If you want healthy and beautiful-looking nails, you don’t always need to get a regular manicure to have them. You can actually still get gorgeous looking salon-worthy healthy nails at home for a fraction of the money. Here’s how it’s done.
Keep nails dry
You should try to keep your nails dry as much as possible. Because pretty much anything that involves your hands getting wet can weaken even the healthiest nails. Household chores like cleaning bathrooms or washing dishes can be especially bad, as they involve constantly immersing your hands in hot water. That means you should always dry your hands for a few minutes after washing your hands, and every time you have a swim, shower, or bath.
Watch your diet
Remember that beauty is never only skin deep. So if you want to have healthy nails and maintain them, your diet should include plenty of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and protein like eggs, fish, nuts, and seeds. Calcium is essential for healthy nails, so add some low-fat dairy, and keep your nails hydrated by drinking plenty of water. A diet full of the right nutrients is the best way to maintain healthy nails at home in no time at all.
Regularly trim nails
Just like a haircut helps make your hair look healthy and feel great, regularly trimming is just as important for healthy nails. Sure, having long nails looks amazing, but they’re also much easier to snag and break.
Especially if you seem to always have issues with breaks, splits, or hangnails. By trimming your nails once every week or two to keep them short, you’ll give them time to grow stronger before letting them get longer, and ultimately help keep them from breaking.
Buff instead of color
Nothing’s worse than chipped nail polish only a few days after going to a salon. So unless you’re planning two manicures a week, sometimes it makes sense to buff them. Especially if you want a break from polish or a clean slate.
Simply by taking the time to trim them properly, file them well, and buff your nails until they shine, you might be surprised at just how stunning they can look. While they may seem less stylish, the buff is basically the classiest way to have that naturally fresh feel.
Maintain nail hygiene
Ensure your nails are always hygienic by cleaning them regularly, and by using natural sanitizers to protect them from germs and bacteria. Remember too that long nails are much easier for dirt to accumulate under, so don’t let them grow too much.
Only use sharp clippers or manicure scissors to trim them. It’s also very easy for microbes to be transferred from dirty nail tools, so make sure they’re periodically washed and properly sterilized.
Rethink polish remover
Never using nail polish remover again would be the best thing ever for your nails. But it’s unlikely that any of us will want to give up our manicures any time soon, you should at least avoid using nail polish remover with formaldehyde or acetone.
These chemicals cause a chemical reaction which dries out your nails far too much, which is incredibly unhealthy for them. It’s much better to use acetate-based removers instead which contain added ingredients like hydrating oils.
File nails correctly
When you’re filing your nails, it’s really important that you do it correctly. The best way to learn how to file nails is by completing an online nail technician course. That’s because using a rough grit file will most likely cause breakage, especially if you’re sawing your file back and forth because this action can quickly weaken your nails.
The best way to prevent any damage is by always using a fine grit file in one direction, moving inward from the outer edge of the nail, and lifting the file on each pass.
Don’t shake polish
When nail polish sits for too long without getting used, the ingredients start to separate and settle inside the bottle. When this happens, don’t try shaking the bottle to mix up the polish so you can use it again.
Why not? Because shaking it up actually creates tiny bubbles of air which will often end up as little bubbles or circles on your painted nails. The most effective way to mix nail polish together again properly is by putting the bottle between your hands and rolling it back and forth.
By following these tips above, you’ll have strong, pretty, long and healthy nails at home in no time at all. And not only can you learn how to look after your nails at home, but it’s going to cost you more in time than money.
