Nails are often one of the first things people notice about your hands. Nails are like a window into our health and vitality, so it’s important to make sure they look their best. Unfortunately, there are a few things you can do that will ruin your nails and make them weak and brittle. Here are five of the most common mistakes women make when taking care of their nails—avoid them at all cost if you want strong, healthy nails!
1. Cut your nails correctly.
One of the most common mistakes women make when taking care of their nails is to cut them too short. Leave at least a bit of white space at the end of your nails to keep them strong and healthy. You should also avoid cutting your nails straight across, as this can make them weak and brittle. Instead, try cutting them into a slightly curved shape.
File in one direction only – filing in two directions could cause splits in your nails.
File your nails in one direction only with a fine-grain emery board or nail file. Avoid filing your nails in both directions, as this can cause splits to appear down the center of each nail. This is especially important for those with naturally dry, brittle nails. File them gently to avoid further splitting and cracking.
2. Use oil moisturizer on cuticles before bedtime.
Before going to bed, rub some pure castor oil into the cuticles surrounding each of your fingernails and fingernail beds. The natural components of castor oil are absorbed by the skin overnight, which will help prevent environmental damage that leads to unsightly hangnails during the day.
3. Don’t push back the cuticles on your fingers and toes.
Cuticles are important to your nail health, so don’t push them backwards with anything sharp. Cut the skin just above the base of your nail using an emory board instead—it should lift up naturally after pushing down gently on it with the pad of your finger. If you want, you can also soak your nails in warm water for ten minutes before pushing back your cuticles, which will soften them up.
4. Don’t use your nails as tools.
Nails are meant to be used for pretty things, not heavy duty work! Avoid using your nails to open packages or pry items apart when you can help it. This type of use can cause irreparable damage to your nails and leave you with weak, brittle nails that break easily in the future. You also want to shake off the habit so that when you do come down to the nail salon at Paya Lebar, you will walk away with beautiful nails that wouldn’t chip so easily.
5. Don’t let nail polish dry on your nails for too long.
As tempting as it may be, don’t let nail polish dry on your nails for more than five minutes at a time—any longer than this and they’ll become weak and brittle from stuck in one position for too long. Also, avoid putting your fingers near things that might cause them to get caught and break before the polish has dried, like bungee cords or ceiling fans!
6. Wear rubber gloves when washing dishes or cleaning with chemicals.
Washing dishes and other household chores, such as taking showers and baths (remember to use a gentle cleanser on your nails) can cause your nails to get wet and stay wet for hours at a time. If you can’t avoid having wet hands while doing these things, wear rubber gloves so the water isn’t directly against your skin for too long. You should also avoid getting them wet in pools or hot tubs—chemicals like chlorine break down keratin, which is what your nails are made of.
7. Don’t use dark nail polish colors, or nail polish remover as much.
Nail polish remover is also bad for your nails, so try to avoid using it as much as possible. The more you use nail polish remover, the weaker and more brittle your nails will become. As well, dark colors of nail polish can cause your nails to yellow over time. It’s okay to wear these shades every now and then—just don’t keep them on for weeks at a time!
8. Give yourself a manicure every week!
Using a base coat will help keep your nail color looking fresh for longer – plus it protects them from any of the above mentioned hazards!
9. Don’t play with your nails.
Avoid picking, biting, or pulling at your fingernails—even if it’s an annoying hangnail that you just can’t ignore! Picking will only cause damage to the very tip of the nail and lead to future breakage. The same goes for overly peeling off layers of your nail polish after it’s dried. It may feel therapeutic, but you’ll regret it when your nails are weak and easily broken later on down the road!
10. Drink plenty of water every day – eight glasses a minimum!
Water is essential in flushing out any toxins in our bodies, including those harmful components contained within nail polish remover that strip away healthy skin cells containing keratin. So, as you can see, water is a powerful component that will keep your nails looking healthy and strong!
11. Eat an adequate amount of protein each day.
Protein plays a key role in building up keratin which helps to strengthen the nail and prevent breakage. Protein should be part of our daily diet: eggs, milk products, legumes and meats are all great sources for this essential nutrient! As well, calcium has been shown to help improve nail strength by preventing thinning and splitting. Milk products such as yogurt and cheese are also recommended sources for calcium!
12. All other care should be done at night
– cuticles pushed back, moisturizer applied and hands washed thoroughly with soap and water. If you wish, splash on a little alcohol before putting on hand cream – this helps the moisturizer absorb into dry skin more efficiently. Don’t apply too much though as oil based products can make your nails slippery when using tools or instruments such as hairclips or mobile phones!
There you go—12 simple (and completely painless) steps for healthy nails! You should also remember that proper nail care is about more than just what you do every day; it’s important to keep up with your annual checkups with your doctor to make sure nothing else could be going on in terms of your nail health. If something unexpected comes up, speaking to a dermatologist can help you come up with a treatment plan that will give you healthier nails over time.
Doing all these things won’t guarantee strong, beautiful nails, but they will definitely help.
Nail care is important, and you should take it seriously! Take the time to do these steps right for strong, beautiful nails that will make you feel like a superstar every time you look down at your hands (and there’s nothing better than looking down to see pretty nails)!
And also, our nail salon at Paya Lebar offers several other beauty enhancement procedures too, such as 4d eyebrow embroidery singapore, Womb massage therapy singapore, and even Scalp treatment for hair loss! So do book an appointment with us, and get ready to pamper yourself the way you deserve to be!
