Make it Sparkle: Perfect Prom Manicures Start with Perfectly Pampered Hands

When it comes to Prom, Homecoming or any other important party, you’ll spend hours searching for the prettiest hairstyle, the perfect dress, and the absolute most adorable shoes. You may also get the most beautiful manicure you’ve ever had. Obviously there’s advice all over the internet when it comes to great DIY manicures if you don’t want to budget in a pricey salon. But even before you step foot in your favorite manicurist’s door, there are 5 little steps that you should already be doing every single day to keep your hands looking their best. Start now for gorgeous hands for your big event. Keep it up, and you’ll have lovely hands for the rest of your life!

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Most Important Point: Give Your Hands the Same TLC You Give Your Face

You already know the golden rules of skin care:

Wash
Exfoliate
Moisturize
Never ever go to bed with makeup on
Sunscreen!

Taking care of your hands is just the same!

Wash off germs and grit daily
Use a gentle scrub
Use a good hand cream
And yep—sunscreen on your hands, too!

A facial makes your skin a better canvas for makeup. Properly caring for your hands not only makes them softer and makes nail polish look better. It also relaxes the muscles and skin fibers that will help your hands stay looking young longer.

Here’s a simple routine that honestly won’t take that long. Your hands will thank you for it!

Step #1: Wash & Soak Your Hands in Warm Water

Source: Nailsmag
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Fill a dish or the sink with lukewarm water and add a few drops of your favorite antibacterial soap. Soak your hands up to the wrist for 2 or 3 minutes until they’re nice and soft, then use a small brush to gently scrub your fingernails. Don’t forget the underside of your nails, too. You can also very, very gently use the brush on your fingers, palms, and back of your hands, but go very lightly.

For fun, try these extra steps:

DIY nail soak: You’ll need 1/4 cup orange juice (preferably freshly squeezed), 1 clove chopped garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil. Get the full instructions here: Source

Hand Scrub to Exfoliate: After you wash your hands in warm water and scrub your nails, use a gentle exfoliating scrub—and we mean gentle. Don’t use lava soap or anything harsh. Try this fun and easy Lavender Sugar Scrub made with things you either already have around the house or can find at the drugstore: Source

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Step #2: Dip Your Hands in Cold Water

Rinse off all the soap—or exfoliating scrub—empty the warm water out of the sink and fill it with cold water. You can also have a second container ready with cold water. Totally immerse your hands until they feel cool.

Tip: You can toss in a few ice cubes to get a more brisk treatment that will tighten your skin and activate circulation.

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Step #3. Dry Your Hands Thoroughly—use a super-clean towel or hair dryer

If you’re going to use a towel to dry your hands, always use a very clean one. If you use a dirty towel, you’re undoing all the work you just did. You can also use your hair dryer—set on low—and dry your hand like you would in a public washroom air dryer.

Shortcut: Skip the fuss of a clean towel or hair dryer and just dry your hands with a clean, soft paper towel.

Step #4. Apply Hand Lotion

Choose anything you like that’s moisturizing. Don’t use too much and don’t rub too briskly. Do use enough lotion to cover the backs, the palms, and each finger. If you end up with a little too much, just rub it on your elbows!

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Excellent & Easy DIY Hand Cream Recipe: This feels great and smells fabulous. It’s made with shea butter, coconut oil, and 2 essential oils—lavender and vanilla. Get the recipe here: Source

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Step #5. Let Your Hands Dry Completely

Give the lotion a few minutes to settle in. Don’t use heat and don’t wave your hands around to dry them faster. The idea here is to let your skin and muscles relax so don’t rush.

Big Tip #1: Do This Hand Routine at Night: When you’re done with homework and chores or your part-time job, that’s the time to give your hands a rest and a beauty treatment.

Big Tip #2: Coordinate Hand Care with Face Care: Any time that you do a facial treatment like a mask or some other skin treatment, do this hand routine. You can do your hands—everything except the lotion—while your facial mask dries.

Just for fun: Even though you’re young, there are a lot of easy treats for your hands that you can do now and for years. Here’s a cool little chart with some really simple stuff.