What Is Nail Buffing And How To Do It At Home?
You’ve probably heard of nail clipping, but you’ve probably never heard of nail buffing. It files your nails with a buffer board, ensuring that they are healthy, robust, and shiny for a long time.
We sometimes ignore chipped or broken nails in the hopes that they will heal on their own. However, doing so would simply aggravate your nail problems. So go out and buy a nice buffer board and get to work right now!
Nail Buffing
The process of buffing your nails with a fine-grit buffer board is known as nail buffing. This gives your nails a more uniform and lustrous appearance as it is a part of your nail care service.
Step-by-Step Guide To Buffing Your Nails With A Nail Buffer
A nail buffer block is useful for more than just buffing. These handy tiny blocks double as many tools. File, buff, polish, and shine are the four sides of a nail buffer.
They’re frequently labelled with numbers so you know which side to use for each stage. If they aren’t, start with the coarsest side and work your way to the smoothest.
- File Your Nails
If you haven’t already done so, file the tops and sides of your nails to the desired length and shape with the coarse side of your nail buffer block. Never file the nail back and forth, as this can cause damage.
- Now Buff Them
The buffing stage follows, which removes ridges and smooths the surface of your nails. (Note: vertical nail ridges are common, but they should be monitored because they can indicate vitamin deficiency or other health problems.)
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Hold the buffing side parallel to your nail and stroke it across each nail in an X form to buff your nails. Buffing your nails side to side might dry out your nails and cause damage.
- Polish Your Nails
Use the polish side once you’ve completed polishing your nails. This has a finer grit, which will eliminate any missing defects and make your nails even smoother.
Polish your nails with four to six X strokes, similar to the buffing stage.
- Shine Your Nails
It’s finally time to make your nails shine. Apply tiny circular motions to your nails with the smooth side of your nail buffing block to give them that healthy, shiny appearance. Your nails will be silky smooth to the touch and have a beautiful gloss.
When you’re done, apply a little cuticle oil to your nails and fingertips to nourish and moisturize them.
Things You Should Avoid During Buffing
Buffing from side to side will generate heat and cause the nails to dry. Dryness can cause nail cracking and peeling.
If you press down too hard on the buffer, you risk damaging the matrix and affecting future nail growth.
How Many Times Should You Buff Your Nails?
You should buff your nails around once a month, but if your nails aren’t tough, or if you frequently wear coloured nail lacquer and don’t require the extra shine on your nails, you can go longer between buffings.
Benefits of Buffing the Nails
- Smooth down ridges on the surface of your nails to improve the adhesion of your nail polish.
- Smooth away any sharp edges.
- Makes your nails smoother by removing dry and dead surface skin.
- Stimulates blood circulation to the nail bed, encouraging faster nail growth and contributing to overall nail health.
- It makes your nails so smooth and shiny that you can skip the polish entirely and go for glossy natural nails without the added weight of clear lacquer.
- The best aspect is that the shine lasts for at least a week without chipping!
- What Buffing Can’t Do To Your Nails
- It isn’t going to sculpt your nails. For that, nail buffers are far too soft. Instead, use an emery board or a nail filer.
- It won’t magically remove nail surface stains in one sitting, much alone two or three.
- Continued use will yield effects, but by that time your nails will have grown to the point where you won’t need it.
- Some people believe that buffing their nails would make them pink, so they buff more forcefully. This is completely false.
- Buffing increases blood flow to the nail bed, giving the illusion of pinker nails, although it cannot change the colour of the nails on its own.
- Remember how translucent a nail is? Cuticles cannot be removed or softened by buffing. Cuticles are the fleshy parts of your nails that extend from the nail bed. To soften and push it back, use a cuticle cream.
Products Other Than A Buffer You Can Use to Buff Your Nails
For Starters
Shape your nails using a nail file to prepare them. Remove any rough or uneven edges with a file. (You may want to cut them first if they’re particularly long).
Tools You Can Make out of Home products
Wrap a triangle cosmetic sponge in a strip of 600-grit sandpaper. For each fingernail, rub the sandpaper back and forth for three to five seconds. The fine-grit sandpaper improves gloss and removes ridges from your nails.
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Wrap a piece of velvet around a cotton ball and buff each fingernail after the sandpaper treatment. The velvet’s short pile continues the smoothing process that the fine-grit sandpaper began.
Natural Oils
Salons use special oils and creams on cuticles and fingernails to maintain the skin and keep the nails shiny. Use olive or almond oil instead, which hasn’t been diluted with water or alcohol. Apply the oil after you’ve completed polishing with the fine-grit sandpaper and the velvet.
Wrapping Up
As you may know, buffing nails is an important step in achieving beautiful nails; without it, no manicure is complete.
It’s important not to go too deep when polishing. If you buff your nails too hard, they will become thin and feeble.
You may buff your nails to a high shine without using a buffer by using chamois, denim, flannel, or plain paper.
So share your buffing experience with us and how you went on about it!
Filed under: Beauty, Makeup & Hair, Tips and Myths
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