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Doing Your Nails at
Home
Keeping your natural nails looking excellent takes work. If you
don’t do the work, your nails can suffer from problems such as
stains, nail biting, splitting, white marks or ridges. All of these
are very serious problems which an article in the In Style magazine
talks about.
Stains - this can come
from different sources like wearing dark color nail polish or
nicotine for starters. To remedy this, use a base coat so the dark
color won’t stain your nails or letting your nails soak in
denture-cleaning tablets for a few minutes.
Nail Biting - If you bite
your nails, not only will you nails never grow, but they will look
really bad. Some tips are to carry an emery board with you so you
will have a way to fix your nails without biting them. Another way
is to apply a bitter-tasting nail cream, which will remind you that
if you bite them, you wont like the taste.
White Marks - this can be
caused by injury or pressure to the nail matrix. The nail matrix is
the area under the cuticle where the new growth happens.
Unfortunately, you can’t get rid of them but you can cover it up
with a dark color.
Ridges - this is caused
from picking and pushing at your nails. Before applying your nail
polish, buff the nail surface then wipe the dust away and apply a
coat of ridge filler.
Splitting - brittle nails
can be caused by genetics, mishandling of your nails like over
filling and buffing. To strengthen your nails, you can take biotin
tablets and apply hardener.
Another important thing is to have the correct tools on hand and to
avoid activities that may hurt your nails. According to an article
in Better Nutrition, there are basic tools that you need to have it
order to keep your nails in shape. These are nail brushes, hand
cream and/or oil, emery boards, nail files, scissors and clippers.
(Cates, 1998) Once you have the tools, you need to know what actions
to avoid which hurt your nail growth (Newburger & Sander, 2002):
Wear
gloves indoors and outdoors- wear rubber gloves when doing household
work and going outside especially during the winter time so you wont
lose moisture.
Replenish
lost oil- apply lotion into your nails and cuticles after you wash
your hands.
Wear
Polish- it works as a barrier for your nails. The polish you use
should have polyester resins and use acetone-free nail polish
remover.
File
in One Direction Only- filing back and forth is bad because this
frays and weakness the nails. File your nails in one direction only
for the best results.
Keep
your nails short
Manicure
after a bath. it is best to do your manicure after you take a bath
because your nails are soft.
Slather
on moisturizer before bed- this keeps your nails stronger. The
moisturizer will become more powerful if you put gloves on at night
The important
technique to master is know how to give yourself the perfect
manicure at home.
The
first step is to remove your nail polish. “Dampen a cotton ball with
remover and hold on the nail for a few seconds, then swipe from the
cuticle to the tip.” (In Style, 2001).
The
second step is to file and shape your nail. “For maximum strength
cut nails straight across, rounding them slightly across, and
slightly at the sides.” (In Style, 2001).
The
third step is to buff your nails. “To eliminate ridges use a
medium-grade buffer over the nail bed, gently working back and
forth.” (In Style, 2001)
The
fourth step is to soak your nails. “Apply a cuticle remover to the
nail for four minutes then soak hand in a small bowl filled with
warm water and a gentle liquid soap.” (In Style, 2001)
The
fifth step is to apply cream cuticle to your nails. (In Style, 2001)
The
sixth step is to push your cuticles. “Wrap a tiny piece of cotton
around the tip of an orange stick. Use small circular movements to
remove any debris form the nail bed and push back the cuticle. Wipe
off nail bed, then use clippers to clip off any hang nails on the
side.” (In Style, 2001)
The
seventh step is to apply a base coat to the nail. “Before you apply
the base coat use a cotton ball soaked in remover to get rid of oily
residue on the nail bed.” (InStyle, 2001)
The
final step is to apply the polish in the color that you choose. (InStyle,
2001)
I
hope that the information in this article help you with your nail
care. Your nails are such an important part of your overall beauty
and should not be ignored.
