It’s no secret that nail polish may cause some damage to nails. However, if you care for your nails in the correct way, you can still maintain strong, healthy nails and wear the latest nail art trends! Strong nails also decrease nails breaking which means you can grow them at a length to suit you. It just takes a little bit of time and then, nail and hand care should become part of your daily routine. I’m no expert when it comes to caring for nails but, I can share with you some of the methods and tricks that I use.
Tip 1- When filing nails, don’t move the file from side to side as this can cause a lot of damage to the nail and may cause the nail to split easily. File slowly in one direction or file from each side into the middle of the nail with a glass or crystal nail file for the best results.
Tip 2- Healthy hands means healthy nails! Keep hand cream next to your bed and put it on every night. I use a cream designed for both hands and nails made by Vaseline.
Tip 3- Use cuticle or nail oil regularly. After taking off nail polish, you need to restore the moisture of the nail. Apply some cuticle oil to the nail and allow it to soak in. You can gently wipe off the excess with some cotton wool. If you don’t have cuticle oil, try using a little olive oil instead.
Tip 4- It doesn’t work for everyone but, I use an acetone free nail polish remover. Acetone is a very harsh chemical and if you use nail polish as much as me, you don’t want to expose your nails to this type of remover each time. You can purchase acetone free remover in most beauty stores such as Boots or Superdrug. It may take a little longer to remove the polish but it’s worth it if it means stronger nails.
Tip 5- USE A BASE COAT! I really can’t stress this enough. Base coats are not that expensive and can be purchased from all good beauty stores. I like to use Avon’s gold strength or Sally Hansen Double Duty as I find they protect my nails well and allow polish to go chip free for longer. By using a base coat, there is less chance of your nails becoming stained by coloured polish and it helps to strengthen nails.
Tip 6- If your nails do happen to get stained, try to buff them gently with a white block buffer. You can also try soaking your nails in warm water and some lemon juice.
Tip 7- Buffing nails provides a smooth surface to work on and smooths out ridges. I would recommend that you only buff your nails twice in one month as buffing can weaken the nail as you are making the nail thinner.
Tip 8- If you have nails that peel, try to keep them as short as possible until they become stronger. Apply a clear polish to them for extra strength and be sure to apply cuticle oil and hand/nail cream each day.
Tip 9- If you have weak nails, use a nail hardener as a base coat.
Tip 10- leave your nails go naked for a few days. Sometimes, all your nails need is to be without polish for a couple of days. Continue to moisturise but don’t apply any polish or nail polish remover.
Tip 11- Don’t bite your nails! It’s a bad habit that a lot of people struggle with. Try polishing your nails to reinforce them or if you really can’t get out of the habit, products are available to make the tips of your nails taste disgusting and leave a horrible taste in your mouth if you can’t resist biting your nails. The taste will be sure to put you off and I can assure you, you’ll never bite your nails again 😉
Please Note: These are my own views and opinions from experience of using products through trial and error. This page has not been sponsored in any way.
The Adventures of a Nail Artoholic 