Working is tricky. Between productivity, having to stay up until all hours of the night with a crazy schedule, and simply maintaining your sanity, it’s easy to neglect one of your most important parts — your nails. You probably have those cleave nails that call to mind a kid trying to remove a log from a sled, while the rest of your nails tend to get lost in the cracks of your elbow and toes.
Before you rush out and buy the nail polish to compensate for the nights you’ve put in under the table, think about how you currently take care of your talons — and more importantly, where you need to start.
Tracey Mallett of I Promise Nails offers a few tips for taking care of your nails.
1. Dry With A Dust Brush
If you suffer from any dryness on your nails, this one is for you! Mallett recommends reaching for a thin dust brush to move away the moisture from your nails. To prevent the dust from collecting on your fingers, paint your fingers on a damp cotton swab so it won’t block your nail beds.
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2. Choose Calming Transitions
Using nail polish — whether with a polish or natural nail polish or a color you like — can be overwhelming, but do try to use them in gradual transitions. “Don’t make your nails get all red at once, so instead, do a color transition to a neutral, easy-to-take-off color,” explains Mallett.
“Lighter colors really help your nails last longer, while blue looks great with white,” she adds. She’s also a fan of using gentle polishes to gradually build up to the next color.
3. Match Nails to the Season
A lot of nails look great at any time of year, but some weather trends can really make your talons look fabulous.
“For warm weather, I usually enjoy a pink or orange toe nail, as a fun way to add a splash of color,” Mallett says. “For Fall, I keep my nails shiny and short (around six to seven inches), with dark colors all over the nail bed and on the sides of the toes. I think nails should be about 50 to 60 percent the width of the finger.”
4. Take Time to Savor
If you’re always on the go, you might be missing out on taking a minute to sit and smell the roses. Mallett suggests writing your nails down to make it more tangible.
“If you come home and everyone else is gone, take a break from doing other things to sit down, meditate, and smell the roses,” she says. “When you get out of that bedroom and back into the bathroom, take a slow and easy bath to clean and polish your nails.”
5. Once a Week Is Good
Even though it may be tempting to treat your nail salon visit to a triple round of nails, it’s not the best way to care for your digits. After a short period of time, dry, fine nails crack under the pressure of the nail salon.
“It’s not good for your nails — your natural nails,” Mallett says. “They dehydrate with heat and create pustules and infection.” By taking a break once every week, however, you’ll have to stop by your regular nail salon on a regular basis. In fact, her weekly visits could be just what you need to look after your digits properly.
6. Pull the Hammer Out
Blowing out your nails is not the most comfortable position, but it’s where many people keep a nail salon appointment, if only for convenience. Instead, opt for a handheld nail tool like the Quick-Popping Nail Tool, a similar tool that pushes the juice out of your nails for a less abrasive solution.
7. Go Gentle
When trying out new polish products or colors, Mallett advises not to overdo it, and be careful how you get into your nail cupboard.
“It’s good to take a gentle and gentle approach to getting into your cupboard, but you never want to walk around with more nails than you have wear on them,” she says.
8. Avoid Dry Nails
You might think that drying your nails is what makes your nails fade and dry up, but it’s actually drying them during the day.
“If you’ve been baking for a while, you’ve got chafing too,” says Mallett. “This leaves your nails needing moisture to grow. Never dry your nails during the day, as the moisture is sending less of a signal to your hands that your nails need moisture.”
9. Articulate Your Style
If you’re not on the same page as the salon, Mallett suggests being proactive and let the lady at the salon know what you want out of your nails — and possibly even being realistic about the amount of
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