The need to keep trendy looking finger and toe nails has come to the fore with the lockdown of nail salons all over the world. The challenge to most governments in opening such places, has been the need to maintain top most hygiene from social distancing practices, which nail, hair and barbing saloons just won’t be able to provide immediately.

The global pandemic is being managed from country to country and Nigeria has equally had its share of societal changes & disruptions which has affected everyday life. The simple stroll/drive to the neighborhood Nail Salon has become an impossibility for most women and home services are also at a distant past, to keep family members safe.

Necessity is always the mother of invention, so many women have resorted to the DIY platform. Yes, the good old ‘do it yourself’ skills are being dusted up to give ourselves a manicure and pedicure of some sort, as half a manicure/pedicure is certainly better than no manicure/pedicure!

If you look closely, you may see a lot more overgrown toe nails and seriously chipped paint on cracked fingernails on quite many ladies now. Even the ‘artificial nail fixing’ era has been on an all- time low.

Many ladies have gone back to the basics and invented new ways to remove, groom and fix nails for themselves. To ensure you can do a bit of good nail manicure / pedicure yourself, here are some reminders on what to do:

1. Keep a nail grooming kit at home, with nail polish removers, cotton wool, a manicure set, with scissors and nail clippers/nail files, some colourless and coloured nail polish.

2. For a more exotic touch, add foot scrappers, pumice stones, foot and hand scrubs, cornice removers and some hand cream with a flannel for drying wet hands and feet to your nail grooming home kit.

For a quick manicure with natural nails, 

1. Remove the fingernail polish with nail polish remover on cotton wool and cut/file fingernails to shape.

2. Soak your hands in a bowl of warm water, with disinfectant and liquid soap for about 10 minutes. Scrub with a pumice stone and clean out the dead skin around your nails with a cuticle remover (if available).

3. Rinse hands with clean cold water and dry with a towel or face flannel. Add some hand cream if you like, to keep skin supple.

4. Apply your colourless bottom coat of nail polish and leave to dry for a few minutes.

5. Apply 1-2 coats of coloured paint, leave to dry and apply colourless nail polish for shine as a topcoat.

           For a quick pedicure with natural nails:

1. Remove the toenail polish with nail polish remover on cotton wool and cut/file toenails to shape.

2. Soak your feet in a bucket of warm water, with disinfectant and liquid soap for about 20 minutes. Scrub your soles with a pumice stone and clean out the dead skin around your nails with a cuticle remover (if available).

3. Rinse feet with clean cold water and dry with a towel or face flannel.

4. Apply your colourless bottom coat of nail polish and leave to dry naturally for a few minutes.

5. Apply 1-2 coats of coloured paint, leave to dry and apply colourless nail polish for shine as a topcoat.

Other Tips: If your skill at painting your nails is still a bit ‘rusty’, dab on some glittery nail polish to harden nails and blur out not -so- smooth- painting, into glittery toenails and fingernails!

For artificial nails, please follow the instructions on the label, to guide you on the glues and filing. It may be wise to keep your nails simple for now and fix your nails when your professional nail salon reopens!!