Nail health is very real and very important when it comes to having strong natural nails.
I frequently get asked, "Are those your real nails?" and YES, they are! I paint them myself, too. The truth is, you don't need the salon to have pretty long nails. In fact, I never go to the nail salon!
Let's get right to my top 3 tips for longer strong nails, K?
3 Tips for Better Nails :
1. Only use polish
I hate to say it babes, but gel, shellac and acrylic nails are doing more harm than good. If you want pretty painted nails, regular polish is the only thing I recommend and it's the only thing I use. I know trips to the salon can leave nails feeling fresher than ever ( been there ), but your real nail is being seriously damaged underneath. Salon nails ( aka gel, shellac or acrylic nails ) are a quick fix that is temporary and will leave your nails worse than when they began.
HOW IT DAMAGES :
- Thins your nails. Shellac or acrylic totally dehydrates your nails and thins out your nail plate.
- ZERO time to breathe. A thick coat of gel polish does not allow your nail beds or cuticles to breathe; especially if you are continuing to get your nails filled every couple weeks. The longer you leave on polish, the more time you're letting moisture get in and opening yourself up for discoloration of the nail and also fungus.
- UV light to dry the nails. I'm not into UV light at all. I never been to a tanning bed and I don't like to expose my hands to that kind of harmful exposure.
+ Acetone. That's often what's used to remove gel polish and repeated use of acetone causes the nail to become brittle and peel .
I've had shellac nails in the past and it was such a perfect manicure for about 3 weeks. When I took the shellac off, I immediately noticed damage to my nail. They were insanely weak and it took months before I was able to grow them out again. What's the point of 3 weeks with beautiful nails if I have to go 6 weeks with brittle nails? Just not into it, so that's why I love to paint my own nails.
It's insanely inexpensive and easy. I use Sally Hansen Color Therapy and it lasts for two weeks! When I take the polish off my nails look and feel just as healthy as they were before I painted them. You have got to give this nail polish a try.
2. Take Polish Breaks
I will take any where from days to months without having any polish on my nails. Listen to your nails.
They NEED to breath. I mentioned this a little already, but keeping your nails coated with polish for too long is dangerous ( aka nails will turn yellow or discolored, become weak, etc. ).
Mini polish breaks give your nails a chance to recover from an damage nail polish might have caused.
3. Trim & File Regularly
If your nails keep breaking when trying to grow them out, cut them super short and make sure not to use any polish.
It's like hitting the reset button so they can start growing again from a strong base.
Also, keep your nails even. If you don't keep them filed, smoothed and even, then they are more prone to break.
Those are my 3 tricks for healthier nails and they always work for me!
But remember, your nails can't be healthy if you're not. Make sure you are taking care of your body first, then your nails will follow suit. Take a look at the 5 healthy habits I live by.
Be patient with your nails, only paint them with Color Therapy, take care of your overall health and you will be surprised at how strong and long they can be!
Do you have any major nail care tips? Let me know!
xo Caitlin
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