Manicure - Nail Care Tips Manicure - Manicure Guide Your nails grow at a rate of about 1/8 inch per month. It also grow faster in warm weather seasons. And if your right handed, your right hand nails will grow faster than you left hand nails because the additional activities on your right hand stimulates more circulation. In general, it usually takes about 6 months for a complete nail grow. Manicure - How to Give Yourself a Manicure A professional manicure at a salon cost about $20 and last about 30 minutes. Because your nails grow constantly, to keep your nail shape, your manicurist would recommend you to visit her once every week. But if you can't go for a professional manicure every week, you can always give yourself a manicure at home. With the proper nail care kit, it's easy to repeat the manicure steps from a salon treatment yourself. But you will need some practice to get your weaker hand up to speed. How to Give Your Self A Manicure: Manicure Steps Thoroughly remove old nail polish. If you need to remove stubborn leftover nail polish, use a Q-tip. File and shape your nails in one direction only (avoid using the seesaw motion and don't curve into the corner of your nails). Massage some moisturizer into the nails and the cuticle area for about two minutes (Your cuticle is the soft skin that forms the bottom of your fingernail where your fingernail and skin meet). Soak your fingers in a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes to soften up the cuticles. Gently blot your hands dry. Gently push back your cuticles with the tip of an orangewood stick or metal cuticle pusher. Do not use downward force because aggressive pressure can damage your nails. Using a cuticle scissor or a cuticle nipper, trim away dry, dead skin surrounding the nails. Be careful only to trim away the dead tissue and not the cuticle. If you give yourself a manicure on a regular basis, sometimes there may not be any dead skin present, in this case, there is no need for any trimming. Using an orangewood stick, gently clean under the free edge of the nail plate. The free edge is the white tip that grows beyond the fingertip. Massage some moisturizing lotion into your hands until it is fully absorbed by your skin. To ready your nails for polish, wipe your nails with a clean cloth to remove traces of nail filings, oils, and lotion. Applying Nail Polish - How to Apply Nail Polish The next step is to apply nail polish. First, apply a thin base coat to help the nail polish adhere. Allow about 1 minute for the base coat to dry. Then apply nail polish. If you apply more than one coat, wait a few minute in between each coat (allowing each coating to dry will prevent creasing). Proceed with an application of a thin top coat.