My Boyfriend's Manicure

Guys never really groom themselves properly and often end up looking more scruffy than when they started. The number one example are a guys' nails. Guys usually wait two weeks before realizing their nails are too long and they just chew them off with their teeth. They also have the toughest cuticles that are long enough to make a leather rug!

Every lady secretly wants their partners to take a bit more care about their grooming routine...sometimes we just have to step in and do it ourselves!

My Boyfriend and I "What a Hottie" Grrr ;)

Seeing as I am a nail fanatic, I cringe when I see the state of my boyfriend's nails sometimes. You can clearly see the thought process that went through his mind. "Ah, my nails are long but the clippers are upstairs...I'll just bite them off and neaten them later"...and that "later" never comes.

I have taken up the task of doing his nails at least once every two weeks, although he has gotten into the habit of telling me when they need to be done (what a spoiled little turd).

Here are some tips and tricks on how to give the guy in your life (boyfriend, dad, brother or even son) a great mani that wont leave him feeling like a girl.

#1. Don't set up a "Spa" type of setup. This will most likely cut a huge chunk out of his manhood before you've even started. I suggest just casually sitting on the couch with a cushion and small hand towel on your lap where he can place his hands.

#2. Once you realise that a mans nails are the thickest things ever, your life will be a lot easier.

Things like nail clippers and nail files, need to be the 'heavy duty' type. I took out my little nail clippers (in the picture above) and my boyfriend just laughed at me. He then proceeded to take out "the big guns" which helped soo much!

Men don't continuously buff their nails and wear nail polish so their nails aren't thinned out and have tons of moisture, making a really great combination for strong, healthy nails. Maybe we should take a few notes from them ;)

#3. Start off by clipping the nails with a pair of nail clippers. I love really short nails on a guy but I'm always careful not too cut too short because that is frikin painful. Depending on the length, cut the nails so that there is a small strip of white showing. I do this step very roughly because the plan is to file the nails afterwards.

Just Clipped

 #4. Filing will just finish off the nails and you have more control of how short you want the nails to be. You probably know this but I'll 'say' it anyway; don't try make a square shape for the ends of the nails, rather stick to the natural shape which is round. Because a mans nails are quite thick, there will often be sharp edges after filing so I suggest taking the nail file and filing it at a 45degree angle on the tip of the nail to take away sharp edges.

Just filed

#5. The next battle are the cuticles. Men aren't in the habit of pushing their cuticles back daily so you have a thick band of skin on the nail and they're really tough and dry.

Long, rough cuticles

Soak his hands an warm water and if possible, use a hand scrub/mask to help moisturise the skin. I soaked my boyfriend's hands in a bowl with Sh'zen's Spa Manicure for 5min. This is one of my fave manicure products because it works really well and it's perfect for man hands because it has a citrus scent, in stead of a, "I feel like a lavender princess" scent.

Soaking for 5-10min

#6. Once the his cuticles are soft, take a cuticle tool or orange stick and carefully push back his cuticles. Even though they are tough and long, it still hurts if you use too much force or do it too quickly. There is a very soft patch of nail under the cuticle and if you press hard against it, it can damage the nail and cause a lot of pain.

#7. I also took a 4 way buffing block and lightly buffed away any major ridges on top of the nail. Don't buff too much because completely smooth nails aren't very masculine. (This step is optional)

Neat cuticles and pretty buffed nails

#8. Apply a hand cream or cuticle oil to help the nails get a boost after being "tortured"

And your're done!

After doing his nails many times, I thought that it would be really handy to have a mens nail product range. I know you get hand creams etc. but a nail range would encourage men to look after their hands and nails a bit better. Do you know of any?

I hope this was a helpful post! Thanks to my awesome boyfriend, Malcolm, for letting me use his hands for this post. Follow him on Twitter (@howsemj) and send him some nice comments because he was super shy about me posting this :)

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo