How to Build a Daily Nail Care Routine That Works

Today's article Glowhush is going to be sharing with you her personal nail care routine on how she keeps her nails so clean and beautiful looking

Nail Prep

Hey it's Julie. Now let's jump right on into the video. The first step in my nail care routine is to remove any residual polish I have on my nails. In this case, I have about a week-old layer of base coat just on my left hand. You know how it is—polish on the dominant hand just seems to disappear, doesn't it?

Next, I will file my nails into shape. As you can see, I had a break on my middle fingernail, so I'm gonna have to file the other nails down so that they match. I like to just use a disposable nail file. These are my favorites from Maxus. You get a really big pack for not that expensive, and they just have the perfect grit. As you guys know, I like to file my nails into a square shape, so I just do that.

Filing

Make sure you run your file underneath your nail to get rid of any of that extra nail that might be hanging on. If my nails are particularly long, I just use a traditional nail clipper to clip the bulk of the nail off, and then I come in with that file to smooth out the edge. Make sure you round the corners of your nail just a little bit, even if you do have square nails. This is going to help keep them from snagging, which will prevent breaks.

Next, I like to use a buffing block file just to go over the edge mainly of each of my nails. This is going to make sure you remove any of that extra nail that might be hanging on underneath, and it also helps with peeling around the free edge. I like to just use this buffing block in those places, and it helps smooth any ridges to prevent any further peeling.

Once I have all that filing done, I like to use a dry nail brush and just go over each nail to remove any extra debris. The last step for the nail portion of this is just to use one of these little tools—what are the names of these things? I don't know—but I use that and I just clean underneath my nails to make sure there isn't any dirt or gross stuff.

Cuticle Management

The next part of my routine is the cuticle management. First, I use a cuticle pusher. Right now I'm using this metal one, but sometimes I alternate between using a metal one and a wooden stick. I also have this crystal one that I really like, but whatever you use, it's pretty much the same thing.

You want to just push back that skin around your nail so that it exposes any cuticle that you might have. This particular cuticle pusher also has a little pointed scraper side, so I like to flip that over and just gently scrape off that sticky tissue from the nail.

Lately I've been really into doing dry manicures versus using a cuticle softener. I just feel like I can get it done a lot quicker, and for that I've especially been liking this little gadget. This is a glass cuticle pusher—I believe it might be a crystal cuticle pusher—but it's the same idea as a metal one. It's so much easier to use on the go because of the texture of this tool.

It is like a crystal nail file, which you might be familiar with, but it's for removing cuticle. It's the same idea: I use one side to push back the skin and then the pointy side to remove the cuticle. Because it is crystal, it is a little bit softer, so you're not as likely to damage the natural nail, which I really like.

No matter what tool you're using to manage your cuticles, take extra caution and be extra careful because this skin around the nail is super fragile. You can easily hurt yourself, and you don't want to get any infection, so just be super mindful.

After I've scraped off the cuticle, I get that dry nail brush again and then just go over my nails so I can see the status of my cuticles. Now is when I go in with the cuticle clippers. If there's any dry skin sticking up around my nail, I carefully cut that, and I keep the clippers flush with my skin so that I'm not digging into my skin and making it bleed.

If you are not comfortable with cuticle nippers and cutting your cuticles, then skip this step. Don't ever do anything you are not comfortable with. It is better to be safe than sorry.

After that, I just remove any extra debris off of my nail plate with some alcohol, and now I'm gonna go in with a base coat. Right now I'm using the Maxus Strengthener. I highly recommend wearing something on your nails even if you're not gonna do a full-blown manicure. This is gonna help your nails stay stronger, which is going to prevent breaks.

Hydrate

The final step of my routine, and this has not changed and it probably will never change, is to hydrate. I love coconut oil. It is tried and true, inexpensive, easy to find, and it works like a charm.

Whatever you're using to moisturize, take some time to just massage that into your nails, the skin around your nails, and your whole hand. This is really going to help the overall look and the health of your hands.

There is my nail care routine that you can do at home to have healthy-looking hands and nails. If you'd like to reading more Blogs, you can click on these boxes here and click on the circle to comment to Glowhush for a new blogs every day. If you'd like to check out my personal nail channel, you can click on the circle here.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and we'll see you next time. Bye!