The very first thing I will say about nail care is DO NOT BITE THEM! Seriously. I probably say this once a day, at least. Biting your nails is is an awful habit, and I'm glad I broke it many years ago. Not only is it terrible for your teeth (mine are all bumpy along the bottom because of biting) but it's terrible for your nails! It causes them to split and just in general makes them extremely weak.
Plus, biting your nails to excess can cause pain because of how deep you bite them, and that's not pleasant for anyone. It also makes your nails way harder to paint, and they don't look as pretty :( I know everyone would prefer pretty nails over ugly ones!
DO NOT BITE YOUR NAILS! I have a rule with my friends... I don't paint their nails if they've bitten them :) Seems to work pretty well! I should buy them all nail clippers and files hmm...
Another major part of nail care is fixing weak nails. This is probably the most common flaw of nails. Weak nails can happen for numerous reasons. You may be lacking something in your diet, your body chemicals may just give you weak nails, or it's just part of your DNA. Not to fear though, this can be easily fixed! In fact, strengthening weak nails is the easiest thing to fix when it concerns nails.
To fix your weak nails, first go out and buy a decent strengthener. I recommend Pro FX Mineral Botanical Strengthener - you can get this massive bottle (I'm talking 75ml/2.5oz) from Walmart for just $5 - what a deal! See my post on all Pro FX products here. It looks milky in the bottle but dries clear - a little textured though.
If you don't want the Pro FX strengthener, I'd suggest Sally Hansen. Now, I'm all for finding bargain polishes, and some extremely cheap drugstore brands are still great quality. But when it comes to strengthener, don't cheap out. Spending the extra money is what will get you BEST results. (But like I said, Pro FX is super cheap and you get a ton so it's the best value for your money and I find it works just as well as Sally Hansen or other top brands.)
To use strengthener, apply two thin coats. Then apply another thin coat every other day. Do this for about a week, until you've got about 5 coats in total (two the first day, plus 3 more from the other days). Once the week is over, take it all off and start again. This is if your nails are extremely weak and need a major intervention. Otherwise only apply a couple coats of strengthener every few days - in between polish paintings, or even as a basecoat. Strengthener is one of my favourite base coats, because it strengthens your nails while you still have a beautiful colour/design on top!
Other problems with nails include: splitting and cracking/breaking/chipping. I grouped these last 3 together since they're so similar. There are many causes for splitting, cracking, breaking and chipping. Some of it may be due to genetics, or because of improper use of tools. My main problem with nails is splitting. Your nail is made up of several layers, and when your nails split, these layers are separating, causing your nails to become extremely thin, and unfortunately strengthener can't fix this as it's at the tip of your nail.
Splitting makes nails look extremely ugly (at least in my opinion) because it creates a crater at the tip of your nail. There are a number of different things you can do to fix this. First of all, do NOT pick at your splitting nails! I know I'm guilty of this, and I really need to stop but I just hate that they always get caught on things! Try to file the split down so it's level with the rest of your nail and apply a base coat before applying any polish.
- What I do for my splitting nails is apply a base coat of strengthener, then apply a coat of ridge filler that's just a bit thicker in the area where the split was so the whole nail surface is smooth and even. The strengthener will protect your nail in the meantime as you let your nails grow so you can slowly file down and remove the split area.
Another solution is to just cut off all your nails so you remove the split tips altogether. This is extremely annoying though because I absolutely hate waiting for my nails to grow out again, but sometimes it's the only option.
If you are completely against trimming the claws, you can invest in Orly's Nail Rescue kit. Or, if you already have the materials you can make your own "kit." The materials are: nail glue, acrylic powder, and a fine file. To use, put the glue on the split part of your nail (this also works for ripped nails!) and immediately dip in acrylic powder. Wait for the powder to dry, then file to blend in with the rest of your nail.
Cracked, prone to breakage and chipping nails exist because the nails are too weak and dry. We've already discussed how to strengthen them, so onto how to make them less dry. First of all, you need to drink lots of water! Your nails are dry because your whole body is dry, lots of water every day will help this. Secondly, the frequency of your hands being in water dries out your skin and nails. Anyone who consistently washes dishes will be all too familiar with this, so the key is to moisturize after you've been in water for a long time. Actually, just moisturize a lot in general. Remember we're trying to make your nails/hands less dry.
There are some products/tools that greatly affect the brittleness (is that a word?) of your nails. The first and most dangerous is acetone. Most nail polish removers are acetone based, because this is the ingredient that removes your polish quickly. If you use an improper technique to remove your nail polish, this can be the main cause of splitting. The proper technique is to stroke the cotton ball in only one direction: from your cuticle to the tip of your nail. If your nails are extremely prone to splitting and you're using the proper technique, you may want to switch to a non-acetone polish remover. This is what I've done because the use of so much acetone makes my nails extremely dry.
Another thing that contributes to splitting/breaking is improper filing. By this I mean using a file with a very coarse grit. Finer grits are much better for your nails. Also, when cutting your nails, whether you use a clipper or nail scissors, make sure your nails aren't going to chip/rip. By this I mean you may want to soak your nails in water first so they're softer and aren't dry/brittle when you clip, causing chipping, breakage, or splitting.
The last and maybe most important thing to help your nails (as well as not bite if you are a biter) is let them breathe. Give your nails a break every once in a while! I'm sure you all know lots of polish will make your nails yellow. They turn yellow because they don't have the proper nutrients since they're constantly suffocated by polish. Let your nails be completely free of anything - even strengthener - for at least one day out of the week. This is the best thing you can do for your nails since (believe it or not) they aren't meant to be painted!
Hope this helps those who weren't sure why certain things were happening to their nails despite their best efforts to make them healthy. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below!
Hope this helps those who weren't sure why certain things were happening to their nails despite their best efforts to make them healthy. Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below!
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