Your base coat, nail polish, and top coat Nail polish remover Cotton swabs A small tray with warm water and soap Moisturizer Nail scissors Nail file Cuticle pusher or cuticle remover
It’s best to use 100% acetone. It’ll smell and leave your friend’s hands a little gray, but that comes off easily with soap and water (which you’ll do next). 100% acetone makes the job go much, much quicker. Alternatively, you could use a dip-it tub of acetone. It’s full of pink, rubbery bristles that do the job for you. Hard-to-get-off nail polish can even be gone in a couple of minutes with this kind of tub.
If you’d like and have one available, consider using a scrubbing brush with the warm soap and water. This exfoliates the skin and leaves it bright and glowing. [2] X Research source A mild face cleanser can work as your soap, too. Even a mild dish detergent can do the job.
After a few minutes, switch hands, placing the newly-moisturized hand into the tray of water. Spend a few minutes massaging the second hand, and then move onto the next step.
Be sure to time this right. You don’t want to go so fast that you cut their skin and cause injury, but you don’t want to go slow the other hand starts wrinkling. After a few minutes you may wish to take the other hand out of the water, pat it dry, and go back to finishing the first hand.
Some people like to moisturize the cuticles after this stage. If you do this, just be sure you wipe off any residue with nail polish remover before you begin painting the nails.
Be sure to file in one direction to keep the nail as strong as possible. [5] X Research source Be sure to take your time; get too hasty and you’ll end up making it shorter than intended – and then you’ll have to shorten the rest, too. An emery board (a nail file) with a grit of 240 is a good place to start if you’re unsure.
Just one layer is plenty. Base coats also don’t take that long to dry, so don’t feel the need to take a break. By the time you hit the tenth nail, the first nail should be ready for color.
If you wind up getting color on the skin, take a small cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover and very carefully wipe it off, not touching the nail. Alternatively, take your own nail to lightly scrape off the not-yet-dried nail polish as soon as it hits the wrong place. Has your friend requested a French manicure? You can read about it here.
If your friend isn’t sure if they want nail art, suggest just doing it on one finger. They can try it out, and the one-finger look is actually super trendy if they wish to keep it that way. Need ideas? Try reading wikiHow’s article on how to do nail art.
Your friend should reapply a topcoat every day or so if they want the color to last longer.
Blow dryers go a little bit faster if you’re pressed for time. Turn the heat on medium and move the blow dryer back and forth, making sure the hot bursts of air reach every nail. After about five minutes, check the nails, and keep going if necessary.
Once dry, you may wish to moisturize a bit more, especially if you didn’t do so after the cuticle stage. Use a nice scented lotion lightly over the fingers and into the cuticles, keeping them hydrated and healthy.
