I've been meaning to do a post detailing my routine for giving myself a manicure and the products I use for a while now. It wasn't until a very nice reader emailed asking for the post that I got up my butt to do it. This is going to be pretty wordy so I'll get right to it.
Word of warning first: What works for one person will not always work for someone else. Most of the items I describe are pretty universal in that they won't cause any harm but, for the nail hardeners and treatments I recommend Loodie's series on hardeners and treatments so you can determine the real problem with your nails. In my case, my nails were hard and they grew quickly but peeled like a mofo. If this is your case, you'll probably benefit from most of the products I use.
First thing I do is remove my old polish. I make a mix of glycerin and pure acetone in the little bottle to get my diy version of Zoya Remove. The result is very effective at removing polish but doesn't dry out my cuticles as much as pure acetone would. If you're interested in learning more about this, Loodie's was the original post I saw that explains it and Wacky Laki has a great simpler tutorial.
