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I’ve seen at-home gel polish kits available at beauty supply stores, but I have no desire to try them. I now make it a point to leave my nails polish-free for a few days every now and then to allow them a chance to breathe.Ĭheck Out: Inexpensive Beauty Hacks Everyone Should Know My nails have fully recuperated and look great again on their own, without the gel polish. But as time passed, the damaged parts of my nails began to grow out. Stopping gel manicures was difficult, as my nails without the gel polish were a mess. To cover up the damage, I would need to get another gel manicure. This wreaked havoc on my nails, leaving them thin, dry and brittle. My nails would then remain covered with thick gel polish for weeks at a time, never having a chance to breathe. Gel manicures meant subjecting my nails to an electronic nail file and UV lights. Now, when my manicure begins to grow out, or if I want to coordinate my nail color with my outfit, I simply grab the nail polish remover and give my nails a fresh coat of polish. When I was getting gel manicures at the salon, I would be stuck with the same color polish on my nails for weeks at a time. Story continues An Added Bonus: What I Love About Doing My Nails at HomeĪside from the savings, I have come to discover that there are additional reasons I prefer my at-home nail routine. Now: $260 per year ($100 polishes + $100 supplies + $60 salon pedicures = $260)ĭon’t Stop There: Get Your Own ‘Glo’ Up With These DIY Lemon Lotion Bars But aside from those two salon pedicures each year, I do the rest myself. I still treat myself to a salon pedicure at the start of flip-flop season, and again mid-summer ($30 twice a year = $60). I also spend approximately $100 on an array of nail tools such as files, nail clippers, a basin to soak my feet, cuticle cream, etc. Between purchasing a variety of shades, as well as a base coat and top coat, I spend about $100 per year on polishes. More on Why to DIY: 21 Guilty Pleasures That Are Hurting Your Bank Account Doing My Nails at Home for a Fraction of the Costīy picking up salon-quality polishes and nail tools, I was able to transition to giving myself manicures and pedicures at home for big savings.Ī bottle of salon-quality polish runs around $10. So, it was time to try a different method. I realized that was a lot of money that could be allocated elsewhere in my budget. So, between manicures and pedicures, I was spending $1,368 per year at the nail salon.
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Thirty dollars times 12 visits per year meant I was tacking on an additional $360 annually. Additionally, every other salon visit, I would get a $30 pedicure ($25 + $5 tip). Forty-two dollars times 24 visits per year meant a grand total of $1,008 per year. I spent $42 ($35 + $7 tip) at the nail salon twice a month for a gel manicure. It turns out DIY can equal big savings.Ĭlick to read more about 36 expensive services you really should DIY. I now save over $1,000 per year simply by skipping the salon and doing my nails myself. Why? Well, when I realized how much money I was spending each year on manicures and pedicures, I knew it was time to make a change. Although I used to be a regular at the nail salon, you will rarely catch me there anymore.