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You can learn a lot about a man from a handshake. And the condition of his hands can be just as telling as the strength of his grip. In fact, your mitts, along with your shoes and teeth are among the first things people notice when you meet. What do your paws say about you? Are they rough and calloused from working construction? Is there grease stuck under your fingernails from hours spent under the hood? Are your digits dry and cracked from scrubbing up for surgery? Or maybe closing that big deal has you gnawing your nails to the quick? It’s time to schedule some maintenance. Fixing up your hands with a manicure for men isn't overindulgent, fancy or girly. It’s just practicing good hygiene. And besides hangnails and bleeding cuticles are really annoying. Ideally, if you're in the area, you treat yourself to an appointment at Grooming Lounge. But for the rest of you handy guys, we offer you these easy to follow, DIY tips for a manicure for an at home manicure for men.

SOAK:

Wash your hands with Molton Brown Fine Liquid Handwash. It cleans, sanitizes and smells great. You'll want to keep the lather going for about 20 seconds and rinse. Then fill up a bowl of warm water, add another pump of liquid soap and soak. If you’re a smoker or your nails are yellowing, you can skip the soap and squeeze half a lemon and a tablespoon of baking soda to lift the stains. Soaking softens your nails and your cuticles making them easier to work with.

TRIM:

As with any job, having the proper tools makes all the difference. We like this stainless steel, easy to grip nail clipper from Zwilling/J.A. Henckels. It's curved and specifically designed to cut your fingernails making it easier to get the shape right with just one clip. This is important when it comes to keeping nasty hangnails at bay. And never clip your nails in public. It's downright disgusting.

CLEAN:

Yep. You've washed and soaked, and now you'll go deeper. Return to the toolbox for the Tweezerman Dual Nail Brush. The bristles will go to work scrubbing under the nails and lifting out trapped dirt and grime. And to dig out more stubborn grit and build-up you can finish up with Tweezerman G.E.A.R. Multi-use Nail Tool.

PUSH BACK:

You can use the Tweezerman G.E.A.R. Multi-Use Nail Tool again, this time to push back the thin layer of skin back towards the base of your nail. Exposing more of the nail will present a cleaner, more hygienic appearance. Once your cuticles are pushed back to the point of resistance, you can carefully trim the bunched skin. The Groomster Manicure Set from HeadBlade comes with a cuticle cutter and a full set of nail tools. Push back or cut your cuticles, the choice is yours. Just don’t ever use your fingers to rip the skin as it can cause a nasty hangnail or bleeding.

FILE:

Use the nail file to smooth out the edges of nails. By sanding down the edges of the nail, the chances of nagging hangnails are significantly reduced. Smooth out the top and sides to shape and round out the nail. The key is to go in one direction with the file rather than sawing back-and-forth. Using this technique will smooth out the nail more easily while adding a touch of shine.

MOISTURIZE:

Finish your manicure for men with a moisturizer like Jack Black’s Industrial Strength Hand Healer. This heavy-duty formulation is hardworking like you. It soothes raw, chapped hands and nourishes cracked skin. Slather it on daily and wave goodbye to rough, scaly, alligator hands.