Natural Nails – Nail Care Routine

Hello!

Today I wanted to share with you my nail care routine for my natural nails.

I’ve been using the same routine for well over 7 years and it works for me. It’s nothing too fancy or hard I don’t think, but it will require some tools and some nail care products*.

We’ll go through what I use and how I use it, and we’ll also go through what I don’t use and why. 

All of this is just my own personal opinion and how I use the tools. I’m not a licensed nail tech or anything like that so just keep that in mind when you are reading through this post. These are purely products that I use my way 😊

So let’s break down what I use and why/how I use it:

✅ I use a glass file* to file my nails. I like that you can file your nails from both sides of the glass file, that the grit is very fine, and that it comes with a plastic case to keep it safe for clumsy people like me especially. 😁 You can easily wash and re-use glass files as well.

I never use anything else but a glass file since I was gifted one. I’ve used other things in the past but nothing has ever given me a smoother finish than a glass file with no frayed edges. And also because I keep a square shape, it’s easier for me to use a glass file to get a really nice straight edge on my nails. It files surprisingly fast and the grit is so fine it should not cause tearing on your natural nails. Filing my nails is relaxing for me so I do take my time here to make sure the shape is exactly how I like it. 😍

✅ I use a block buffer* on my nails. My nails don’t have prominent ridges or anything but I do like to gently buff my nails after I file them as part of my routine. Not every time, maybe once a month (when I remember lol)

When buffing, I use the “Remove Ridges” side and I gently buff one way down 1 side of the nail and then the other way down the other side of the nail. This helps give my nails a smooth finish so when I’m swatching or doing nail art, there aren’t any ridges visible under the polish. I will occasionally go in with the “Smooths Surface” side of the block but that’s pretty rare for me.

✅ I like to use a cuticle clipper* for removing hangnails and getting rid of any skin that happens to peel (which almost never happens for me anymore). I also use it to cut off any skin flap from paper cuts or other random cuts. It removes it cleanly and so nothing is left to catch on other things which could potentially hurt it more. Mind you I do wait until the cut is no longer hurting and I make sure it’s sterilized before cutting the excess skin.

✅ I use my hand cream basically after each time I wash my hands if I’m not planning on eating. I have tried many hand creams in the past but the only ones that really work for my hands to keep them moisturized properly has been the Ultra Shea Body Cream* line from Bath & Body Works. They have other lines of  body/hand creams but they don’t moisturize the way this line does for me. I tend to get the fruity or more subtle fragrances. My current favourites are: Happy Vibes, White Peach Sangria, and Get Happy. 😊 Pretty as a Peach was also a favourite when I found it in their stores here in Canada.

✅ My cuticle cream. 💓 I have tried oils in the past, and some of them are really nice, but I always end up going back to this Burt’s Bees cuticle cream*. I love that it’s a cream, it stays where I put it, massages nicely into my skin, and smells ah-mazing! It instantly makes my cuticles look super immaculate and hydrated. Also, it’s the secret to prepping your hands/nails for amazing photos. 😁 When I don’t have time to do both hand cream and cuticle cream (it does take time to do both and I usually do both anyway), I opt to use the cuticle cream because it makes my hands look awesome even on its own. 

So how I use it, which, I have no idea how other people use it, but how I do it is, after applying hand cream, I use my ring finger to go in a small circular motion to warm the cream onto my finger, then I transfer a little bit onto each cuticle on the opposite hand and then go back and massage it into my cuticle and up the skin on each side of the nail. I then do the same on my other hand. Any extra cream I just massage into my hands. 

✅ Basecoats. I know there are times I will use a basecoat and I’ll still get staining but then I think about what would happen if I didn’t use a basecoat at all and it gives me nightmares just thinking about it. 😂 It helps make your manicures last longer and it should help in protecting your natural nails. Also, have you ever put on a clear basecoat and just can’t stop staring as how beautiful and shiny your nails look with just the clearcoat on? Just me? Ok 😁

✅ I use gloves to clean, prep food for cooking/baking, do dishes and sometimes even to eat! I also use chopsticks when I eat chips. 😆 Why am I so extra you ask? Because I don’t like getting water on my nails so I try to keep water away from them as much as possible. I do wash my hands a lot already so whenever possible, I wear gloves so I don’t have to wash them as much. Water is just no good for your nails – there are tons of resources about it online but I can tell after a shower or after I wash my hands how bendy my nails get and I just don’t like it. 😂 This is why I’m so extra 🙅

Well, that’s all the stuff that I do/use for my hands/nail maintenance. It was a lot of words but I don’t think it’s too much work. 😊I find it relaxing to do the whole routine once or twice a week where I’ll file my nails while I’m listing/watching something, and then do the whole hand cream/cuticle cream after washing my hands after filing.

🚫 Something I didn’t list that I know people use that I don’t is cuticle remover, the creams that remove them, I don’t use that. When I buff my nails is when I will get rid of the stuff on my nail plate. I don’t get it too often so the once a month works to smooth out my nail plate and remove the cuticles at the same time.

🚫 I don’t use the cuticle clippers to actually clip my cuticles. I know lots of people who do cut their cuticles and their hands/nails look immaculate but for me, I’ve chosen not to. I don’t mind how my cuticles look so I’ve never cared to remove them. I use to gently push them back sometimes way back in the day, but then I got lazy and could not even be bothered to do that so I don’t even do that anymore. 😂

🚫 Also, I don’t use the cuticle pusher/scraper at all. I think I’ve seen people use it to nudge at the edges when removing peel off polishes but I just gently use my nail to lift the edge of my peel off basecoat and then peel it off that way. I know my nails aren’t tools but I feel like it’s more gentle than using the metal on my nails. To each their own though. As I haven’t tried it, although I own it, I can’t comment exactly – it’s just how I feel. 😅

🚫 Emery boards – I don’t like these things for my natural nails. I’m sure they are good for other types of nails, but I wouldn’t recommend them for natural nails.

🚫 Same with metal nail files, it’s much too harsh for natural nails in my opinion so that’s why I don’t use them or recommend them for natural nails.

🚫 Nail clippers will ruin your natural nails so I don’t use these – I just use your glass file to file my nails down and shape them. It takes more time to file, but the results are well worth it I think. 😊

Whew! We finally made it to the end! Did you find this helpful? Do you have some recommendations of stuff you think are awesome that I should try? Did I miss anything? Do you disagree with anything I said? Did you think this whole thing was non-sense? 😁 Any and all comments are welcome. Ask me in the comments if you have any questions and I’ll try my best to answer them!

This is probably the most words I’ve ever written in a blog post ever! Let me know in the comments if you made it all the way to the end! 😅

Remember that your nails are not tools and you’ll be fine 😀

If you like my work and want to support me so I can continue to bring you nail polish content and videos, please consider:
~ subscribing to my YouTube channel
~ donating directly to my PayPal (saving for that 4K camera! 💓)
~ shopping through my Amazon* link
~shopping through my other affiliates*

As always, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to check out my little corner and for all your love and support – I appreciate it so much! 😊 Please feel free to leave me comments/suggestions/feedback below.

~Tracey

*_{Items purchased through my affiliate links may earn me a commission – Thank you for your support!! 💗}