How to get soft, gorgeous-looking hands

While a salon manicure is always nice -- it's easy to get smooth, beautiful hands at home by following some simple steps and using the right products to keep your hands looking soft and youthful. Follow these tips once a week and your hands will look gorgeous 24-7.

Step 1: Trim your nails

First, remove any old nail polish you might have on. Next, despite what your manicurist does at the salon -- do not soak your nails in water before cutting them. In fact, don't soak your nails at all. Doing so will cause them to soften and expand, which makes them fragile and may cause you to cut off more than you intended. Trim your nails using nail clippers -- cutting them straight across.

Step 2: Smooth your nails

 Whether you prefer a square or round nail shape, smooth out your tips using a fine (around 240 grit) flat nail file -- and only file in one direction, don't use a back and forth seesaw motion. It can cause fragile nails to split or peel. 

Step 3: Exfoliate your hands

Massage your hands with an exfoliating products  to remove dead skin cells and soften your skin. Gently rinse your hands with lukewarm water. 

Step 4: Moisturize 

After rinsing your hands, towel dry them and immediately massage lotion into them to lock in moisture and to soothe them. Then apply cuticle cream or oil to hydrate and protect the delicate skin around your nails.

Step 5: Push back your cuticles

After applying cuticle cream to your nails, gently push the dry skin back towards your nail base using a metal cuticle pusher. Wipe away any bits of skin that may have flaked off in the process. If you have any hangnails, trim them using a cuticle clipper, but do not cut your cuticles (the skin around your nail bed) -- it will only cause them to grow back faster and thicker.

Step 6: Prep nails for polish (if you plan to paint them)

 Once your nails are ready to be painted, the last step is to remove any traces of oil or moisturizer from them. Simply dip a cotton ball or pad into nail polish remover and swipe it across your nails to clean them off.

Step 7: Apply polish (optional)

If you intend to wear color on your nails, first apply a base coat. Let it dry for two to three minutes, then apply two coats of color and allow that to dry for another 5 minutes before applying a top coat to seal in the color and add shine.

Step 8: Apply sunblock

The final touch to beautifying your hands is to apply a lotion that also contains SPF. Your hands are exposed to the sun almost as much as your face, so the best way to keep them looking youthful is to protect them daily. Try  Anti-Ageing Hand Cream and reapply after washing your hands.

  

Step 9: Maintain your beautiful hands

Now that your hands look great, maintain them with the following tips:

Tip No. 1: Wash dishes using soap formulated to help improve the look and feel of your hands , which works to cut grease and helps hands seal in moisture as you do the dishes.

Tip No. 2: Don't use your nails as tools -- as in don't open anything (cans, packages) without the help of scissors or a friend, don't do scratch off Lotto tickets, etc.

Tip No. 3: If you use antibacterial gels, opt for ones that don't contain alcohol, which can dry out your skin.

Tip No. 4: Apply cuticle cream or oil at least once a day to maintain cuticles.