Do You Prefer At-Home or Professional Nail Care?

The Great Divide between the well-polished — do you care for your fingernails and toenails in the salon or at home… There are several factors to consider when you are trying to pick where to gain your shiny pink digits:

• Cost : Yes, doing your own nails at home does have an upfront cost but how many manicures or pedicures will you garner from the one $5 bottle of polish and the $10 set of tools? You could easily have spent that on just one manicure in the salon.
• Time: It is so much easier to just buff those nails to a high gloss shine while you watch television one evening rather than carve out at least an hour to spend at the salon.
• Quality: Inevitably, even the most steady-handed of us will fudge at least one nail. And they do certainly last longer than any at-home ones I have ever used one on myself.

Personally, I usually end up splitting the difference. I do not like to have my fingernails painted, so I opt for the buff manicures at home (unless it is a very special occasion). I do like to keep my toenails polished and my heels smooth, especially during sandal season, so I usually splurge on a pedicure about monthly when the season calls for it. I realize that may seem high-maintenance but I actually see it as low-maintenance because I do not constantly have to keep up with scrubbing my heels and applying lotion.

It really is a subjective decision though. If you have the available time and money, why not treat yourself? But if you are pinched for time or pinching pennies, this is an easy thing to eliminate from the schedule and the checkbook.