When you go to the nail salon, you probably don’t expect nor do you receive an electric manicure.  Part of the pleasure of having your nails done is taking that forty-five minutes out of your week to do something for you.  It’s not about speed or even cost.  It’s about YOU.

However, sometimes getting a professional manicure just isn’t an option.  It doesn’t work into your schedule or your budget, but you still enjoy lovely nails.  Consider trying electric manicure.  An electric manicure kit can be purchased from many drugstores, or can be specially ordered.  Extremely simple kits may cost $20, but you can get a professional level electric manicure set for the cost of a couple manicures.  Of course, you will have to determine what you expect it to do so you can purchase the appropriate heads and attachments, but as a whole, the electric manicure experience can yield nearly professional quality results for the amateur manicurist.  Some professional nail technicians are even trying their hands at electric manicures.

As a rule, electric manicure sets are sold in pieces, despite being labeled “kits”.  Usually the main, padded hand piece will come with a few attachments or heads…just enough to get you started.  Any extras that are designed for more specialized purposes need to be purchases separately.

The two basic materials used for making heads are carbide and diamond.  They are the most popular because they can be disinfected and re-used, however they are somewhat pricey.  Sanding bands are also an option, but they are made for a single use since they cannot be sanitized.  In the long run, purchasing “real” heads for an electric manicure hand piece will make the most sense.

Once you have your electric manicure kit, it’s time to see what it can do.  Once nice thing about electric nail files is that they work on both natural nails and acrylic, so you can use an electric manicure set to touch up a professional manicure job.  Most nail kits come with a standard trimming disk that will work on toenails, fingernails and acrylic nails.  Emery barrels are also popular, used for more precise filing.  Sanding bits and large brushes are used for the surface of the nail.  Tapered cones are used for pushing the cuticle into place on both the feet and fingers.

The most difficult thing about learning to perform an electric manicure is learning patience.  The quickly spinning heads make for a much faster manicure than trying to physically file away all of your problem areas for beautiful nails.  However, you can go too far.  In a flash, you can have your nails trimmed far too short or shaped unnaturally if you are not paying attention.  Similarly, over-buffing can make your fingers sore.  You can achieve the ten-minute electric manicure, but until you are somewhat practiced with your bits and heads, you may want to take it slowly.

As you grow more comfortable with your electric manicure set, you may wish to experiment with more delicate or specialized heads, such as fill bits for making trenches or pedicure bits for peeling away calluses.  The electric manicure can be exciting, fun and rewarding.