AAD says they should return to their normal color over several weeks if the same color is not reapplied.
  • Remove polish regularly. The APMA gives this advice in its pedicure tips, and it also means you get to look at your bare nails, as the AAD recommends.

Where to go next

If you are still collecting the basics for a manicure, the kit post has the short list, and the mani-pedi collection linked from the Shop page has tools to browse.

Sources