Naked nails and nail care routine



I've had some interest lately in what I do to care for my nails. Over the last couple of years, I've gotten more interested in what my nails need and how to make them look their best. I'm kind of a perfectionist, so chipping polish, frayed cuticles and the like annoy me to no end. So here's what I do to keep my tips in tip-top shape.

1. I am super diligent about moisturizing my nails and cuticles. I use nail/cuticle oil multiple times a day, and when I'm between polishes, I try and moisturize a lot to keep my nails supple. This has made a huge difference! Peeling, brittleness, and hangnails are all (usually) due to insufficient moisture in your nails and surrounding skin. I've tried a few nail oils, but my favorite is Simply Pure from Bliss Kiss. It contains a high concentration of Jojoba wax ester, which is a small molecule that can actually penetrate the nail, unlike many other oils.

2. I try and protect my nails from water as much as I can. And when I can't avoid having my hands in water (like showering, doing dishes, etc.) I make sure that I have at least a base coat on my nails. Keeping your nails polished protects them and prevents them from absorbing too much water. Nails that are unprotected in water too much change shape and can start to peel, from the water forcing the layers apart. So wear gloves when you can and protect your nails with polish.

3. I push back my cuticles and don't nip them. There is a big misconception here! The band of skin at the base of your nail is not your cuticle! You should leave that part alone! The "cuticle" is bits of skin that get dragged along the nail as the nail plate grows out. Pushing back the skin line every few days keeps your lines neat, and using a cuticle remover (on the nails, never the skin!) will get rid of the cuticle on your nail plates. There's a good article here on that here: http://www.nailcarehq.com/nail-anatomy/ I really like Nail Care HQ for nail advice, and she's the same person who makes the nail oil I use.

4. I use a glass file from OPI to shape my nails. Glass files have a fine grit that doesn't chew up your nails like a coarse file does.

5. I polish my nails about once a week. I'll remove the old polish with acetone (this is so much faster than non-acetone removers, and as long as you're not re-polishing your nails every day, acetone isn't going to hurt them) then scrub my nails, file them, push my cuticles back, and re-polish. Every other day or so, I also add another top coat to seal the free edge and keep my nails looking glossy and neat. It helps the manicure last and again, protects them from water.

Links!
Nail oil: https://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Kiss-Simply-Pure-Cuticle/dp/B00DYMYY2G/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1523898710&sr=1-4&keywords=simply%2Bpure%2Bnail%2Boil&th=1
Glass file: https://www.amazon.com/OPI-FI031-Crystal-Nail-File/dp/B000PHKE0O/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1523898654&sr=1-1&keywords=opi+nail+file

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