How to do a Natural Nail Manicure with By Bhumika Inc.

I've been doing my own nails with regular lacquer for over 20 years. It's one of my favourite hobbies, and has become a form of self-care in my life. Friends and family know that if my nails aren't done, there's likely something wrong! Here's a list of steps I take and products I use to make sure my nails and hands are in tip-top shape for every manicure. Many of my favourite nail and hand products are the ones we sell here at By Bhumika Inc, so you know that they're loved and well-used!

1. Nail Preparation and Preventative Nail Care

Once every two weeks I start my latest manicure by removing dead cuticle skin with a chemical cuticle remover. I never soak my nails in water as they tend to do in a salon as this can split the layers of the nail plate. My three favourite cuticle removers (in no order) are:
1. CND Cuticle Away, includes Aloe Vera for moisturization. 
2. Blue Cross Cuticle Remover, Lanolin Enriched. 
3. Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover, easy to find at most local drugstores. 

Once I've applied the cuticle remover according to package instructions, I'll use two tools to remove the dead skin cells that it loosens up:
1. A metal cuticle pusher with a curved end
2. The Germanikure glass cuticle stick 

While I do push back my eponychium and cuticle, I don't cut my eponychium or proximal nail folds. I recommend that you don't cut yours either! This is common in a Russian style manicure, but can have serious health implications as our eponychium and proximal nail folds are living tissue that keep bacteria and more out of our bodies through their seal on our nails. I do not deal with dry skin or hang nails anymore because of my preventative nail care, and nail/hand aftercare, but I have used cuticle scissors to manage things like peeling skin or hang nails in the past. I have sharpened my products with https://u-tools.ca/ in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and they offer an amazing variety of tools for anyone interested in purchasing them. Be sure to wash any remaining cuticle remover off of your hands. You can also remove it with a wet towel.

Once a week or between every manicure, whichever comes first, I soak my nails in warm oil. I do this once I've finished up with cuticle remover, as it is a harsher product for your skin. My hot oil nail soaks are done using two of our in-house products:
1. Urmila Body Oil
2. Nail Oil Warmer

Our Urmila oil is primarily made with jojoba oil, which is molecularly similar in size to human sebum. This means that our warm oil bath can penetrate the nail plate to reach the nail bed. The additional oils (Avocado Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Argan Nut Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Cacao Butter) are also super moisturizing for your skin and hands. The bowl of our hair oil and nail oil warmer can fit one hand at a time. I like to soak my hands for 15 minutes each, but if I've got more time, I'll watch two episodes of a show and soak 1 hand per episode. Please reuse your nail oil! I store mine in a small mason jar, and add more from my Urmila bottle as needed. I also like to rub this oil into my hands and toenails once I've finished my jojoba oil nail soak. I light a small diya/divo with a cotton wick inside of my oil warmer, but a tealight candle is also a great option. 

After oiling comes filing. I use the Germanikure Glass Nail File, but it is no different from any etched glass/crystal nail file that you might want to use. Glass files are reusable and washable, and generally have finer grit. Ever since I switched over to them, I deal with less breakage and my nails don't catch on fabric or clothing anymore, leading to further breaks.

If you have sensory troubles, try filing your nails when they still have oil on them. This eliminates some of the friction that causes an uncomfortable experience. 

I do not file away my lower parallels or the sidewalls of my nails anymore to further protect the integrity of my nails. I only file the part of the nails that I can see when I turn my hand to look at my palms.  Sidewalls lend further integrity to your nail and help to cushion any impact to your nails should they bang into anything, meaning less pesky breaks right at your free edge. 

2. Polishing

Once my hands and nails are moisturized and well-oiled, it's time to apply polish. After a nail oil soak, I'll wait anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight to apply polish.

I begin by removing excess oils or moisture from my nail plate and hands with a few products:
1. Any By Bhumika Inc soap that I currently have in use
2.  99% isopropyl alcohol; I buy in bulk
3. 100% pure acetone; I buy in bulk 

I only use natural cold-process soap on my hands and body as it is gentle and contains naturally occurring glycerin. The soap will remove any excess oils or grime from my hands and nails, but isn't overly cleansing so as to dry out my skin in full. The natural glycerin in the soap attracts moisture from the air, which keeps your skin protected with a natural moisture barrier. I found that liquid soaps, which are usually made of detergents, stripped away more of my skin's natural oils, making my hands and skin much more dry and flaky. This is why I began making cold-process soap over 10 years ago, and why I started By Bhumika Inc. I wanted softer skin with less unfavourable skin conditions, and wanted to reduce my consumption habits. Simple bar soap helps me do just that. 

Once my hands are clean, I'll use a cotton ball or cotton swab to clean my nail plate and remove any excess moisture or oil. This dehydrates the nail plate, meaning that my polish will stick better to my nail.

I don't generally get nail polish on my skin anymore when painting because I've had a ton of practice over the past 20 years. In case of mistakes, I use the thin end of a nail dotting tool to clean up. Another option is to keep a small amount of 100% acetone in a dappen dish with an old eyeliner brush incase you need to clean any polish that's made its way outside of the lines. Simply dip your brush in the acetone, tamp it out on a paper towel or cotton ball to get rid of excess acetone, and then wipe away your nail polish mistakes.

When painting my nails, I stick to the following polish order:

1. 2 coats of Basecoat (I currently use Seche Vite Base Coat)
2. 2-3 Coats of actual nail lacquer (varying colours and brands)
3. Optional: 1 coat of a topper polish (shimmers, glitters, flakies, etc)
4. Optional: 1 coat of a glitter grabber top coat to smooth out textures from glitter (I currently use Glisten & Glow's Glitter Grabber Top Coat)
5. 1 slightly thicker coat of Quick Dry Top Coat (I I currently use Glisten & Glow's Quick Dry Top Coat or Seche Vive Instant Gel Effect Top Coat)

You MUST use a quick dry top coat for your polish to dry quickly, or you will end up with smudging. Have you ever gone to sleep, and ended up with bed sheet lines on your nail polish? Yeah, a quick dry top coat will stop that from happening. 

3. Nail and Hand Upkeep and Aftercare

Once my nails are done, I keep my nail beds and hands moisturized with three different products:

1. By Bhumika Cuticle Balm
2. By Bhumika Shea Butter
3. By Bhumika Mango Butter

As soon as my nails are dry to the touch after a manicure, I'll use our Cuticle Balm around my finger tips and nails. I use Cuticle Balm nightly before bed, but I'll also use it throughout the day if I feel like my cuticles need a bit of support after washing dishes, gardening, working out, or doing something else equally strenuous. I also keep the Cuticle Balm Tube on me when I'm on the go, and it's small enough to fit into my pocket or purse or bag in case it's needed. I like to apply Cuticle Balm to my cuticles, fingertips, and under my nails as well. It's fast absorbing so it won't leave you feeling greasy. 
 
I keep balms and butters and oils everywhere for my use. There is absolutely nothing else that I will use on my hands and body for moisturizing, and I haven't used anything like a cream for over 10 years. I keep butters in my purse, by my sinks, by my bedside, and in all of our bathrooms. Shea butter and Mango butter are a bit more malleable than cocoa butter, and so I'll use them often to keep my hands and feet well moisturized. Using butters on fragile skin, like that of my fingers and toes, means that I don't have many hangnails or dry skin that's at risk of bleeding or cracking. 

I also believe that healthy skin starts on the inside, so I try to stay well-hydrated - I believe that all of our butters and body oils are helpful in locking in this moisture and keeping it in my skin. 

4. Doing it all Again, and Staying the Course

That's everything there is to it! I change my polish fairly frequently, and so once the polish comes off, oil soaking and Cuticle Balms are my first step to re-moisturizing my nail plate and nail beds. That means I go back to Item number 1, Nail Preparation and Preventative Nail Care. Every step is a mindful part of my favourite hobby, and I love that I get to spend some time on myself. Of course, I'm happy to share this hobby with other lacqueristas - or laqueristas for those of you over on r/redditlaqueristas!

When you use natural products and natural skin care, you choose a slow and deliberate process of care for your skin, hands, and nails. Nothing changes overnight, but overtime I hope you'll see the benefits of our Cuticle Balm and Butters for your hand and nail health <3. 

With love, 
Bhumika