Manicure checklist
Every step of an at-home manicure, from setting up to aftercare, for regular polish, gel or bare nails. Tick as you go; your ticks stay in this browser, and the list prints cleanly.
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At-home manicure checklist: regular polish
Set up
Remove and clean
Trim and shape
Cuticles and surface
Polish
Finish and aftercare
My extra steps
How to use the checklist
Pick your routine. Regular polish covers base, colour and top coats that air-dry; Gel polish at home swaps in lamp steps, skin protection and soak-off removal; Bare, natural nails leaves out polish and keeps the shaping, cuticle care and aftercare. Each routine keeps its own ticks, so you can switch without losing your place.
Tick each step as you finish it; the bar shows how far you have got. The small notes under some steps say why the step matters and which source it comes from. Use Add your own step for anything personal, such as taking rings off, a favourite hand cream or a base coat for ridges; your extra steps appear in every routine and can be removed at any time.
Print gives a clean one-column list with tick boxes and no menus. Copy as text and Download .txt give the same list in plain text, with [x] for done steps, for your notes app. Untick all clears the current routine ready for next time.
Example: for a regular manicure you might tick the set-up steps, remove old polish, trim and file, soften and gently ease back the cuticles, wipe the nails, then paint one base coat, two thin colour coats and a top coat, running the dry & cure timer for the waits. Finish with hand cream and close the bottles.
Why some steps are there
General nail-care information with sources, not medical advice. Ask a doctor or dermatologist about nail changes, pain, swelling or a reaction to a product.
- Ventilation and flames. Polish removers and many nail products give off vapour. The FDA advises good ventilation and warns that some nail products catch fire near a flame or heat source; NIOSH lists acetone's flash point as 0 °F (−18 °C).
- Cuticles. The cuticle seals the skin at the base of the nail. The American Academy of Dermatology advises never cutting or forcefully pushing back cuticles; if you push them, do it gently after a bath or shower.
- Trimming. The AAD suggests cutting straight across and rounding the tips slightly, and wearing gloves for washing up and cleaning.
- Gel at home. The AAD suggests broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen or dark fingerless gloves against the lamp's UV, soaking rather than scraping gel off, and a break from polish now and then. The British Association of Dermatologists links under-cured gel and skin contact with uncured product to allergy.
- Acetone and dry skin. Acetone is the most common remover and can irritate skin (Madnani and Khan, 2012); wash it off, moisturise, and consider an acetone-free remover for regular polish.
Sources
- American Academy of Dermatology, Manicure and pedicure safety.
- American Academy of Dermatology, 11 dermatologists' tips for healthy nails.
- American Academy of Dermatology, Gel manicures: Tips for healthy nails and Dermatologist's secret for removing gel nail polish at home.
- British Association of Dermatologists, Dermatologists reiterate artificial nails warning and risk of at-home kits (April 2023).
- US Food and Drug Administration, Nail Care Products.
- NIOSH, Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Acetone.
- OSHA, Health Hazards in Nail Salons: Chemical Hazards: close bottles tightly; acetone can cause headaches, dizziness and irritated eyes, skin and throat.
- Madnani NA, Khan KJ. Nail cosmetics. Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology 2012;78:309–317. doi:10.4103/0378-6323.95445
Questions
What order should I do a manicure in?
Remove old polish, wash, trim and file, look after the cuticles, clean the nail surface, then base coat, colour coats and top coat, and finally aftercare. File when your nails are dry: wet nails are softer and can bend or split under the file.
Should I cut my cuticles?
The American Academy of Dermatology advises against it. The cuticle protects the base of the nail, and cutting or forcefully pushing it back can let in infection. Moisturise it instead, and ease it back gently after a bath or shower if you like the look.
Where are my ticks saved?
Only in this browser, using its local storage. Nothing is sent anywhere. Clearing your browser data, or using a private window, removes them; Copy as text or Download .txt keeps a copy.
How often should I take a break from gel polish?
The AAD suggests going without nail polish for one to two weeks or longer from time to time, so nails can recover between gel manicures, and moisturising nails and cuticles in the meantime.