They might just be the easiest nail art you’ll ever do, but the nails are also the place where your beauty routine can get out of hand. After all, they’re what get grubby between your hands so quickly. Here are 10 tips to take good care of your beautiful nails.
1. Protect Your Hands and Nails With Hand Hygiene
If you’ve ever accidentally cut yourself with a razor, you’re all too familiar with the grime that gets on your hands. Pro tip: Wipe your fingers between cleaning tools to prevent your hands from getting grubby. If there’s a sticky residue left behind, scrape it out with a nail file, or scoop it up with a moistened cotton ball and wipe it off.
2. Be Aware of Over-Moisturizing Nails
Too much nail moisture can lead to nail tapeworm growth, which is highly visible on nail beds, says Clinique’s Artistic Director Tina Huang. Instead, Huang suggests keeping a one-quarter cup of dry soap on hand, or muddying a simple lip balm with a hair gel like Estee Lauder’s Happy Nail Enamel ($18).
ADVERTISEMENT
3. Swipe Your Hands on Your Lips
Moisturing your nails on both your hands and back of your head will help to maintain a healthy, glossy finish. Start with a great lip gloss, and glide it over the polish throughout the day, says Estee Lauder Global Beauty’s Global Color Director, Tom Pecheux.
4. Wipe Down Your Nails
If you don’t want a greasy-looking nail after the day, Pecheux says to use a foot file or application brushes to wipe down nails. Always be sure to start with the end of the nail because if you wait until the tips have loosened up, the polish will gash the first three layers of nail.
5. Keep the Nails in Good Condition
The first thing Pecheux says you should do is to let your nails dry off. If you begin with a wet area, the oils from your hand will potentially cause your nails to dry and crack. Take off the excess polish, and use a dry nail file to loosen the nails, he adds. And one more time, dry your nails on your fingertips to avoid having them touching your hands.
6. Clean Up Products Under the Nails
If you’re prone to drying out of touch, keep some residue-free foundation and powder in a bottle under your nails. Just make sure you don’t eat on it or brush your fingertips on it. Just sweep it back and forth under your nails. But leave it out of a sticky area.
7. Shampoo the Nails
You definitely don’t want to hear your mom warn you off of washing your own feet, but that also might be the best way to keep a healthy nail. Before you put on your foundation, massage a little bit of the product on your nails. For the same reason, in general, simply keep mascara and eyeliner out of the first three layers of your hand. After all, they’re contact lenses, and the glitter dust from their applicators contains the drying ingredients that dry out your nails.
8. Use Your Rope Hook Around Your Fingers
Because of the cold air, a single curled thread of nail decorating product can cause your nails to get dead and brittle. But don’t fret, Lady Gaga! You can use that string yourself to keep your nails lovely.
9. Try Minimize Your Under-Nail Pads
After a long, busy day in the office, it’s tempting to slather your entire hand in tacky, shiny under-nail pad. Remember that the nail artists will try to treat your nails more delicately in the salon. If that’s not possible, get a shower cap and make a smooth switch to massage oil.
10. Avoid using dryer sheets as an environment
Yes, it’s tempting to pop open a dryer sheet, but Pecheux warns that dryer sheets will actually cause bacteria to grow on your skin. If you happen to go a day or two without taking your own gloves off, it may get too warm for your skin, and you’ll get rashes and spots. But if you’ll only use a dryer sheet every so often, you won’t get rashes.
If you still feel like cracking open a dryer sheet, here’s your greasy look: the Professional Nail Artist’s under-biters are edible.
0 Comments on "Tips to Look Fine on your Nails"