If you aren’t careful, your manicure will start to crumble within a few weeks. Nails are often one of the first things to go, and when broken, they lead to moisture issues, bacterial growth, and even damage to your oral health. Here’s how to prevent damage and what to do if you’re experiencing it now.
Keep It Cool
We know, we know — there’s nothing like a hot, humid day. Wearing loose-fitting, loose-fitting undergarments can help keep your nails intact — and limit damage — even if it’s a little sticky. Remember, dry marks and chips tend to grow out more quickly when humidity is high. Even the temperature outside can have an impact on nail health — even the slightest breeze can move and damage the surface of your nail plate.
Continue to Rinse: I personally love the two-part method. The first, wiped-on foot spritz with dryer sheets, helps remove oil and mildew stains. The second part, a cleansing hand soap formula, contains cleansing agents to get your hands extremely clean. If you use soap over the top, no need to clean your nails so thoroughly. But if you’re going to be applying a lot of nail polish, think twice about that use before using soap. First, using soap over your manicure can heat the skin up; especially if you’re doing more than one polish job on your nails. This can cause the nail plate to begin to dry and seal up, leaving your nails cracked and damaged. As for waterproof products that may be doing this to you, make sure to wash them off first, since they may dry off the top layer of skin.
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If you find yourself on the hunt for a topical option to address this issue, make sure to add some sort of nonsurgical, cost-effective option to your daily grooming routine. The treatment mentioned here is available locally, and it’s a non-steroidal prescription medication. Often it comes with a course of treatments, lasting one to three days, or depending on your reaction to the condition, may need further treatments. It costs anywhere from $90 to $150 depending on your doctor’s recommendation. I prefer the prescription drug to the nail plate itself, especially if I have issues, as the treatment itself helps keep the nail plate cool and keeps it smoother.
Maintenance
Get a fresh coat of nail polish. Some people report damage from this, but trust me, if you’re a regular manicurist, you’ve probably fixed this by now. If you haven’t, your polish may get lodged between the nail plate and the polish before it’s completely dry. Once you’ve applied it, it’s best to put a flat, wet soft cloth over the nail plate and polish, giving the polish a chance to dry (around one to two hours). When you have a dry nail plate, then put your polish down and let it dry completely. If it hasn’t fully dried by then, re-apply the polish on your preferred pad or if you have to, even remove the new polish first. You should still reapply the polish every two to three days, so try not to get more than one coat too often. As for refilling the polish, which will look incredibly unattractive and, yes, creepy, it’s an unfortunate fact of life that you may have to store on your nails if you’re so far gone you don’t have anything else to save your nails with.
Clean with a Cleaning Solution. If you find that you can’t wash your nail plate any longer without it falling apart, then it may be time to purchase something more expensive and time-consuming. There are several in the luxury spa scene, like Aquariums Nail Products, but for standard options, I use my favorite polish remover and a dry, moist sponge to help clean out the excess oil. The sponge is very soothing and works even better than an oil-soaked towel to get into areas that other removers won’t touch. If you choose to use your dirty, attached nail pad to clean it out, I’ve seen countless nails that look healthy and natural, and totally fail to present any signs of water damage. Even if you’re not buying pricey tools to replace your contaminated, cracked, and aged acrylic nails, have a bottle of your nail polish remover close at hand. One thing’s for sure, getting these issues cleaned out will greatly improve your manicure and lengthen its life.
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