NAIL GAME ON POINT!
Follow these 5 easy steps to ensure salon-quality nails without a second set of hands.
With bright gorgeous nail art craze soaring, hands are big on display. With these simple hand and nail care steps, though, it’s easy to keep hangnails and cuticle issues from ruining the awesome effect.
1) Water dries your skin out, and if the skin at and below your cuticles is dry, then the underlying nail matrix is, too. That means the nail it forms will be prone to splitting, breaking, and cracking. To prevent this, reapply hand lotion every time you wash your hands.
RECOMMENDED: Biotique Bio Nyctanthes Hand Cream enriched with goodness of natural herbs such as margosa bark, sunflower oil and red sandalwood. This potent lotion energizes the skin, evens skin tone, and this antibacterial formula effectively keeps the hand free of germs.
2) All nail polishes contain drying ingredients that draw moisture from the nail plate and weaken it, and that drying effect doesn’t stop once the polish has hardened. Some of them contain few nasty chemicals which are not at all necessary. Avoid such nail colours and instead go for those which claim to formaldehyde-free, toluene-free and DBP-free. Take polish off after five days. Then give nails a few days of downtime before hitting the paint again.
RECOMMENDED: Chanel Le Vernis Nail Color, Nars Nail Polish, Inglot O2M Breathable Nail Enamel, Inglot O2M Breathable Nail Enamel Soft Matte and Revlon Nail Enamel are a few which are free from formaldehyde, DBP and toluene.
3) The bits of skin at the base of the nail are essentially protective grout between your nail and skin, shielding your nail from water, bacteria, and anything else you touch. Cutting the cuticle removes that grout. Instead, tame cuticles by gently pushing them back with a washcloth after you shower and apply a nice cuticle cream or oil regularly.
RECOMMENDED: Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream and Inglot Cuticle Oil (it moisturises and nourishes your nails with vitamin E, jojoba oil and apricot kernel oil).
4) Despite its name, base coat shouldn’t be your first step—if you put polish directly on naked nails, the chemicals (like solvents ethyl acetate) can eventually eat away at the nail plate, making it weaker. What you could do is apply a little hand lotion to your nails before polishing. The lotion will fill in microscopic gaps in the nail, like a primer, and hydrate it so it’s not as susceptible to damage from what you put on after.
RECOMMENDED: The Body Shop Almond Hand and Nail Cream with sweet almond oil and panthenol essentials. Both these natural ingredients condition the nails and leaving a trail of sweet almond fragrance. You can also try Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment and Vaseline Intensive Care Healthy Hand and Nail Revitalizing Hand Lotion
5) Acetone in traditional remover strips the natural oils in your nails along with the polish, leaving you with brittle nails. Shop around for a natural/ soy-based polish remover with ingredients that leave nails moisturised.
RECOMMEND: Inglot Nail Enamel Remover is the one which is non-acetone. It is infused with calendula extract and vitamins A and E that ensure healthy tips.
Many less than desirable nail conditions can be avoided through proper fingernail care. Others might indicate an underlying condition that needs attention.
