A fresh, beautifully done manicure helps you look clean and put together. But professional manicures can be expensive and time-consuming.

Before starting your home manicure, make sure to have the following essential tools as nail-polish remover and cotton pads, emery board and nail buffer, cuticle pusher and nippers, hand moisturizer, base coat, nail polish and a clear topcoat.

Here are some tips to follow to get the perfect manicure at home

manicure

Remove the old polish

To get a great manicure at home, do as the pros do by spending as much time prepping your nails as you do polishing them. That means starting with a good nail polish remover, even if you don’t have polish on, you’ll still want to run a cotton ball of remover over each nail to get rid of any oils or dirt that could warp your polish.

To acetone or not to acetone, that is the question: non-acetone nail polish removers are gentler than acetone-based ones, but the acetone-based remover will work far faster and be in contact with the skin for a shorter period of time than the non-acetone based removers. Don’t forget to wash your hands with soap and water after.

Shape nails

Clip your nails, if necessary, then gently file them into shape. A slightly rounded nail shape or square-rounded edge is generally the best way to go but you can be as creative as you want.

Avoid metal or extremely coarse nail files to minimize splintering. Instead, choose a gently abrasive emery board or crystal nail file. Smooth the tops and sides of the nails with a slightly abrasive buffer to ensure an even surface.

Soak away

Place your hands in a bowl of warm water and add a bit of cleanser to the water. Soaking the cuticle before trimming is crucial, but over-soaking actually damages skin and nails, so limit this step to three minutes or less.

Push back your cuticles

Prep cuticles with cuticle remover, make sure it’s not an oil or a balm, to help dissolve dead skin and soften the area. Contrary to popular belief, cuticle oils and cuticle removers are not one and the same, nor can they be used interchangeably. Oils help moisturize, while removers act like an exfoliating treatment for your nail beds. Then push back gently with a cuticle stick. Your cuticles protect your nails from bacteria and keep them soft, so avoid cutting them.

Exfoliate your hands

Exfoliate hands, wrists, and forearms with a scrub that eliminates dead skin cells and replenishes moisture. Grab an orange stick again to gently clean any grime from under nails. Wash hands afterward and dry them thoroughly.

Moisturize

Moisturize now to avoid smudging almost-dry nail polish later. Take the opportunity to give yourself an hand massage, just because you’re not at a spa doesn’t mean you can’t relax for a minute. To finish, swipe each nail with nail polish remover to get rid of residue.

Prepare for polish

Apply a base coat to hydrate and protect nails and prevent chipping. Then chill for a few. waiting two full minutes between each coat, starting with the base coat.

Paint nails in layers

Apply a coat of your color of choice, being sure to get the brush all the way down to the cuticle and into the corners of your nail. Maximum coverage on the first coat makes the second coat a breeze. Just keep the layer thin. After a nice full two minutes, apply the second coat of nail polish. Just remember to keep it nice and thin for a perfect manicure.

Finish with a topcoat

A topcoat protects your manicure from chipping and adds shine to nails, don’t skip it, or you’ll significantly shorten the lifespan of the paint job you just worked so hard on. A word of warning: Be careful when you put your topcoat on, since a messy application can ruin your entire manicure.

Clean up and let your nails dry

Tidy up any mistakes or wobbly edges by wrapping a piece of cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover around the end of your cuticle stick and carefully trace around your nails. If you have nail polish remover pads, try folding one into a triangle for more precise application. Then let your nails dry an additional five minutes.

Reapply moisturizer

Keeping your hands and the nail area healthy-looking requires moisturizer. You can’t have great manicure and hands without this essential product.

If you have the right tools lined up and you use the right techniques, you can definitely give yourself a beautiful manicure. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with getting a professional manicure for special occasions or just to be pampered, but knowing how to do it yourself can save you a lot of time and money!