Women's Personal Care: Nail Polishing

If a visit to the salon isn't an option, put on your own nail polish by using techniques that don't depend on your vision to be successful.

First, here are a few things to think about. Cold nail polish is easier to feel when you're applying it on your nails so keep your polish in the refrigerator. Remember, if you have some vision, lighting and contrast can be your friend. Your lighting should shine just on your hands and work area and not in your eyes. And lay down a piece of paper or cloth on your work surface in a color that contrasts with your skin tone. You'll be surprised how much easier it is to see what you're doing. All of these tips work for base and finish coats as well, but to keep things simple we'll focus on polish.

Okay, let's get started. If you want to keep stray polish from staining your cuticles and your skin around your nails, put Vaseline or baby oil on them. Then polish wipes off easily. But keep that stuff off your nail itself or the polish won't stay where you want it. You can also buy stickers that cover your finger around your nail. If you're putting polish on your toes, keep them separated with cotton balls or a foam separator. That way wet polish won't smudge.

Now take the brush out of the bottle and hold it between your thumb and forefinger. Wipe excess polish off on the bottle rim. With the ring finger of the hand that's holding the brush, make contact with the tip of the nail you want to paint. It's your guide and will help you stay on track. Touch the center of the nail with the brush and slowly slide it back until it just touches the cuticle. Then brush straight out toward the end of the nail, laying down a strip of polish. Three strokes on your nail are usually all you need. One in the center, the next on the right side and the last on the left.

When you finish one hand, wait a bit before doing the other. You'll want that polish to dry first. When you're done, the brush will need to go back into the bottle. Hold the brush sideways and rest the stem on the bottle top. Slide the stem over the top, moving the handle away from the bottle. You'll feel when the brush slides over the top and then it's time to rotate the brush straight up and push it down into the bottle. You're all set.

Don't worry about getting things perfect the first time. Relax and practice and enjoy the process and ask your learning expert for help with this and other personal care questions.