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
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
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!
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).
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