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An often-overlooked key to keeping your appearance neat and hygienic is to take care of your nails. Nails should of course be kept trimmed, filed, clean, and not bitten down, but you need a manicure to really complete the look. You can easily do this at home for free.
I strongly advise against wearing nail polish. It damages the nails, plus it requires extra maintenance. Also, it smells absolutely terrible, and inhaling the fumes is dangerous. If you must wear polish, keep it simple. Classic red looks good on only a few people, and polish should be subtle flesh tones otherwise. Stay away from goofy loud colors that would best suit little girls.
- First, remove any old nail polish (if applicable) using acetone polish remover on a cotton ball. (Cotton balls will hold their shape and absorb moisture the way tissues won't.)
- Cut and file nails to your desired length. You can cut them into a square or rounded shape. Toenails should be kept square to help avoid ingrowing nails. Fingernails may be either square or rounded, but rounded tends to look better, especially on women.
- Fill a large bowl with warm, soapy water. (Water that is too hot will dry your skin.) Soak your hands for about ten minutes.
- Rinse your hands and discard the water. Fill a small bowl with a mixture of salt and sugar. Under running water, exfoliate hands with a large pinch of the sugar and salt mixture, a pinch at a time, until the mixture is gone. Rinse and dry hands.
- Soften your hands by applying cuticle oil (olive oil may substitute) or lotion. This will nourish your skin and soften the rough spots.
- Use a cuticle pusher (or Popsicle stick, in a pinch) to gently press cuticles back. Trim excess cuticle tissue with cuticle nippers, but be careful lest you wind up with nicks down the sides of your nails.
- Buff nails.
- Apply moisturizer to dry hands.
- Now is the time to apply polish if you wish, though I strongly advise against it. Buffing your nails well will create the same effect of clear polish without causing lasting damage.
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