Nail Tech Secrets

Lush’s Lemony Flutter is not just fun to say, it is a product that is great for your body, not just your nails and cuticles. I have a deep passion for shea butter and this is a shea butter based product that is filled with all sorts of other wonderful things. Here [...]

In either a large enough bowl for your feet, or an electric pedicure unit, put some nicely scented liquid soap, maybe a drop of two of essential oil, and even some flower petals, if you happen to have some around. Light a candle or two. Fill the tub up with nice warm water, as warm [...]

My paraffin instructions are geared towards the DIYer, but there are now lots of options for you to buy a paraffin unit for home use. The one pictured above is the HoMedics ParaSpa Mini Paraffin Bath, with Adjustable Temperature Control PAR100, available at Drugstore.com. You can also easily purchase the HoMedics ParaSpa [...]

You probably don’t know this yet about me, but I am a huge stickler for sanitation, made even more paranoid about it because of my husband’s near fatal battle with MRSA last year. One of the truly great reasons for doing your own nails is the avoidance of bacteria that will thrive in a [...]

For the paraffin treatment, purchase a block of paraffin at the grocery store for next to nothing. If you have never seen it, go to the section with the canning supplies. I will tell you how to put this all together a bit later, but use the oil from your basic spa manicure, and if [...]

The new Press N Seal wrap is GREAT for this, and a whole lot less messy to work with by yourself, but any will do. You can also use gallon size plastic food storage bags. These will be used to protect your heated mitts and towels from paraffin and lotions and oils, and to [...]

The facial supplies are almost identical to the treatments you will receive at the spa. Use what you have lying around in your “unused beauty drawer (make sure it hasn’t gone rancid though!)”, or make this a good excuse to try something more luxurious than what you have been using. Your skin will thank you! [...]

The salt and oil are used for a scrub similar to what you receive with a spa manicure at WAY less than you pay for at the spa. More about this when we get into the spa treatments!

Brand and color are your preference. I have found that if you use a quality base coat and a quality top coat, then you can use whatever brand of colored polish that you choose. My preference is Jessica or OPI, but truly, just about any of them will do. Make sure that the polish [...]

You will need a quality base coat specific to your nail type, the color of your choice, and a top coat. Jessica Nail Systems have released their line to the public now, and in my opinion their treatment base coats are the very best. Jessica can be purchased through the link above, or at many [...]