Most of us can recall that sometimes our nails just seem to go south without a lot of prompting. Maybe it’s when you hit a daily struggle with tapioca gel manicures, or maybe its dropping to the second layer of base coat without any effort from your toenail technician. Whatever it is, when your nails start to show any signs of fatigue, you know it’s not looking too good.
We spoke to experts and learned these five things you can do to minimize your chances of damaging them.
1. Hire a Professional
When it comes to manicures, your first few manicures can end up being quite damaging to your nails, so it’s definitely best to not go it alone. “Typically, the average person looks at the nail and figure out that it needs changing, but it could actually lead to more damage because the nails could become brittle. The nail’s point of contact is also influenced by what the UV light does, so the nail begins to shorten and crack,” Marco Arnes, product development specialist, Fusion Effects
2. Wash and Polish
Your immediate goal should be to treat the nail quickly and deal with any problems. Once you’ve taken care of the common problems (stickiness, dryness, bleeding), the next step is to look at the polish of your nails. Depending on the polish, some use less strength and some use stronger force to kill the bacteria. It should also be noted that all nail and polish choices have different forms of heat. Some varieties can be refrigerated or frozen to kill bacteria. After clearing up any redness, scabs, and blotches, you need to apply the correct amount of base coat that will protect your nails from damaging effects. Of course, the most important tip is to wash your hands and put polish on them, then you should be good to go.
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3. Don’t Attack the Nails With Ice
You might think that if you’re using the freezer to get your hands prepared for a manicure, you can stop from actually pressing a nail flat and smashing it against an ice cube. As a rule of thumb, make sure that your nails are about ¼ inch apart on both sides and that the nail can be seen through the ice. The strong and protective nature of nails make nails especially fragile, so you want to make sure the ice isn’t harming them.
4. Don’t Use Hypoallergenic Clay
When you’re trying to keep your nails healthy, you might think that hypoallergenic clay will protect them. While this is true, it doesn’t mean that you should go and apply it to your nails on a regular basis. It’s best not to get obsessed and use it regularly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, using hydroquinone to treat cracked and chipped nails is ineffective, so be careful if you want to use it. If you do think that hydroquinone is best to your manicure, your best bet is to go with those products that are pharmaceutical grade.
5. Be Prepared With a Basic Can of Body Armor
The easiest way to protect your nails is to stand behind a bar with a clear cosmetic shield in order to put them in a position where they aren’t vulnerable to their nail’s exposure to the environment. Keep in mind that this shield should be about ¼ inch behind your nails so it keeps a safe distance away from the nail and not impact the nail. It could be applied after your nail is up and this can last for up to three months.
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