It can be overwhelming trying to decide on what to put in a home manicure kit, especially if you’ve never had experience with doing your own manicures before. The good news is that you don’t need a full professional salon set up, you just need a few different, reliable tools for trimming, shaping, tidying, painting, and cleaning up. The most important thing is to keep everything together in one place so that you’re not hunting for tools mid-treatment.
The Basic Tools You Need for a Home Manicure
A beginner nail kit need only be small. It could include any of these items:
- Nail clippers
- Emery Board or nail file
- Nail buffer
- Cuticle pusher or orange stick
- Cotton pads
- Hand cream
- Nail polish remover
- Base coat
- Nail polish
- Top coat
- Small towel or mat
Nail Clippers, Files, and Buffers
Nail clippers are good for shortening nails quickly. If your nails are already the length you want, you may not need to use them every time.
An emery board or nail file helps to smooth rough edges and to shape the free edge of your nail. This is useful after clipping or if you have small snags in your nails that can catch on clothes.
A nail buffer is used on the nail’s surface, rather than the edge. It should only be used lightly, as over buffing can lead to weak or thin nails.
Of these, clippers and a file or emery board are ideal for a very basic nail kit. Buffers do not need to be used every time.
Cuticle Tools & Cuticle Oil
An orange stick or cuticle pusher can be used to gently push back softened cuticles. If cuticles are dry, you can soften them with warm water, in a normal bowl or a manicure bowl.
Cuticle oil is a great option for making the skin around the nails less dry. It can make a manicure look neater.
You do not need cuticle cutters in a beginner home nail kit; oil and gentle cuticle tools are good enough.
Base Coat, Polish & Top Coat
It’s a good idea to keep types of nail varnish in one place together.
A base coat goes onto the natural nail directly, before you then apply colour polish. It works by creating a smoother surface for the varnish to cling to, and helps to reduce staining of dark or bright colours.
Nail polish is the regular colour layer. You only need a few, basic bottles to start off your collection, in your favourite colours.
A top coat goes over the colour polish, adding shine and helping to make the manicure last longer.
Clean-up Items to Keep Nearby
A good manicure is a lot easier to pull off if you have a few essential clean-up items.
These can include:
- Cotton pads
- Cotton buds
- Nail polish remover
- A small towel
- Hand cream
- Tissues or wipes
- A small nail brush
A small towel is useful for protecting your work table or surface from stray polish, as well as giving you somewhere clean to rest your hands. Cotton buds are great for gently removing excess polish that has got onto the skin around the nails.
The thing to remember is that you don’t need a professional salon set-up. You only need as many items as necessary to give you a good-quality at home manicure experience.
How to Store a Basic Manicure Kit
The easiest way to store your collections is to keep them in one place.
That could be in any of the following places:
- A small pouch
- A box
- A bag
- A draw organiser
- A desk organiser
What You Do Not Need Straight Away
You do not need every single item you see online or in the salon. Some things that you may want to avoid purchasing as a beginner include:
- Electric nail drills
- Cuticle cutters
- Large professional storage cases
- Complicated nail art tools
- A large variety of nail polish colours
- Lots of different nail files
Start with the basics and get used to simple treatments first.
To Polish it Off
A home manicure kit should be as simple as possible. Stick to easy to use items that do not require a large monetary investment. Keep them all together in a clean and dry place, out of direct sunlight.
If you need extras, you can always add them later on as your experience grows and you decide if there is anything else you want to add.