Care and Maintenance of Natural Nails

I've been a Licensed Nail Tech for about 7yrs. now and i've worked in a couple of salons, but due to family and school I had to let that go for a while, but i still maintain from time to time, so today if you are looking for some really simple things to do to your nails i will list them below.

For manicures:
It is important to have a couple of things:

Manicure Bowl:
This is used to soak your nails

Cuticle Nipper
To remove any hangnails

Cuticle pusher
It's best to get the sticks because they are disposable and you don't have to worry about sanitizing them you can just throw them away when your done.

Cuticle Remover
This is to be applied around the cuticle area to help soften and loosen cuticle so that when you use the cuticle stick or pusher it will be easier to lift up and remove

Cuticle Oil
This is used to add oil to the cuticles and can be used in between manicures

Buffer / Polar Block
Buffers are used to leave a healthy glow on the nails
Blocks are used to buff out any ridges in the nail

Finger nail clipper
Used to clip away or shorten the nail to a size that is comfortable for you

Nail File
You should purchase a higher grit file one that isn't too coarse that it will cause ridges and splitting on the nails, so i chose a 240 grit nail file that will help shape natural nails or look for the words fine instead of med/coarse that's too rough for natural nails

Cut your nails to the desired length using your nail file, then shape the nails with your nail file from left to right bring it to the center, clean all dirt from underneath the nail, use your cuticle nipper to remove any hang nails you may have now get your manicure bowl of soapy water.  Put cuticle remover on one hand and let it soak for about 2-3 min, then take it out, use the cuticle pusher/stick(orangewood stick) to push the cuticle back and remove the cuticle on each nail, do the same on the next hand.  Now that you have done all of this take the polar block and buff each nail to remove any ridges in the nail, buff from the cuticle to the edge of the nail making sure to get the entire nail, then you can use the buffer to smooth the nail out.  Now apply cuticle oil on each nail making sure to massage it into the cuticles then go use some soap and water to wash your hands and remove any debris from the nail with a nail brush. Dry hands and now you are done with your manicure all you have to do now is polish! When polishing make sure that you always use it in this order base coat, polish, then top coat to seal in the polish!  After nails have dried apply a moisturizing lotion to the hands and your done!

All of these products can be found on Sally's Beauty where i usually purchase some of the above items, and if you purchase a Sally's card for $5 you can get the discounted prices on each item, the card is good for a year, and when you renew you are only renewing for $5.  Just some simple steps to do your manicure at home!  Hope this helps!