My Nail Care Routine

My nail care routine is patched together by random things I’ve picked up along the way - I’ve always painted my own nails and here and there I’ve found things that work for me and my own routine, so it’s not the most well stocked, professional kit, but things that work for your everyday nail polish lover like me. Don’t feel like you need the specific item I have, because there’s a million options out there that will get the job done, but here’s what I use when I’m going all out on my routine. This doesn’t include actually painting my nails, but just the general nail care!

I like to start with a cuticle softener because it makes cleaning up the nails a lot easier and helps with some of the dry bits around the edges. I use the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover which I initially bought on a whim because it was at Target and affordable. It’s all I’ve ever used for this step, but I do want to try out other options - this one is gentle, quick and easy, you just squeeze a little on the cuticle, let it sit for 15ish seconds, and that’s when I’ll go in with my cuticle pusher.

Pushing my cuticles back is probably my favorite step because it makes my manicure look so much more tidy, especially since my cuticles can get crazy if they aren’t dealt with. I bought my cuticle pusher from a giant Japanese department store ages ago, and I love that it has two sides in two sizes, but there are lots of great options out there (I recently ordered this Orly one). I’m quite gentle when pushing my cuticles back, which is why using a softener helps so I don’t damage my dry cuticles!

I also use a double-sided, square-edged tool, which has a slighty sharper tip than my normal spoon cuticle pusher, and I use it to clean up under my nails, or around the edges. I’ll then go with little clippers, but I don’t clip off my cuticles. I used to, and I would hack them up and they’d look worse than before, so I just clean up dry skin and hang nails to tidy them up some. I try not to use this too much because I can go overboard and tear skin and it’s not cute.

Then I buff my nails, and I just use one of those super cheap, 4 sided nail blocks. There are absolutely better options out there (I just ordered a new one because typing this out made me realize I should upgrade), but I use this to tidy up the nail and it gets the job done without feeling too aggressive.

It seems like a given that I use a nail clipper to trim them back - normally my nails are cut all the way back because of bouldering, but since that’s on hold right now I’m letting them grow a bit. I then go in with a nail file, and shape up my nail and get rid of coarse edges. I don’t go with a particular shape, I just follow the natural growth of my nail - no squares or points, just a rounded edge!

I don’t specifically exfoliate pre-manicure, but when I’m in the shower and I exfoliate my body, I’ll do my hands and especially around the cuticle area. I actually should do it more since my dry hands could use the extra love right now. In terms of hand cream, my favorites are actually ones that are quite intense and thick salves - which might not be for everybody, but when I say I have dry hands, I have D R Y, desert like, thirsty ass hands (even before the intensified handwashing efforts). Pick the formula that you like, but I love ones like Farmacy Honey Savior and LXMI Pure Nilotica Melt (not specifically for hands, but a little goes a long way and it works amazing). I keep Supergoop’s Handscreen in my purse for the extra SPF!

Lastly, I’ll go in with cuticle oil, which is something I apply daily because my cuticles get so dry. I love the Cirque Colors pen, it’s nourishing and the pen is so handy - just click it up, brush it on, and massage it in. I’ve also used the Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil forever which works great and I love that it has a little brush - which seems like a silly thing, but some cuticle oils have droppers and I just prefer a brush application! Sometimes I’ll add drops of oil into my normal body moisturizer and use that, sometimes I’ll grab one of my simple facial oils (like the Josie Maran Argan), and put a few drops on my cuticles - there’s tons of options, but just make them accessible so you remember to do it!

After typing it out, it seems like a lot, but I don’t do the whole routine every single time I paint my nails, and it actually goes by pretty fast! I like to take out my little set, put on a Youtube video and zone out, and it’s a kind of meditative process. Let me know if you have any product recommendations or things to try out - with nail care I tend to stick to what works, but I’m always open to trying new things out!

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