Looking after your nails may not seem as important to you, but trust us, it is. For some of you, it may seem like a tedious task that you can just let your manicurist sort out, but your nails can become extremely damaged, especially once it starts getting nippier outside. Going for manicures every few weeks is great (for your nails and just for your health), but there are still things you should be doing in the meantime. So, we’ve gone straight to our Salons to find out what they wish you knew about nails.

 

Cuticle Oil

Our Salons SWEAR by cuticle oil. Cuticle care is so important for healthy nails and rubbing some oil on your cuticles every day will help keep them hydrated and nourished, so you no longer have to deal with those dried pieces of skin that you can’t help but pick at.

Hand Lotion

The next step from cuticle oil is using hand lotion. Let’s be honest, dry hands are a big no-no in our books. Just popping a small tube of hand lotion in your bag and using it whenever you have some time will do major things for your skin. Honestly, once you’ve experienced fully nourished hands, you’re never going to want to go back.

Don’t pick at the loose skin

It may seem tempting but picking at the skin around your nails is not a good idea. Not only does it make them look a lot less appealing, but it can also be painful. Nourishing your hands with cuticle oil and lotion will seriously help in stopping you from picking at skin. After all, it’s usually the dry skin around our nails that we’re picking anyway. We understand that picking can be a cause of stress or anxiety and, more often than not, it becomes a serious habit, but picking at your cuticles can make them more prone to infection.

Clip your nails

As much as we all want long, fierce nails, you need to cut the ends to keep them strong and healthy. While it may seem tempting to just let them grow out before you reach the length you want, not clipping your nails will cause them to weaken and cause them more damage. After all, you get your hair trimmed to keep the ends healthy, so why wouldn’t you use the same knowledge with your nails? Trimming them will make them stronger and will help your manicure last longer, which should be everyone’s goals.

Relax your hands

This may not seem like a big deal, but our Nail Tech's can’t do their job properly if your hands are very stiff – basically, they position your hands in a way that’s easiest for them to file and paint. If you interrupt this, then they might not be able to do as good a job then if you had just relaxed a bit.

Base and top coats are necessary!

You may not be able to notice it, but your Nail Technician can. When doing your own nails, always start with a base coat before the regular polish. If you choose not to, the polish can not only stain but can also affect the texture of your nails as well. Using a base coat will protect the natural layer from this. Applying a top coat will simply seal in the previous polish to help your manicure last longer and look shinier.

Just because the manicure is finished doesn’t mean your nails have dried

One thing that happens a lot after a manicure is polish being smudged/ruined because the customer has then gone and touched something. When getting a manicure, make sure to remember that just because your Nail Tech has finished, doesn’t mean the polish is completely dry. Not too relevant when using gel polishes that require curing however.  You’ve just paid for this, you don’t want to go ruin them before you've even left the Salon. It won’t take long for your nails to dry, but just make sure you wait a while before rummaging through your handbag.

Your nails are not tools

Breakage and chipping often occur due to people using their nails as tools. Using them to open difficult items, picking stickers off, and unscrewing things can make them more prone to breakage and can cause your fresh manicure to chip (which no one wants).

Don’t peel off nail polish

If you start peeling or picking off the polish instead of using a polish remover, this will start to cause some serious damage to your natural nails. Basically, when you’re peeling off the polish, you’re also peeling some actual layers of your nails especially if it is gel polish. You might not see it, but it’s definitely happening. Instead, make sure you always use a polish remover if you want to get rid of your polish.

Be sure to look after them

This last one might seem like common sense but is the most important. Nails need to be properly looked after as you would with your skin and your hairs. Dry nails need to be hydrated and weak ones need to be strengthened.

Trust us when we say, healthy nails are the best accessory you can carry.

Credit: Zoe Greenwood