The Vaseline Manicure Hack That Prevents Stubborn Polish Smudges Around Your Nails

Perfecting the at-home manicure is not an easy task. There are some beauty treatments like haircuts and facials that are better left done by the professionals, but when it comes to painting your nails, sometimes you just want to do them yourself. Of course, you can choose to DIY them yourself, but if you've ever done your own nails at home, you know just how hard it can be to keep the nail polish from smudging. While it may be tough to apply nail polish in a clean way, it's not impossible. With a simple nail hack, you'll have your nails looking like they're fresh out of the salon.

There are plenty of nail hacks out there that will help give you the ideal manicure at home or an at-home manicure that lasts, like soaking your nails first and applying a base coat before the polish. However, this particular manicure hack is even easier to learn and will give you results right away. All you'll need is a jar of Vaseline and a few cotton swabs to get a beautiful, neat manicure.

How Vaseline works to keep your manicure looking fresh

Vaseline, also known as petroleum jelly, is a thick, waxy, and greasy paste that is usually used to help treat dry, chapped lips and skin.  Not only does Vaseline act as a great barrier to protect your skin from dryness, but it can also be used to give you a professional-looking manicure from the comfort of your home.

When you're giving yourself a manicure at home, you can use your Vaseline to also act as a barrier for your cuticles. This will help to keep nail polish from getting on them, because the thick and waxy texture will repel the nail polish and prevent any of it from getting on the surrounding skin. Say goodbye to having to clean up with nail polish remover post-manicure! You'll be able to avoid the mess altogether and clean up with this easy and quick beauty hack.

Use Vaseline for a clean, tidy manicure

To use Vaseline to keep your manicure looking fresh and tidy, simply take a cotton swab and dip it slightly into the jar of Vaseline. Then, slowly run the cotton swab along the outside of your nails near the cuticles and surrounding skin, like you would use painter's tape on your walls. Be careful to avoid getting any Vaseline on your actual nails, since it will prevent your nail polish from properly drying and might leave you with patches and a not-so-clean-looking manicure. 

If you do happen to get any Vaseline on your nails, just take another cotton swab and dip it into nail polish remover and run it over any extra jelly. Once your nails are dry, you can either wash your hands or clean up the Vaseline with your cotton swab. And there you have it — a perfectly tidy, fresh manicure that will have you feeling like you just left the nail salon.