So I started doing my own. I didn't entirely "not know" what I was doing, but it wasn't like everything started out all neat and dandy. Yes, I could paint my nails just fine. But you don't, at least I don't, go to a salon to get someone to "just paint my nails." I want something pretty! I want nail art! And I didn't know how to do any fun things, except I still have this little thing of jewels I think my mom got me...prooobably about 12 years ago now. And I'm still using them. But aside from those, I didn't know how to do anything.
I threw out all the polishes I've had since I was 6 (...no, seriously, I kept those) and I started a whole new "collection," if you will. I looked online for tutorials for simple nail art and came up with some homemade nail art tools until I could get an actual set of them.
My nail bin! I store this on the floor of my closet.
I keep my nail "accessories" in the top (brushes, cuticle things, nail art stuff)
Aaand in the bottom, I keep all of my polishes
So I took about a month and a half without doing my nails at all. When they finally got back to "normal," I began again by being very gentle with them. I'd do them one week, be gentle with removing it, and go a few days without doing anything to them again. Also, I bought practice nail rings from Sally Beauty Supply so I wasn't practicing on my own hands anymore. I could save ideas for later and remember how I did it so I didn't go ruining my nails trying to do the same thing 6 times. To this day my nails are still very sensitive, so I'm always looking for new ways to be kind to them while still being able to paint them like I like to.
What I do:
Keep them relatively short and neat. I know some people have no problem having nice long nails, but my nails just don't do well being very long. On a "long" day, I can just barely see the tips of my nails when I look at my palm. I've tried the at home nail hardening things, and I've tried the nail hardening polishes, and nothing really seems to do much of anything. If you've got nails like me, I know you want those super long nails but sometimes its just better to face the facts of what you've got...sort of like the texture of your hair.
If it peels or cracks, cut it. I know this will break your heart. I've been there a thousand times. It takes you a few weeks to get your nails nice and long and at the length that you want them at, and then the tips begin peeling, or the peel goes all the way back to before the white and you're like "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU." I get it. And I've been the one to try "buffing out the peel" but seriously, believe me when I say it will only make it worse. Buffing makes your nails thinner. If your nails are already in bad shape, making them thinner will not help. Just start fresh.
Use a base coat. You may not think you need it, maybe your nails don't stain, and maybe you don't use super pigmented polishes, but if you do, a base coat is always a good idea. It just adds an extra layer between your nail and the color so that it doesn't stain.
Moisturize. Okay this one tends for even me to have difficulties remembering to do. I just tend to wash my hands pretty frequently and I can't always or don't always remember to re-moisturize. All I can say is keep something on you in your purse or your pocket or wherever that can easily be used when you feel like you need it. I have a travel sized Aquaphor in my purse for emergencies, and I slather my hands in Aquaphor before I go to bed, but throughout the day I just find that Aquaphor is a little oily and greasy for my convenience. About 4 months ago I've started using coconut oil quite a bit, and I've recently put a dollop in a small container and stuck it in my purse and now use it for quick moisture when I need it. I'll be doing another post sometime about my other experiences using coconut oil, but for now, let's just say it's working well for my hands!
Remove polish gently. Okay I'll be honest, up until last week I was scrubbing polish off my nails. If you think about it, even if you have half the polish off, you're still soaking and scrubbing the rest off, and through all that, you're still scrubbing the part of the nail that has nothing on it. In doing this, we're seeeriously drying out our nails. I found a new method on Pinterest that is another huge DUH moment because it will also save you money. If you're stingy like me, you'll like this one.
Did you know you can unravel a cotton ball? You never use the entire cotton ball if you just soak it with remover and use it like normal.
Unravel it and tear it up into small pieces.
Dip just a tiny portion of a piece into remover and place it onto your nail and press lightly just so that it gets traction on the nail enough to stay there, and leave it there. Don't move it, don't scrub, don't do anything with it. Let the remover do the work for you. It literally will break up the nail polish and about 2-3 minutes later, lightly press on the cotton and slide off of your nail. It is like magic.
My nails are very sensitive and after I remove normally, they look dry. After I do it this new way, they look like normal nails. I was SO impressed, and I'll be removing my nail polish like this from here on out. Not only is it clearly being more gentle on my nails, but I'm literally using one cotton ball to remove all my polish from 10 fingers. Yes, please.
So there you go. That's the life of my nails. I work at a restaurant and I babysit two young rough boys and some days I can be a very busy girl. I don't have time to "be gentle with my hands" all the time. I need to use my hands and my fingers and my nails. So those are the things that I do to keep them looking okay and healthy.
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