Getting a manicure is definitely one of life's little luxuries; it's so nice to feel pampered every once in a while when you're celebrating or need some cheering up.
I love going to the nail salon because they spend more time on my hands than I ever would at home — and the lotion they use always makes them feel so soft afterwords!
But, at the end of the day, keeping up with your cuticles and polished fingers can be costly, especially if your polish begins to chip within the week.
And I know what you're thinking: the only other option would be for you to do your nails at home and they never end up looking as good as they do after a trip to the salon.
It's a lot of time and effort to go through all of those steps, painting with your non-dominant hand is a nightmare, and we've all felt the fierce frustration that comes along with smudging your nails while waiting for them to dry.
But there are actually plenty of ways to make your nails look professionally polished at home, using stuff that's already in your medicine cabinet — or your kitchen!
These hacks will help you get baby soft hands, under control cuticles, and pretty, smudge-proof polish, without having to pay anyone else to do the work.
Check below to learn all of these easy and incredible hacks — you'll definitely want to run home and start your new nail routine immediately after reading.
#1: Remove Polish With Sponges And Acetone
Cleaning the polish off of your nails, isn't necessarily too hard but it does require a few separate steps and component parts.
But this little jar lets you wipe of your polish on one easy step; just dip your finger in the middle and rub against the sponge.
All you need to make the easy acetone jug is a mason jar, two sponges to stuff inside and a bottle of nail polish remover to pour over the top.
#2: Strengthen Nails With Jojoba Oil
Painting your nails and removing the polish over and over again can leave your nails weak and brittle, which is why, if possible, you should leave them bare for a week in between manicures.
During that time, you can coat them in jojoba oil to make them stronger.
It's filled with Vitamin E, which has both antibacterial and restorative properties — so try adding it to your cuticles and gently messaging it in every couple of days.
#3: Clip Nails Straight Across
Cutting your nails may seem pretty self-explanatory and inconsequential.
But snipping them straight across with minimal or no rounding on the sides greatly reduces your chances of developing ingrown nails.
This will also stop you from cutting too close to the sides in order to round the nail, which can cause hangnails or painful nicks.
#4: Exfoliate Your Hands With Olive Oil And Salt
My favorite part of every manicure is when my hands get messaged with a yummy body scrub to get them nice and soft.
But there are plenty of natural alternatives to pricey body scrubs, like a simple concoction of olive oil and sugar.
Olive oil has moisturizing and antioxidant properties, while sugar is naturally exfoliating, so combining the two creates the perfect recipe for soft skin.
#5: Use Coconut Oil As Cuticle Cream
Cuticle care is a very important part of nail maintenance, but is also widely overlooked.
An easy way to keep cuticles at bay is to coat them with coconut oil.
The natural moisturizing properties will soften them up, allowing you to easily push them back with the proper tools.
#6: Vinegar Can Make Manicures Last Longer
One of the reasons that manicures are so costly is because polish only lasts for so long before it begins to chip.
But dipping your nails in vinegar and letting it dry on the surface apparently makes your manicure last way longer.
Letting vinegar dry on the nail's surface dries out any possible moisture or residue, which could cause your polish to break off a few days later.
#7: Use Glue To Avoid Polish On Your Skin
Getting polish on your skin in the middle of painting is so uncomfortable, and it's pretty much bound to happen while you're paining with your non-dominant hand.
But carefully painting the perimeter of your nails with Elmer's glue will fix any painting fluke along the way.
Once the glue dries, it forms a barrier from your skin that you can pull off as soon as you're done painting!
#8: Cornstarch Can Make Your Nails Matte
Matte nails are a rising trend, and look especially pretty in the fall/wintertime!
But rather than shelling out excess dough for matte polishes, you can simply use cornstarch and polish that you already own.
At a clean work surface, simply mix a bit of cornstarch into the nail polish color and brush onto your nails — it should dry shine-free!
#9: Make DIY Dotting Tools Out Of Pins
If you want to attempt some cool themed art on your nails, you will need dotting tools to create tiny, precise shapes.
While you could buy by a kit of little dotting tools, similarly shaped mechanisms can be found all around your home.
Try using pencil tips, bobby pins, or even the heads of pins — you should get perfect little dots!
#10: Cooking Spray Helps Nails Dry Faster
The biggest DIY manicure grievance is the drying time — my apartment is absolutely filled with little swipes of polish the accidentally occurred while I was trying to live life with wet nails.
But the cure for the dastardly dry time is out there and probably already sitting in your kitchen — cooking spray.
After your nails have a top coat on, quickly spray them with cooking spray and wait for a minute or two before washing off — they should be completely dry.
Enjoying healthy, beautiful nails is actually pretty easy to do on your own — make sure to SHARE with fellow nails fanatics on Facebook so they can know too!
