Tuesday 10: Nail care Tips

Your nails are an important part of your every day look, whether you keep them polished, patterned or just beautifully bare. Below I share some of my tips for easy, every day nail care to ensure your talons are always in shape.

Let your nails breathe: As much as I love a well-manicured and polished nail, it’s important to let your nails breathe sometimes with no polish on them. Whilst nail polish shouldn’t actually stop your nails growing, nail polish remover is quite drying for the nail and can cause nails to flake. Constant polish can also stain your nails a nasty yellow/orange shade, so it’s best to leave the nail bare for a week every now and then. If you really can’t go without a polish, try a clear top coat for some high shine.

Banish stains:  If you wear dark colours, you’re more likely to suffer with stains, although constant use of any colour can eventually give your nails a yellow tinge.  Combat this by wearing a base coat beneath your nail polish and periodically allow your nails to ‘breathe’ with nothing on them. If you have already got that tell-tale yellow tinge, fear not – a great tip is to apply some whitening toothpaste to each nail and leave it on for 5-10 minutes and voila - no more stains!

One direction: Using a nail file in a ‘sawing’ back and forth motion can cause your nails to weaken and split. File in one direction only to keep the tips smooth and prevent breakage.

Get buff!: Buffing your nails is a great way to add natural shine and help polish stay in place. A really good buffer that I’ve tried is the Revlon Crazy Shine Buffer, which allows you to achieve super shiny nails in a flash.

 

You are what you eat: If you find that not matter what you do to your nails, they never seem to grow past a certain length, you might need to change your diet. Nails and hair are dead tissue, so they are the last part of your body to receive nutrients if you’re eating a poor diet. Load up on protein for the best impact (white meat, eggs, fish, dairy products) and avoid any extreme or fad diets which can deplete your body of much needed nutrients such as iron, zinc and biotin.

Cuticle care: Your cuticles are a vital part of your nail. They sit on top of your nails’ growth matrix and protect this part of the nail to ensure that they grow long and strong. It’s important to take care of your cuticles if you want healthy nails. Never cut them – not only can this easily cause infection but it can also cause ridges, white spots and hamper the growth of your nails. Keep cuticles moisturised with a good quality cuticle oil and if you must touch them, only use a gentle wooden orange stick. 

Keep your polish fresh: Nail polishes last longer, apply easier and dry quicker if you keep them in a cool place. If you have space, put some in your fridge, or just keep the ones your use regularly in there. If you are revisiting an old polish and find that it’s turned gloopy since you last used it, don’t throw it out – a good tip is to place the entire bottle into some freshly boiled water for a few minutes. The polish will be good as new again!

Seal the tips : When painting your nails, run the brush along the tip of the nail. This will coat the ends of the nail and ‘seal’ your nail polish, making it less likely to chip and keeping your polish in place for longer.

Keep ‘em clean!: It sounds obvious, but keeping your nails clean (particularly if you are wearing no polish or a clear top coat) is a vital step to ensuring your nails look good. Looking at someone’s dirty nails is so off putting, and it’s the easiest thing to correct. Regularly clean underneath your nails either with a manicure stick, file or a nail brush – this is something the men out there should do too!

Take care: The most beautiful nail look can be quickly spoilt by dry, cracked hands or feet. Keep a handcream in your bag to ensure your can moisturise your hands whenever they need it and regularly exfoliate and moisturise both your hands and feet to keep them in great condition.
What are your top tips for nail care?


xo