How To Buff Nails At Home : Nail Buffing

Nail buffing is an integral contribution of any manicure and actually give the shininess to the nails that makes you go back again and again to the saloon.But you can easily buff your nails at home with a nail buffing set. There are respective types of nail down buffers :

Discs which are made of a very fine grade sand paper and used to smooth any rough edges on nails.
Emery board shape in the form of a rounded rectangular strip.
Buffing Blocks which are 3 dimensional rectangular blocks each side with a different grit.
3 in One: a buffer, an emery board and a polisher

Reading: How To Buff Nails At Home : Nail Buffing

Nail Filer What Will Buffing Do?

Smooth out ridges on the surface of nails which indirectly makes your nail polish adhere better.
Even out jagged edges.
Helps you get rid of dry and dead surface skin making your nails smoother.
Stimulates blood circulation to the nail bed which encourages the nails to grow faster and contribute to the general health of the nails.
It leaves your nails smooth and shiny so much so that you can skip polish all together and go for glossy natural nails without the baggage of clear polish.And the best part is the shine stays for up to a week at least without chipping!!!

What Buffing Won’t Do?

It won’t shape your nails.Nail buffers are way too soft for that.Use an emery board or a nail filer instead.
It won’t magically vanish nail surface stains in 1 go or for that matter even 2 or 3.Continued usage will yield results but by the time you do that your nails will grow which means you won’t require it anyway.
Some people tend to think that buffing will make their nails pink and in the process buff more vigorously.This is absolutely not true.Buffing does help increase blood flow to the nail bed which might give the appearance of pinker nails, but it cannot change the colour of the nails by itself.Nail is transparent remember?
Buffing cannot remove or soften nail cuticles.Cuticles are the fleshy part that extend from the nail bed on your nails.You can use a cuticle cream to soften and push it back.

Emery Board How to do Nail Buffing?

Start by cleaning the surface of your nails with a cotton dipped in nail polish remover.
Using nail clippers clip your nails to desired size.File your nails according to the shape you want by using an emery board or nail filer(An emery board is more hygienic and less harsh than a metal or glass filer).The oval shape is best suited for your nails as it gives more structural strength to your nails.
Using the grade 1 buffer start buffing each nail one by one in the same direction.Use fluid linear motion and make sure to cover the edges of the nails as well.Do not use more than 4-5 strokes for each nail.this will take care of any ridges on the nails.
Use a soft cotton cloth to wipe your nails.
Now move onto the second grade which is suited to smooth out smaller ridges and give shine to the surface.Again start buffing each nail one by one in the same direction.You could use fluid linear motion like you did previously for grade 1 or use small circular motion making sure to avoid any sawing motion.Do no use more than 7-8 strokes for each nail.
Finally use the third grade in gentle superficial motions to shine your nails.This is the smoothest part of the nail buffer and you can use up to 12 strokes.
Clean using a soft cotton cloth and see the shine to believe it.The first time you do it you will be amazed at how smooth your nails are and they shine like crazy.I always like to finish it off with my Oriflame White Tip Pencil under the nails to convert it into a French Manicure without any polish.

Oriflame White Tip pencil You Should Not Buff Your Nails If :

You have brittle nails.
You have thin and bendy nails.
Your nails are chipped.Buffing should only be done after you smooth out the surface of your nails with either a nail clipper or filer.

A Homemade Alternative to Buffing:

You could use a soft cotton flannel cloth(tear up old pj’s) and a hand cream to achieve the same result.This is also milder than the regular nail buffer.

Keep In Mind While Buffing :

Make sure your nails are dry and clean before starting.Wet nails are more prone to breakage and damage.
Do not buff your nails more than once a month.Continued buffing will result in brittle and dry nails.
Use gentle, light unidirectional strokes and never use back and forth strokes.Never use a sawing motion.It will do more harm than benefit.
Stop immediately if you experience any burning sensation,redness or if your nails become hot.This means you have used vigorous strokes and might be harming your nails.
Sit in a comfortable position.Sit on a straight chair and place your hands on a table.The position in which you sit makes a lot of difference.
Never use an emery board or filer to buff your nails.Use a fine grained buffer.You should just barely be able to make out the grains on the buffer when you touch it.

Some Recommendations for Nail buffing Sets: