tips

14 Clever Nail Hacks for the Perfect Manicure

Updated: April 8, 2020

1. Lighten discolored nails with whitening toothpaste.

Use a toothbrush or a nail brush to remove stains.

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2. Remove polish easily by making your own nail polish remover jar.

Pour nail polish remover over a sponge in a jar and say bub-bye to cotton balls.

Learn 11 other ways to use a sponge that you’ve never thought of before

3. Get soft cuticles by soaking them in a lotion-olive oil mixture overnight.

Mix 3 tablespoons of lotion with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat for 30 seconds. Then, apply the cream to cuticles and nail beds. Put clean socks or gloves on and wear overnight.

4. Exfoliate hands with ground coffee.

Add grounds to facial or body scrubs, and enjoy smoother skin!

5. Stop clipped fingernails from flying by wetting nails and the clipper.

6. Get a longer-lasting manicure by soaking nails in a solution of vinegar and water before applying polish.

Vinegar will strip your nails of any oils or moisturizers left over from polish remover. Less oil/moisturizer = a bubble-free manicure.

Check out these 10 other weird ways to use vinegar.

7. Unstick a bottle of nail polish by placing it upside down in a cup of warm water.

Did you know the cooler the nail polish, the smoother it’ll apply on your nails? Put polish in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes before painting your nails.

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8. Prevent polish from sticking to skin by coating the skin around nails with Vaseline.

Be careful not to apply Vaseline to your actual nail–doing this will prevent the polish from sticking.

9. Create the perfect French manicure by using a rubber band as a guide.

Tie a rubber band in the middle and use it as a guide to paint the perfect French tips. Use a different rubber band (or a different part of the same rubber band) for each nail to keep your tips neat. Apply small amounts of polish at a time for best results.

Learn 11 more incredible rubber band hacks.

10. Make your own dotting tool by sticking a pin into a pencil eraser.

11. Create nail art with strips of newspaper and rubbing alcohol.

Paint your nails with a clear base coat or a light shade of nail polish, and allow to completely dry. When your nails are completely dry, dip each finger into rubbing alcohol. Then, evenly press a newspaper strip onto each nail, being careful not to shift the nail in order to avoid smudges. When you peel the newspaper strip off, you’ll see newsprint ink overlaid on your nail polish.

Paint over the newsprint with a clear coat, and admire your clever manicure!

Learn 14 other genius things you can do with old newspaper.

12. Use a piece of card stock to prevent polish from getting on skin if you have short nails.

Cut a few half circles out on the edge of thick paper and place the paper slightly under your nail before applying paint. To keep the paper in place, try taping it down.

13. Dry polish quickly by dunking nails in ice water.

Let them air dry for a couple minutes then dunk away.

Note: Although ice water helps the surface dry quickly, your polish can still get messed up if you’re not careful. We recommend you only dip, not swirl.