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Building a Home Manicure Kit in Detroit

A home manicure needs surprisingly few things, and most of them are cheap. Our Detroit store off Gratiot near 7 Mile carries the nail section deep: polish, treatments, files, buffers, tools, press-ons and removers.

The tools

A file, a buffer, a cuticle pusher and cuticle nippers if you use them, a nail brush, and clippers. Glass and fine-grit files are gentler on the nail edge than coarse emery boards, which shred it and cause peeling. File in one direction rather than sawing back and forth, which is the single most common cause of split nail tips.

The products

A base coat, the color, and a top coat, in that order and none of them optional. The base stops dark pigment staining the nail and gives the color something to hold. The top coat carries the shine and takes the abrasion that would otherwise reach the color underneath.

Order of work

Remove old polish, shape and file, soak briefly, push cuticles back gently, buff lightly, then wipe the nail with remover so it's completely oil-free. Polish will not adhere to an oiled nail, so this last wipe matters. Base coat, two thin color coats with drying time between, then top coat sealing across the free edge of the nail.

What to skip

Cutting cuticles is best avoided, since the cuticle seals the nail against infection and grows back thicker when cut. Pushing gently after a soak achieves the look without the risk. Coarse buffing to a high shine thins the nail plate and should be occasional rather than routine.

Our Detroit store

Our Detroit store is at 15221 Houston Whittier St, just off Gratiot near 7 Mile on the east side, and it's the one that handles every online pickup order. It opens at 8:45 AM every day but Sunday, with the latest closing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8:15 PM. Coming from downtown or Midtown, Gratiot runs straight there; from the west side, 7 Mile or Davison to Conner is the quickest way over.