How-To: At-Home Mani

I remember that once in my early teens I was getting a manicure at a salon and had thought to myself, “I can do this”. From then on I started giving myself at-home manis and pedis… and anyone else who would let me. I even had one of those cool foot spas that bubbled and had a massager on the bottom… fancy, huh?

While I will still occasionally get my nails done in a salon (usually if I want gels), more often I still give myself manis. Here’s how to get the perfect, salon quality manicure at home:

Step 1: Soak nails & hands
You can make a basic nail soak of water and baking soda or mix up a more elaborate DIY nail soak. I tried a soak with coconut oil, jojoba oil, honey and lavender oil and it left my skin feeling super soft and moisturized.

Step 2: Exfoliate
Remove dead skin with the Lauren B. Beauty Polishing Hand Scrub. This luxurious feeling hand scrub gently exfoliates removing dry skin and includes Vitamin E, aloe, and sunflower seed oil to help soften skin, cuticles and reveal more healthier looking hands.

Step 3: Moisturize
Apply the Lauren B. Beauty Nourishing Hand Creme to soften and hydrate hands. This hand lotion is weightless and has a thin formula but packs some major moisturization. When first applied, I thought it might be too greasy but it absorbed quickly and left hands feeling soft, hydrated with a soft floral scent. I made sure to really massage the lotion into my cuticles to help soften them. Skyy Hadley, the owner of As U Wish Nail Salon, is a firm believer in tending to your cuticles for strong and healthy nails. She points out that having dry, scraggly cuticles is not a good look and may even make you want to pick at them, which can lead to a bacterial infection… yuck! She also recommends to keep the nail beds and areas around nails moisturized, which will help the nail polish stay in place longer.

Step 4: Shape Nails
Push back softened cuticles using  and orange stick and then file nails. I like using block files that also include a buffer and shiner to add a healthy shine to nails.

Step 5: Apply Serum
Brush on the Lauren B. Beauty Nail Growth Serum and let sink in for a few minutes. I have been applying this a couple times a week for the past few weeks and find that my nails feel stronger. The serum contains a blend of antioxidants, amino acids Vitamins E and C, and biotin to help strengthen and grow nails and is great for those with fragile nails that break easily.

Step 6: Paint Nails
For nail color that lasts, start by applying a base coat. Let dry, then apply two coats of your favorite polish. Seal with a top coat and let dry completely.

*I received product from Lauren B. Beauty for review purposes. All opinions are my own, no monetary compensation has been provided. Thank you for supporting the brands that support A Good Hue.

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