Buff Nails for the Perfect Manicure

Every woman wants to have beautiful, natural and glossy-looking nails that shine with health. But to achieve that, you need to have a regular nail and hand care routine. Dry nails, chipped polish and torn cuticles look unsightly and they can be a cause of much embarrassment.

Going for regular manicure is one way to ensure that your hands and nails look well-groomed. An important step while doing a manicure is buffing of the nails. It involves polishing the nails with a fine abrasive material called a buffer, which helps in smoothing out any ridges and removing any stains from the nails.

Some people even prefer the natural sheen of buffed nails to that of colored and polished nails. Let us take a look at the procedure for polishing nails by using a nail buffer and the different types of nail buffers that you can choose from.

Nail buffers are a must-have manicure tool and there are basically three different types of nail buffers.

• Buffing blocks: Buffing blocks are three-dimensional nail buffers that consist of three to four surfaces, with each surface having a different level of coarseness.

• Buffing discs: Buffing discs are small round discs whose surface has a fine grit for polishing the nail bed.
• 3-in-one buffer: A 3-in-one buffer, as the name suggests, consists of a buffer, an emery board and a polisher in a single unit.

Once you have picked the nail buffer of your choice, it is time to start buffing. If you are buffing for the first time, then I would recommend using a buffing block as it is easier to work with it. You can choose a 3-surface or 4-surface buffing block. Most buffing blocks come with numbers etched on its surface to denote the degree of coarseness or grit (varying from 1 - 4).

Given here are some step-by-step instructions for buffing nails.

• The first step in buffing nails is to remove any old nail polish from your nails. To do this, dip a cotton ball in non-acetone based nail polish remover and rub it gently over the nails. To get the perfect buff, it is important that you remove any surface dirt and oils from the nail bed.

• Once you have removed the nail polish, allow your nails to air dry.
• Use a nail clipper to cut and shape your nails to the desired shape.

Next, smooth the edges of your nail by using an emery board. Make sure that you use the emery board in one direction only. Using a back and forth motion to file your nails, will make them weak and more prone to chipping and breaking.

• Now, use the rough side of the buffer to buff each nail. Make sure that you buff in one direction only. Apply gentle pressure while buffing and make sure that you do not buff too vigorously.

• Once you are done buffing each nail with the roughest side of the buffer, use the second grade of the nail buffer to buff your nails. Like before, buff each nail in one direction only.
• Next, buff the nails with the third grade of the buffing block using long, sweeping strokes.

Finally, use the smoothest side of the buffing block to rub over the nail bed. This will give the nails a high-definition sheen which you have been aiming for.

Some of the benefits of using a nail buffer for polishing nails are listed below.

• Buffing will help to remove jagged nail edges and give your nails a smooth appearance.

• It will smoothen out any ridges on the surface of the nail bed, which will help in the smooth and even application of nail enamel.
• If there are any surface stains on the nails, buffing can help in eliminating them.

• Nail buffing gives a natural looking sheen to the nails, which look very elegant and attractive. By buffing nails to a shiny finish, you can skip applying nail polish altogether.
• It also helps in improving blood circulation to the nail bed which helps in the growth of the nails.

By buffing your nails, your nails can have an incredible mirror-like shine. However, it is important not to overdo buffing as it can thin the nails and make them weak. This can result in chipping of nails as well as brittle and dry nails. Nail buffing is an important step in your nail care routine, so make sure that you use the right procedure for buffing your nails.