Nails are pretty. Paint it with vibrant colors and it adds the beauty to one’s fingers and toes. The shape, color, size, ridges, lines, and spots appearing on the nails provide an awful lot of information on the health status of an individual. Nails can, in fact, be considered as a mirror that reflects bone health.

Looking at ones nails, one can deduce the levels of personal hygiene maintained by the person and beware, it can anytime transform into a favorite dwelling place of bacteria, fungi, and yeast. (Ewww! Next time you think of raising your thumb and put it into your mouth, do think about the micro-population creeping there!)

Listed below are some of the must-have tools used for manicure and pedicure — and, the best part is you need not actually visit a salon for grooming your nails. A nail-cutter or a nail-clipper is the most basic tool used to clean and get the nails trimmed to give them a healthy appearance. However, nail cutter is not the only equipment used in nail care. Here are some more tools to help you get rid of those shabby nails.

• Cuticle pusher
  Be gentle with the cuticles! They protect the nails. Many do not know this valuable piece of information and end up removing them and thus, pave the way for infections. Cuticle pusher is a small tool that is used to push the skin away from the nails.
• Cuticle nipper
  So it is one thing to have a tough mind, but very different if you have tough cuticles too. This simple tool helps to move away the cuticles and the skin attached at the base of the nails. The nail paints do not bond on the skin folds present at the base of the nails. Generally, this becomes a good reason to push the cuticles apart and then use the nail polish to beautifully create a ‘nail art’.
• Nail file
  Who said only salons can give that smooth edge to your nails? All you need is just a nail file. A nail file gently grinds and provides the nail a smooth edge and you can shape them to your wish. Metal files and emory boards are quite common. However, emory boards are safer compared with the metal files, as the latter can be hard on the nails.
• Nail buffer
  You can get rid of the dull look and gift your nails a glossy appearance. Soak your nails, clean them, and then buff the nails with a nail buffer. This helps in smoothening your nails and shine consistently.
• Nail brush
  Once you have shaped your nails, it’s time to use a nail brush to thoroughly clean the dirt with the help of a mild soap and lather.

Don’t forget to moisturize your nails, then color it with rainbow hues, and give them a mega-watt shine.

Source: Becky Ziemba. She is a freelance blogger who likes to talk about many things like health, art, environment, leisure, entrepreneurs, and businesses through interesting, and shareable blog posts. When she is not writing, she spend her time with her two little boys. You can read more of her works here: http://medium.com/@beckyd.ziemba