Having a fresh, salon-worthy manicure not only looks great but also feels great. Unfortunately, frequent manicures can cause damage due to chemical use and then there’s the issue of cost. DIY nail care recipes and other little tricks you can do at home can save you from brittle nails and allow you to enjoy longer and stronger nails in between salon visits.
8 DIY Nail Care Recipes & Tricks for A Beautiful At-Home Manicure
1. Toothpaste for Nails
Rub in whitening toothpaste on your fingernails and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off for brighter nails! Repeat once every 2 weeks or as often as needed to maintain bright nails on your hands and feet.
2. Powerful Garlic
Nails breaking? Try this handy little trick used in many Central & South American countries: add a roughly chopped piece of garlic clove to your nail base coat bottle. Let it sit for a day before using it. The smell might be a little funky at first, but the results are amazing! Alternatively, you can rub a clove on your nails and leave to soak in once a week.
3. Speed-dry Trick
After air-drying for a minute, dunk nails into an ice water bath for 3 minutes to speed dry them.
4. Perfect French Tips
To get a perfect French tip, stick a band-aid end against the nail leaving only the tip exposed. The rounded edge of the band-aid allows for a clean, smooth line. Make sure it’s the sheer kind for easy peel-off!
5. Fix a Smudge Quick
Smudged a nail shortly after painting? Just lick it and smooth it out with either your finger or tongue. DO NOT INGEST! The saliva reacts with the polish for an easy smoothing fix.
6. DIY Matte Trick
Place a pot of water to boil on the stove while you apply nail polish to your fingers. Once you’re done, simply place your hands over the steam (make sure they’re far enough away so they don’t burn!) while nails are still wet. After 5 seconds or so they should start turning matte. Voila! Quick, cheap and easy.
7. DIY Nail Polish Remover
Chipped or old polish needs to be removed before dinner or event with no polish remover in sight? This is a nice and safe option that whitens the nails naturally, although it’s a bit more time consuming than the regular polish remover. If you’re trying to be gentle on your nails, try this out and see if it sticks.
Vinegar
Lemon Juice
Basin of warm water
Cotton balls
– Pour equal parts vinegar and lemon juice into a small bowl and soak a few cotton balls in mixture. Meanwhile, soak your hands in a basin of warm water for 10 minutes to loosen the polish a bit.
-Apply the cotton balls on the nail and leave on for 20-30 seconds. Wipe off the polish gently. Repeat if needed.
Note: If you have several coats on and the polish is stubborn, you can also try wiping polish off with some rubbing alcohol, which is less harsh than regular acetone polish removers.
8. DIY Nail Polish Shades
Bored of nail polish colors quickly and like to switch them up? You can experiment with a bottle of clear polish and your favorite shadow palettes! In a little container, mix some crushed powder eyeshadow with clear polish (mix well) and apply! Voila- new shade. Enjoy the color possibilities!
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