I was one of those children that chew and bite on their nails, God knows why children think that is
enjoyable; yikes. Now in my adulthood, I struggle with accepting my short,
rough and quite ugly nails if I may say so. I have tried all methods to grow it
out to no avail. Some of the things I have tried are:
- Nail wrapping- looks fancy on others but falls off my nail in less than a week
- Nail growth polish- lol, “these people haff chop my money tire”. Instructions says use over a certain period of time, I do this and still …bad nails continue.
- Nail fixing- whenever I visit a nail shop and they recommend an expensive one to me, I am quick to tell them it’s a waste of my money as it would soon fall off but trust our Nigerian entrepreneurs; they are quick to convince me they have a magic touch others lack. As you may have guessed though, this too is a lie, nothing lasts beyond 2 weeks on my finger nails.
- Manicure- I have also been told tales of manicure from nail professionals; clean the nails a certain way, don’t file your nails yourself, don’t trim it, don’t touch it, the list goes on. I am still looking for my miraculous natural fleeky nails though; who knows when the surprise question will be popped and I couldn’t post pictures on Instagram because they haven’t been made? The horror!!!
My predicament sometimes makes me
surf the internet for solution and this time I came across something nice from
the people at Cosmopolitan. They put together a great list of nails do’s and don’ts
I can totally relate with. I hope it helps someone out there too.
Find their article below:
"Perhaps you're determined to stop
biting your nails or peeling off your gel polish (it's a hard habit to break, I
get it). Or maybe just want to maintain your nail health (yes, please!) or
learn how to fake a just-from-the-salon type of mani (also yes). Whatever the
case, you'll want to put nail pro (and Sally Hansen's Global
Color Ambassador) Madeline
Poole’s advice into action ASAP.
Here are 12 things you need to stop
doing to your nails now to keep them in tip top shape.
1. Stop… peeling off your gel
mani. “The number one thing I tell people not to do is peel off their gel
manicure,” Poole says. “Because, as you peel the gel off, you end up peeling
away super-thin layers of your nail along with the formula, which can cause
divots that linger for months. Doing this can even cause your nail to peel
after the fact, which will cause your polish to chip faster; plus, it just
won’t look pretty.” Instead, Poole recommends soaking your nails in a bowl of
acetone-based polish to loosen the gel from your nail bed. “Put a ton of
cuticle oil on and around your nails first (to help hydrate them and the skin
surrounding it), and soak your tips in the remover for 10 minutes,” she
explains. Then, gently remove it using light pressure and the flat, slanted tip
of an orange stick (a long wooden cuticle pusher) that you can pick up at any
beauty supply shop or drugstore. ”
2. Stop… cutting your cuticles. If
you have a hangnail on the side of your nail bed it can sometimes be painful if
you don’t get rid of it. However, if hangnails aren’t trimmed away properly,
you can actually cause more to crop up. Poole’s advice: It’s better to never
cut your cuticles and instead, apply a cuticle-removing formula over the
perimeter of your nail bed, and then push your cuticle back using the flat tip
of an orange stick or cuticle pusher. Then, gently remove the free-up dead skin
with a tissue or the softest side of a buffing block to reveal a hangnail-free,
clean-looking nail bed.
3. Stop… using your other nails
as chisels to chip off your nail polish. Anytime you purposely chip the paint
off of your nails (whether it’s a nervous habit or you’re just finally over
that burgundy lacquer), you chip away microscopic layers from your nail bed.
This is bad for two reasons: 1) it gives your nail a rough texture even if you
can’t see it with your naked eye, and 2) “you can cause trauma to, and even
chip or break the tip, of the nail that you’re using as the ‘chisel,’” Poole
adds. So, to keep from hacking away at your nail polish, keep individually
wrapped nail polish remover pads in your purse or pick up a nail polish
removing formula that takes lacquer off in seconds.
4. Stop… getting water-based
manicures. Think of your nail bed as a sponge: dip it in water and it’ll absorb
the liquid and expand. Then, as it dries, it shrinks back down to its original
size. Now apply that same thinking to getting a water-based manicure. “When you
soak your fingertips in water to soften your cuticles, your nail expands,”
Poole explains. “This normally wouldn’t be a problem, however, if you’re
applying polish before it shrinks back down, your lacquer will likely chip
faster.” Rather than soaking your tips in water, Poole recommends applying oil
or a cuticle removing formula on the skin around your nail bed, pushing back
your cuticles with an orange stick, and then sweeping them away with a tissue.
5. Stop… putting nail polish
remover in your lacquer to thin it out. "This tip is an old wives’ tale from
way back when," Poole says. “Adding remover to any polish actually makes
the paint chip faster and the pigment become foggy, because nail polish remover
isn’t one of the ingredients in nail polish. So it just ends up making the
paint look less vibrant versus turning your gummy polish smooth." If
extending the life of your polish is your ultimate goal, get nail polish
thinner and add a few drops to your favourite shade to make thick polish swipe
on evenly again. “If you add too much thinner too often though, the longevity
of your polish might not be as lengthy as if you didn’t use it,” Poole warns.
“It won’t mess up the quality though.”
6. Stop… getting acrylics. Bottom
line: acrylics are really bad for your nail’s health. Not only is the formula
super-drying, because it’s actually suffocating to your nail bed, the
application process can also cause indentations on your tips from all of the
rough prep that needs to be done by the nail tech to get the acrylic to adhere
to your nails. “Let’s not forget to mention how bad it is to breathe in the
acrylic powder, which is full of chemicals,” Poole adds. If you want to take
your nail lengths to the next level while also keeping health risks at bay,
Poole prefers press-ons. “They’re way less traumatizing to the nail — and you
can do them yourself,” she adds.
7. Stop… sawing your nails back
and forth when you file them. "I usually liken sawing your nails back and
forth to cutting your hair with a dull pair of scissors," she says.
"When you aggressively saw your nails with a file, it makes the tip frayed
versus a clean edge. You also have less control over the shape you're trying to
create — oval, square, round, etc. — since your nail shaves down quicker when
you file it too fast. "Sometimes if the manicurist is too aggressive with
the file, you can even see your nail move back and forth, like a loose tooth,”
she notes. This is exactly what you want to avoid — especially because all of
the above is a gateway for peeling and premature breakage, since the harsh
trauma of filing causes weakness.
What’s the right way to file your
nails? “You get the smoothest, fray-free finish when you file from the side of
your nail to the center in one direction, lifting the file away from the nail,
and returning to the starting point where your skin and nail connect,” Poole
explains. "By using this technique, you get less of a ragged tip — plus,
the fluid filing movement is less traumatic to your nail bed.” If you’ve
already frayed the eff out of your free edge (aka the tip of your nail), Poole
suggests trimming them ever so slightly, and then reshaping them using the
fluid motion filing technique. Finally, massage some nail oil over your tips to
help hydrate them. Try using a washable glass file that won't be too harsh on
your tips.
8. Stop… biting your nails. Biting
your nails can be compared to filing them improperly. Not only does gnawing on
them make their edges frayed, soaking them in a liquid aka your saliva makes
them super-weak. Plus, the whole experience isn’t sanitary, especially because
debris, dirt, and bacteria is lodged up under your nail and is possibly going
into your mouth. Eek! Have a habit you can’t quit? Poole suggests getting one
coat of clear gel on your nails because “it’s too thick to bite through.” Or,
you can paint on a gross-tasting formula to deter you from putting your fingers
in your mouth.
9. Stop… painting over oily
nails. Sure, you want your nails and the skin surrounding your tips to be
hydrated and hangnail-free, but applying polish over oily nail beds isn’t going
to leave you with a longest-lasting manicure. “You want to start with the
driest nails possible,” Poole instructs. “After you’ve done all of the steps —
gently filed your nails, safely removed your cuticles, and moisturized your
hands with oil or lotion — wipe only your nail beds down with a nail polish
remover wipe (or dip a cotton swab into some remover and clear away any oil
that way). Then, start with your base coat, add polish, and finish with top
coat.
10. Stop… shaking your polish to
mix it up. When your polish sits for too long without being used, it settles
and the ingredients separate. To properly mix the polish together again, roll
the bottle between your hands rather than shaking it, since the latter creates
air bubbles in the formula that can also show up as tiny bubbles on your nails
when you paint them.
11. Stop... using cotton balls to
remove your polish. The reasoning behind this seems like a no-brainer, but it's
always been a habit of mine to use a cotton ball, so I think it's important to
note: cotton balls = fuzzies left on your nail aka your manicure will be
ruined. Whereas, paper towels don't leave behind fuzz, so Poole recommends using
them instead.
12. Stop… painting on thick layers of polish.
Coating on a lot of layers means you’ll literally be watching paint dry (on
your fingertips) for the next who knows how many hours, because they’ll take
longer to fully harden. Plus, too many layers mean your application could end
up looking bubbly or uneven rather than smooth. To make sure your mani comes
out looking professional, stick to two coats and allow proper drying time in
between each one. “If you wait for the paint to dry in between coats, it allows
all of the air to escape the formula and really seals the lacquer on your nail
before applying the next coat,” Poole says. “This is the secret to a
professional, long-lasting manicure. I’m also not against quick dry formulas if
you don’t have a ton of time.
Have you got other nail habits
that improve your nail growth? Please share your methods in the comment section.
